Mosquito, tick trap invented by doctor in Cape

A prominent Cape Girardeau doctor and his son are two of the key players in a group that has invented a mosquito and tick trap that they hope will be a successful business venture as well as reduce the number of cases of West Nile virus and Lyme disease.

The group -- led by Dr. Ed Masters and his 25-year-old son, Jordan -- promises that the first-of-its-kind device will be manufactured locally and that means more jobs, they say.

"I believe this is going to be a big deal," said Ed Masters, an expert in tick-borne diseases and co-inventor of the device that is expected to hit the market this spring. "West Nile is only going to be worse next year and ticks are always a problem."

The device is called the ToM Trap -- ToM standing for ticks or mosquitoes. The plastic trap consists of two chambers, one which holds water that will drip slowly into a lower chamber. The lower chamber contains three common, safe chemicals that will slowly and steadily emit carbon dioxide gas, which humans exhale.

Sixteen ounces of these chemicals will produce at least 10 times the amount of carbon dioxide needed to attract mosquitoes for 170 hours, Masters said, and -- unlike other traps -- will do so without the aid of electricity, costly propane or dangerous open flames. Mosquitoes can detect even a fraction of carbon dioxide.

"Lots of things attract mosquitoes but carbon dioxide is the most effective," Masters said. "Carbon dioxide is like a dinner bell to them."

Once inside, the ticks and mosquitos will be trapped by glue boards, which can be replaced after they become full. Masters said the ToM Trap is effective from a distance of 50 to 75 feet or in about a quarter-acre area. Masters estimates that it will reduce mosquito and tick populations by about 75 percent within that area.

The product is made with a special mineral and plastic mix that absorbs heat during the day and slowly releases the heat at night in amounts that attract mosquitoes without electricity.

The ToM Trap is unique in that it traps both ticks and mosquitoes, he said. It also will be cheaper than other traps, he said, and will sell for under $100.

Masters said he and Tom Kollars, an entomologist and mosquito expert, came up with the idea for the ToM Trap.

"It was part trial and error, part intuition and part blind luck," Masters said. "But the bottom line is we got there."

Meeting a need

West Nile and Lyme disease are problems begging for remedies.

In the most recent numbers released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reported West Nile virus cases have reached 2,530 with 125 deaths in 32 states and Washington, D.C. In Cape Girardeau, has been only one human case reported and several animal-related infections and deaths.

Bacteria that causes Lyme disease is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected deer ticks and cause more than 16,000 infections in the United States each year.

The product will be manufactured by Bloomfield, Mo.-based Consolidated Plastics, a company that assembles and decorates a wide array of plastic parts, from automotive items to goose and duck calls.

Company vice president Damon Dowdy said they see proposals for new products all the time, but this seemed particularly interesting.

"This may be one of the most worthy projects ever brought to us," he said.

The 35-employee company that was started in 1988 will have to hire more people, depending on ToM Trap's demand levels, he said.

The device's appearance was designed by Consolidated. "They came to us with a crude prototype and from that we designed several concepts," Dowdy said. "They then chose the one they liked the looks of."

Dowdy said he expects the device to be successful.

"It would puzzle me if it wasn't," he said. "I think it's an extremely useful product. The timing is perfect for us, with the sensitivity to the West Nile virus. And the key to its success in my opinion is that it's so simple. Any housewife could pull this out of the box, scan through the directions and use it."

Masters' son, Jordan Masters, is a first-year MBA student at Southeast Missouri State University. His thesis is on the development of this company, Ticks or Mosquitoes LLC.

"There isn't a class that teaches you all of these things," Jordan Masters said. "It's fun, but it's also more work than I thought it would be."

Jordan Masters and Joe McPheeters are both graduates of the university's business school and have been instrumental in developing the company, Ed Masters said. They both have been talking to businesses about where the ToM Trap could be sold.

They have lined up some garden supply and sporting goods stores in Southeast Missouri, Columbia, Springfield and St. Louis. There is even talk that the device could be used by the Army, so it was built with their specifications in mind.

"We don't see any reason why this can't be used by anybody," Jordan Masters said. "Or why anybody wouldn't want to use it."

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137