Afraid of Bugs? Insectophobia is the Mother of Invention

Fear of insects (also known as entomophobia) mainly includes disgust or aversion to bugs. Insects and bugs often appear “ugly or disgusting” owing to their shape, colors, or wiggly parts. Bugs like flies, mosquitoes and fleas are also associated with the spread of diseases and infections, causing fear of infection or becoming sick.

The level of symptoms that people with phobias experience varies a great deal, from mild anxiety to very severe panic and terror. While some people simply jump a little when they see a spider scampering across the floor, others can barely cope with the anxiety this brings. Some people who have full-scale panic attacks when a particular animal comes near them, refuse to go anywhere where they might encounter one. Others will not even look at a book or magazine that might have photos of the feared creature. Then there are those that combat their bug anxiety with anger  and determination instead of fear and set out to rid the world of what’s bugging them.  Example, the owner and CEO of Corky’s Pest Control, Corky Mizer used his fear/dislike of Spiders as impetus to start his pest control business nearly 50 years ago.

Some ingenious insectophobes have invented means of controlling insects that have used unique technological breakthroughs, providing some fantastic methods to get rid of Bugs. Science Fiction is becoming Science Fact.

Here are a couple of great inventions soon to reach the open market, check them out!

Mosquito Repellent LG TV:

Electronics giant LG announced a new TV being test marketed in India that includes an ultrasonic component designed to repel mosquitoes. What better place to begin marketing this product than in a county plagued by mosquito borne diseases (Dengue Fever, Malaria, and now Zika).

The South Korea-based company recently announced the Mosquito Away line of TVs, which use ultrasonic technology to repel the bloo

LG Mosquito Away TV

d-sucking insects. The starting price is $400 for a TV with a 32-inch display. Both 32 and 43 inch televisions are available and include the new feature LG calls “Mosquito Away Technology”.

The aptly named tech uses ultrasonic waves that LG says causes mosquitos to avoid the surrounding area. Meanwhile, the frequency emitted by these new TVs (whether switched on or off) is completely inaudible to humans. According to LG’s website the company states, “The ultrasonic sound waves effectively drive away the mosquitoes keeping your loved ones absolutely safe at home. Since no harmful chemicals are used, it is also odor-free and not hazardous to health like the conventional methods used for keeping mosquitos away,” The company also states that the TV is not intended to replace other mosquito-deterrent devises.

This new technology is also being used in air-conditioners and washing machines.

 Bed Bugs, stopped in their tracks:

The term nanotechnology encompasses many different fields and specialties, including engineering, chemistry, electronics, medicine and pest control among others. Nanotechnology, or, as it’s sometimes called, molecular manufacturing, deals with the design and manufacture of extremely small devices built at the molecular level of matter. It’s hard to imagine just how small nanotechnology is. So let me explain. One nanometer is a billionth of a meter, or 10^-9 of a meter. Hard to grasp? Think about this:

• There are 25,400,000 nanometers in an inch
• A sheet of newspaper is about 100,000 nanometers thick.
• On a comparative scale, if a marble were a nanometer, then one meter would be the size of the Earth.

So how has this science of tiny, tiny, itsy, bitsy, things, delivered such big news in the control of bedbugs? A nanotech solution has been developed by Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York, that stops Bed Bugs in their tracks.  How’s this done? Miriam Rafailovich, professor of materials science and engineering and co-director in the program of chemical and molecular engineering at Stony Brook University, states, “Our nanotechnology produces entanglements that are millions of times more dense than woven products such as fabrics or carpets,” This innovative new technology acts as a man-made nono-

web consisting of microfibers 50 times thinner than a human hair which entangle and trap bed bugs and other insects, effectively stopping them from feeding and reproducing.  This patent-pending technology is being commercialized by Fibertrap, a private company that employs non-toxic pest control methods.  The only drawback in all of this is that it is still in the development phase, patent pending.

Just for fun, check out this link.  Japanese scientists go the extra mile to build a better Roach Trap. 

“Gokiburi Hoy-Hoy,” everyone!       https://youtu.be/topVkP8WBb4