Last night a mosquito made its way into my room. I know because I woke up in the middle of the night itching. I've always found that spray bottles filled with water (so I don't get Windex on anything or anyone) are better than fly swatters when it comes to mosquitoes because they're so light that just a few drops of water is enough to slow them down. But I didn't know where the bugger had gone off to. So I googled around a bit and found this:
A quick and dirty mosquito trap designed by students in Taiwan! It uses a few simple household materials and appears to be very effective. It creates a funnel that's easy to get into and difficult to get out of. Since mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide (they use it to find animals - all animals breathe out carbon dioxide), they enter the contraption and have a hard time figuring out how to leave.
Mosquitoes are a big problem in many parts of the world - not just as pests, but as carriers of disease as well. I've seen industrial sized mosquito traps that use propane or special cartridges as the source of carbon dioxide, but they're bulky and expensive (on the low end they're over $100). This is simple, easy to make, and effective. Definitely a Good Design Idea!
Also check out the Water Cone which is another good design idea using similar materials.
