Mega Catch MCU-800 Ultra - Manual (Page 12)

10
Mega-Catch™ Variable Quantity Slow CO
2
Gas Release System
Mosquitoes find their prey using a vast array of sensory signals including light, shape, color,
heat, vibration and various chemical compounds produced by humans and other animals. One
of these compounds is carbon dioxide or CO
2
. Most conventional traps rely on CO
2
gas to attract
mosquitoes. They usually achieve this by burning flammable liquids like propane. Carbon dioxide
gas is one by-product of that combustion process.
Mega-Catch™ Traps on the other hand need no CO
2
to attract mosquitoes. Using advanced
design features and sophisticated electronic components, Mega-Catch™ Traps exploit a wide
range of sensory signals to attract mosquitoes.
Mega-Catch™ also offers its own carbon dioxide attractant system using its patented “Variable
Quantity Slow CO
2
Gas Release System”. The latest version of this system is now a standard
feature on all Mega-Catch™ ULTRA model Traps.
Use of this attractant system is entirely optional i.e. while the system is designed to increase
capture rates it is not essential to the effective operation of the Trap. Even without the system,
or with the system turned off, your Mega-Catch™ ULTRA Mosquito Trap will catch significant
numbers of mosquitoes and other biting insects.
Conventional Traps which burn propane release CO
2
gas in a continuous stream as part of the
exhaust gases from the propane combustion process. Mega-Catch™’s Variable Quantity Slow
CO
2
Gas Release System is designed to replicate a key element of human respiration by releasing
quantities of pure CO
2
gas at an exponentially decaying (negative) rate over fixed intervals to
produce a concentration gradient in the air plume emanating from the lower part of the Trap.
Mosquitoes use this concentration gradient to navigate their way to the Trap.
The Mega-Catch™ system is able to release more CO
2
(and in a cleaner and purer form) than
propane burning traps by using carbon dioxide in the same cylinders as those used by the
beverage industry to aerate (put bubbles into) the likes of beer, softdrinks and sparkling mineral
water. CO
2
gas in this form is able to be purchased from hundreds of gas supply outlets
throughout the U.S.A. and elsewhere (see page 13, CO
2
Gas Suppliers section).
ATTENTION: DO NOT OPERATE THE ULTRA TRAP INDOORS