A South Korean company donated mosquito traps to UF Housing and Residence Education.
Seoul Viosys donated the Mosclean traps Nov. 21 to help with the mosquito problem in Florida, wrote Sharon Blansett, the assistant to the associate vice president for UF Student Affairs, in an email. The traps, which were placed in graduate and family housing, use carbon dioxide and ultraviolet light to attract mosquitoes and trap them.
The traps were placed in stairwells, where air circulation is limited, and where residents have reported mosquito issues, Blansett said. Corry Village, Diamond Village, Maguire Village, Tanglewood Village and University Village South were among the housing complexes where they were placed.
“Pest control is a year-round challenge in Florida making it an ideal test location for new products and processes,” Blansett said.
UF Housing worked with Phil Koehler, an entomology professor with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, to research test-products like the mosquito traps that were donated, she said.
His work with the traps led to UF Housing receiving the donations, she said.
Sherry Zhou, 24, wrote in an email that her friend received notice about the mosquito traps.
The UF tourism graduate student said she feels safer with the traps around her home at Maguire Village.
“To be honest, I am a little bit worried about Zika,” she said.
