15 June 2012

¡Adios mosquitos!

See this?


It may be the thing that saves my summer.

That's an InaTrap, a mosquito trap that's actually attractive.

Most mosquito traps and bug zappers are an eyesore, but the InaTrap turns all of that on its head.

I have a big table on my patio and as often as not, I use it as a dining table. When I have people over, that's where we eat. Not only that, my next door neighbors and I tend to sit out there and talk long into the night. This set up works out perfectly for most of the year. However, when the rainy season kicks in every May, the mosquitoes come with it. The rains continue through the end of September and during the wet months, lingering at my patio table becomes an exercise in mosquito evasion.

I've thought about mosquito traps before but they're always such an eyesore. Not so the InaTrap.


The InaTrap is the result of the collaboration of Acase, a manufacturer of acessories and cases for iPhones, iPads and the rest, and the design house Inadays. The InaTrap won the 2012 Taiwan design excellence award and I can see why.

Its compact design uses just five watts of power and how it works is pretty ingenious. Here's a diagram:


The device uses a combination of UV light and a photocatalytic reaction that produces low levels of CO2. The CO2 convinces the little monsters that there's a tasty human being at the source of that gas. Once the mosquito enters the trap, it gets caught up in a nearly silent downdraft and it lands in a chamber that's out of sight. Oh, and they don't survive the trip across the fan blades. Boo hoo.

Here's the whole collection:


The InaTrap measures 215 x 215 x 315 mm (or 8.46 x 8.46 x 12.4 inches) and weighs 1.2 kg (2.64 lbs.), its lamp has an 18,000 hour lifespan and it carries a one year warranty.

The InaTrap is available in North America now on Amazon. I know I don't live in the only part of the world where mosquitoes descend en masse every summer evening.

So what do you guys think? What's the best way do deal with mosquitoes?

7 comments:

  1. Love this Paul

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  2. Heh, the diagram reminds me of a rabbit with a chefs hat. In short as I list in a post on keeping them at bay, with over 3500 different species it really is a crap shoot on if it will work in your area or not

    http://blog.sls-construction.com/2012/mosquitos-5-methods-keeping-bloodsuckers-at-bay

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  3. I'll say. I could have used one the other night. I was talking to my neighbors at around 7pm and the wee beasties were out in force. I had to go inside after about ten minutes to nurse the welts on my legs.

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  4. I just bought a purple one. Thanks for the info, Paul :-) Now if I can find something to keep the deer flies away, I'll be a happy camper!

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  5. Congratulations on your pending arrival! Deer flies are the worst, most persistent things on earth. The only thing that keeps them at bay is to slather yourself in Muskol.

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