Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

We've just got to our new property and were beseiged by Mozzies and other flying insects the first night, so we decided to get something to control them.

Originally we intended to get a 'zapper' style flying insect killer, but decided to go for a 'BugVac' unit instead - with really excellent results.

The unit has a low watt UV black light to attract, with a small fan inside which pushes the insects down into a water tray when they land on the see through surface the light is behind.

The first night we 'harvested' literally thousands of insects (mozzies, moths, flies), so far tonight's 'harvest' looks like it will be similar.

In the first night's experiment, I went with the manual's recommendation of adding a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid - to reduce surface tension - but have added none tonight (with fish feeding ultimately in mind) and still had good results...some mozzies escape the first time or two, but eventually end up getting too wet and drowning. It'd be nice to have something fish friendly to reduce surface tension, but from my experience so far it isn't essential.

For those who live in an area with plenty of outdoor bugs, this unit could be a very good thing to build or buy, with very good results for controlling insects and providing supplementary fish food. So far I've watched very carefully and it hasn't killed any 'good' bugs. Apparently, smearing a little fly attracting bait on the underside of the trap where the fan kicks in would also catch a lot of flies (tomorrow's planned experiment).

If you live in a cane toad area, building your own unit would allow you to set up a 'trap door' cane toad trap while you're at it.

I looked for an online source to show a picture/description of the unit and where you could buy it, but all I found was a page describing how some blokes got a grant to develop the product - so I guess it must be fairly new? FWIW, we got ours at the local Mitre 10.

They've been around a while Jez. My local produce shop has had this or a similar product there for at least 3 years.

Good to hear you have made the move :-).

jez, interesting!

Is there actually a high proportion of mozzies?

Apparently one of the common falacies is that mozzies are attracted to UV light. To my knowledge they are not. Mozzie zappers are near useless and tend to only zap "other" insects.

Mozzies are attracted to both body heat and CO2 emmisions (makes sense, the drink mammals blood, and we have warm blood and emit co2)

id ya got time and wanna do a funky experiment then set up a little jar of sugar and yeast near the bug vac and see if you get a higher catch of mozzies!

STeve

Now a cane toad zapper WOULD be cool

I always wanted one of those mozzie killers that uses a CO2 gas bottle. Haven't seen them advertised for a while, but I seem to remember they were around a gran - hence the reaon I don't have one.

pretty interesting reading on the mozzies, i think they use the co2 plume for "long range sensors" and then the body heat (IR?) as "short range sensors" LOL

I have seen a variant of the bug vac, but without the water, it just blows them into a chamber with filter mesh and the de-hydrate from the airflow.

Ah, ok VB - strange there is not much info on them online.

Maybe the zappers are much more popular - but for harvesting the insects as intact as possible for fish feed, this unit seems to have a big advantage...which probably only someone into fish raising would appreciate as any advantage at all.

Yes, the move is all done now...looking forward to the new design challenges for inside and out...very happy to be here at last!

Yeah Steve, I will try a yeast bait - I've seen some yeast traps for mozzies in plastic bottles and the like...be interesting to compare the efficiency.

There is a huge number of mozzies - far more than anything else in number...they seem to go for any light up here...there's one on my monitor as I'm typing!

i don't like mozzies very much a single one in my room causes a sleepless night!

Over here we have the "mosquito Magnet" and several copies. They use IR and CO2 (provided by a propane pilot light or ceramic heater) and octenol (ox breath). When the mosqitoes get close, they get vacuumed into a little bag. I've been following its development because my uncle was one of the original developers.