No flies on 'natural' pest control device

Flies and other flying insects can carry and spread bacteria spoiling foodstuffs and contaminating equipment. With increasing regulations on hygiene and the chemicals used in plants, managers are looking for improved and safer pest control measures. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have developed the Flybrella, so called because its inverted umbrella resemblance, which they claim captured 98 per cent of flies during testing. Flies and other flying insects are attracted, killed and stored in the low-profile device. A natural, commercially available attractant, combined with a toxin emanates from a perforated tube and kills the creatures within 15 seconds of exposure. The final flight is downward into a dome-shaped plastic container at the base of the trap. With its small and lightweight construction, the Flybrella is suitable for hanging on overhead water and power lines where flies tend to rest in industrial operations such as bakeries, claim the developers. Flybrella designers, entomologist Jerome Hogsette and chemist David Carlson, claim the device works best when place about six feet from the floor. The bait and toxicant remain effective for about three months, claims the ARS. The technology has been patented and is now open for development for commercial use.