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Mosquito Trap Could Help Prevent Zika's Spread If Professors Can Get It To Market

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
The University of Florida
/
The Florida Channel
A mosquito trap developed by University of Florida scientists could help prevent the spread of Zika, if they can get it to the marketplace.

Professors from the University of Florida have developed a mosquito trap that they say could help prevent the spread of the Zika virus. 
 
Professor Phil Koehler says the trap is proven to catch and kill mosquitoes but the public might not be able use it this summer because it’s awaiting federal approval. 

 
The professors have applied for emergency registration from the Environmental Protection Agency, which could bring it to the public in a matter of weeks instead of almost a year.  
 
Koehler said he’s hoping to have it approved for this mosquito season.  
 
"Is it responsible  as scientists to sit back and wait for the system to put this through next year and watch the situation with Zika perhaps grow, and then we end up with perhaps even deformed children in the state of Florida as a result of our inaction?" Koehler said. "We just couldn’t sit back and do nothing.”  
 
The professors started developing the trap six years ago for the military. A company has purchased the patent and is ready to produce it for the marketplace.  
 

Bobbie O’Brien has been a Reporter/Producer at WUSF since 1991. She reports on general news topics in Florida and the Tampa Bay region.