Mosquito Lattice Trap

grabcad

Wondering how this is supposed to stop Malaria?!! Well, prepare for yet another mosquito trap idea! After extensive research on mosquitoes--just kidding it took me 5 seconds on Google--I found out a few interesting facts:-Mosquitoes go through a 4 stage life cycle: egg, larva, pupa, adult-Mosquitoes breed in standing water-Eggs are tiny, hundreds of them grouped are still < ¼ in-In the larva stage, a mosquito sheds 4 times growing to about ½ in at the end-Larva live in the water and feed on algae, plankton, and other microorganisms-Mosquitoes are attracted by multiple things: carbon dioxide, heat (thus darker colors that draw in heat), light-In India, common places for mosquitoes to breed are air coolers, pots and plants, gutters, bathrooms, and toiletsRather than focusing on the adult stage, I targeted mosquitoes in the larva stage. With wing span and other factors, the adult stage of a mosquito seems harder to design around. Plus, a trap designed for water could have floating parts without using extra plastic. I wanted to avoid using motors, electricity, or chemicals in my design; I thought these components might not be as practical in real life. So after countless lackluster designs, here is what I came up with:My idea is to trap mosquitoes in a lattice while they are still growing. By putting the lattice in common mosquito breeding places--air cooler tanks, plant trays, gutters, toilets--and filling up all water space, any larva that swims in will have a tough time getting out. As soon as the eggs hatch, mosquito larva are around 1.5 mm in size. At this point, larva should have no trouble swimming through the lattice. The tightest areas in the lattice are 2 mm apart. As the larva grow and shed skin, however, they eventually get too big to escape from the lattice. As soon as a larva swims in from its egg on the surface, it’s trapped.The lattice’s design consists of many, tiny cubes. Each cube is designed to be curving inward. This way, a mosquito larva has an easier time squeezing in than out. I originally wanted to make a 2D net-like structure, but the 3D lattice increases the chance a mosquito swims in and gets caught. Since the lattice is comprised of small cubes, my design can be customized to fit in different spaces. The cube’s curved edges make the lattice easier to 3D print and easier to clean, since there are no hard 90 degrees angles that require support or hook onto larva carcasses. The lattice is black to draw in heat and mosquitoes. Dropping food--algae and other microorganisms--into the lattice could further attract larva.