Operation
Your Mosquito PowerTrap is fully automatic. It is equipped with a photocell, temperature sensors and a computer microprocessor.
The control panel is located on the top of the unit and has the following operating modes:
•24/7 (on 24 hours, 7 days/week)
•3 Hours (on at dusk, off 3 hours later)
•3 + 2 Hours (on at dusk,
off 3 hours later; on again at dawn, off 2 hours lat- er).
•4 + 3 Hours (on at dusk, off 4 hours later; on again at dawn, off 3 hours later)
•Off/Reset (manual off)
To select the desired mode, first push the button la- beled “Off/Reset” to clear the computer memory. Then push the button labeled “Mode”.
For continuous operation press the “Mode” button once. The green light labeled “24/7” will light and the unit will operate continuously 24 hours per day until the “Off/Reset” button is pressed.
For timed operation, press and hold the “Mode” but- ton. When the desired mode is selected as indicated by its green light, release the button. No further con- trol is necessary and your unit will function in the mode selected every day until the “Off/Reset” button is depressed or an interruption occurs in the electrical power source.
Note:
To resume operation following an electri- cal disturbance or a loss of electrical power, press the “Off/Reset” button to clear the computer memory then reset the unit to the desired operating mode.
In the event the PowerTrap fails to respond to its controls (mode selection) unplug the unit for a few seconds, reattach plug and then reset to the desired mode.
When the 24/7 mode is selected, the unit will begin its start cycle and approximately three minutes later, the fan and LED lights located in the entrance to the trap will come on intermittently. Once the catalyst has reached operating temperature, which will take five to ten minutes, the fan and LED lights will remain on and the start cycle will be complete.
When a timed mode is selected, the fan and LED lights will come on immediately and remain on. The unit, however, waits for dusk and then checks the out- side air temperature to determine if it is sufficiently warm for insect activity (above 55º – 60ºF). This is an important feature to conserve propane fuel. The unit will automatically begin its start cycle when the light level reaches dusk and remains at the level of dusk for ten minutes (thus avoiding the effects of transient light sources) and if the outside air temperature is above the 55º – 60ºF range.
The start cycle is also repeated at dawn when the 3 + 2 hr or the 4 + 3 hr mode is selected.
During start cycles, which are from five to ten minutes in duration, the fan and LED lights operate intermittently.
Ten to fifteen minutes after the unit detects a lack of propane fuel (either due to an empty tank or due to improper installation of the propane regulator to the tank valve) the three green timed mode lights on the control panel will flash. Simply switch the PowerTrap off and refuel. If the unit is not out of propane and the lights are flashing check that the tank valve is fully open and that the regulator is properly attached to the tank valve.
Mosquitoes and biting flies are generally most active shortly after dusk and again at dawn. Therefore, the 3
+2, or 4 + 3 timed modes are usually the most eco- nomical settings.
The 24/7 mode is desirable if day flying mosquitoes are present or to operate at temperatures below 55º F.
Note:
As mosquitoes and biting flies pass through the fan, most are killed and thrown against the side of the internal screen-lined funnel. Those that escape the fan’s killing action end up in the catch tray where they quickly dehydrate and die. See page 7 for instruc- tions for removing the screen-lined funnel and cleaning the screen.
Your Enemy – the Mosquito
There are some 2,700 species (different kinds of mosquitoes) in the world with about 170 species in North America alone.
Most mosquitoes live and die close to where they hatch, although some can travel miles in search of a host. Only the female mosquito bites as she requires a blood meal to produce eggs.
Mosquitoes require standing water in aquatic habitats including fresh water, salt water marshes, brackish water or in water found in containers, old tires, tree holes, even flower pots. The female mosquito lays her eggs on the surface of the water and if conditions are right the eggs hatch and become larvae, then pu- pae and finally adult mosquitoes; all in 10 to 14 days.
Both male and female mosquitoes feed regularly on nectar obtained from flowers, but females require blood to produce fertile eggs. Therefore, she must find a human or animal host to blood feed before she can lay her eggs.
Most mosquitoes that emerge in the wild never come in contact with humans but obtain blood from birds and other animals. Mosquito species that breed around the home remain close to where they hatched and are regarded as pests and carriers of disease.
Mosquitoes in search of a blood meal use visual, thermal and olfactory (odor) stimuli to locate a host. Of these, olfactory cues are the most important.
Out of the more than 100 compounds detected in hu- man breath only two have been isolated and identi-
fied as significant mosquito and biting fly attractants; carbon dioxide (CO2) and octenol (1-OCTEN-3-
OL). These attractants serve as long-range airborne attractants and can be detected by mosquitoes and biting flies at distances of 100 feet to 125 feet.
At close range, body heat, moisture and lactic acid serve as terminal attractants. Certain species show strong preferences for biting different parts of the hu- man body. This is thought to be related to local skin temperature and lactic acid output.
The attractiveness of different persons to mosquitoes varies substantially. Men are bitten more readily than women, adults more often than children and larger persons attract more mosquitoes perhaps because of their greater relative heat and carbon dioxide output.
How Your Flowtron Mosquito PowerTrap Works
The revolutionary new Flowtron Mosquito PowerTrap replicates the attractants mosquitoes use to locate, bite and annoy humans. It does this by producing carbon dioxide, heat and moisture and combining these stimuli with octenol to create an attractant to mosquitoes.
Your Flowtron Mosquito PowerTrap:
•Replicates the human attractants of respiration, odor, body heat.
•Converts readily available propane gas into heat, moisture and carbon dioxide, the acknowledged leading mosquito and attractants emitted by hu- mans.
•Produces a powerful vacuum to draw mosquitoes into a convenient, removable catch tray where they quickly dehydrate and die for safe, clean dis- posal.
•Contains state-of-the-art computer controlled elec- tronics to operate automatically in one of four modes selected by you.
Mosquito PowerTrap does away with ultraviolet lights and high voltage killing grids. Most importantly, it kills only female mosquitoe.
Flowtron Mosquito PowerTrap uses an exclusive plat- inum catalyst that converts air and propane gas into heat, moisture and carbon dioxide. It does this in an efficient, effective and economical manner. The cata-
lyst converter is completely safe, flameless and never needs to be replaced.
