Man discovers low-tech trick to kill thousands of mosquitoes each night

The mosquito is not only the deadliest creature on Earth, but also the blight of holiday makers, the bane of those in hot countries, and the stealthy blood-suckers are near-impossible to kill. But not for this industrious YouTuber who has invented a low-tech method that can kill the bugs by the thousands.

Dan Rojas, who runs the GreenPowerScience YouTube channel, devised a simple, low-tech DIY system that involves industrial fans and his pet dog, which he claims kills an estimated 4,000 mosquitoes per night.

The setup works by placing the large fans either side of his pet pitbull's outdoor cage, which pump out the emitted carbon dioxide from the dog's breath, which the mozzies are attracted to.

For those without a spare (or willing dog), an open bottle of soda or seltzer water placed behind the fan will do the same job thanks to its carbonation.

In the YouTube video it shows Rojas placing a piece of mesh to the rear of the fan and as the mosquitoes home in on the source of CO2 coming from behind they fly straight into the fan and become trapped in the screen.

As Rojas removes the mesh he taps the insects onto a board and it clearly shows piles of the trapped mosquitoes that no amount of newspaper swatting could ever come close to defeating. Over a two night period he claims to have killed over 8,000 mosquitoes that would have otherwise infested his home and laid larvae.

While this doesn't necessarily kill all the critters they are then doused in rubbing alcohol to dissolve their bodies, turning them into food for lizards and other creatures – all without the need for pesticides.

Rojas believes his ecological system, which he first showed in action back in 2011, could help reduce the risk of contracting the Zika virus, malaria or dengue fever. Rojas does warn that manufacturers of the fans, which could cost upwards of £100, do not advise they should be left out at night but he says he has not encountered any problem in years.

If you're wondering about the dog in all of this, Rojas also ensures that 'Rocky' has never been bitten by a mosquito and sleeps indoors each night away from the bugs.