How SkeeterVac Traps Exterminate
Female biting insects
require blood to nourish their eggs. They get that blood from you, your
family, your pets and your friends.
They track down hosts by
sensing the carbon dioxide (the primary cue), moisture and heat from
breath, body odors and color contrasts. SkeeterVac® mosquito
exterminators create a combination of those cues. This tricks the
insects into thinking the trap is a host.
Once the pests are
attracted to the exterminator, they are captured on the sticky trap or
sucked into an enclosure by a powerful vacuum fan. Once trapped, they
quickly dehydrate and die.
Creating
Attractants
Propane gas from a
standard grill cylinder is burned in a sealed combustion chamber where
it is catalyzed into warm carbon dioxide and water. This precision
mixture is exhausted out into the air stream.
A unique time-release
FineTune® lure at the top of the unit emits a scent that when
combined with CO2 increases the attraction power for many
species. Different species like different levels of the scent. Only
SkeeterVac® mosquito exterminators allow you to vary the
amount of attractant to match the species in your backyard. Adjustment
is made by simply turning a dial.
About Mosquitoes
Why mosquitoes are
attracted to you
Scientists still don’t fully understand the subtle chemistry of what
attracts mosquitoes to humans.
However, entomologists are certain that
the following are mosquito attractants:
- Carbon dioxide and other chemicals in
the breath that you exhale
- Chemicals your body emits
- Body heat
- Visual cues such as color, size and
contrast
- Movement
Mosquitoes are very effective
at reproducing
Attracting, trapping
and killing just one female mosquito at the start of mosquito season can
prevent the birth of up to 25,000 more mosquitoes that season alone!
The importance of water
All mosquitoes need water to complete their lifecycles.
Some mosquito species lay their eggs directly on the surface of
water. Others lay drought-resistant eggs into containers or depressions
in the ground – then, when the area is flooded by rainfall or another
water source, the eggs are able to hatch.
Mosquito activity in cold weather
Many mosquitoes are able to hibernate in cold winter
months. Their development ceases, and they remain still and
inactive. Once temperatures rise in the spring and summer, the
hibernating mosquitoes and mosquito eggs become active again.
What mosquitoes eat
Mosquitoes rely on sugar as their main source of energy.
Both male and female mosquitoes feed on plant nectar, fruit juices, and
liquids that ooze from plants.
Blood for reproduction
Females mosquitoes lay multiple batches of eggs and
require a blood meal for every batch they lay. Male mosquitoes do not
lay eggs – as a result, male mosquitoes don’t require blood meals, and
therefore, do not bite.
Most mosquitoes die before they are able to bite and take
a blood meal. In general, mosquitoes that do live to reproduce are
only able to take one blood meal before they, too, are killed or die
naturally.
Why mosquito bites hurt
Mosquito bites leave welts and itch because when females
bite they salivate into the wound. Proteins in the saliva facilitate the
taking of the blood meal by preventing the blood platelets from
coagulating and by dilating blood vessels. The welts that appear after
the mosquito leaves are not a reaction to the wound but an allergic
reaction to the saliva injected to prevent clotting.
Controlling Mosquitoes
In addition to properly
installing and using a SkeeterVac® mosquito exterminator, you can reduce
mosquito breeding around your home significantly by reducing the amount
of water that is stagnating on your property.
-
Dispose of cans, plastic containers,
pots, or similar water-holding containers that have accumulated on
your property.
-
Drill holes in the
bottom of containers that you must leave out of doors – trash
cans, recycling bins, etc.
-
Clean clogged roof
gutters on an annual basis.
-
Turn over plastic
wading pools when not in use.
-
Turn over
wheelbarrows, empty planters, or children’s toys.
-
Don’t allow water to
stagnate in birdbaths.
-
Aerate ornamental
pools or stock them with fish.
-
Clean and chlorinate
swimming pools that are not being used. Don’t forget that mosquitoes
breed in the water that collects on swimming pool covers.
-
Use landscaping
features or drainage tools to eliminate standing water that collects
in low spots on your property.
