<<< Page 2 of 8 >>>

INTRODUCTION

Insect-O-Matic was the first company in the UK to manufacture commercially available flying insect traps utilising UVA light to attract insects with an electric grid to kill them. Since the company’s inception in the early 1950’s there has been on-going research looking at more effective ways to attract, kill and collect flying insects. In the early 90’s, scientists at Insect-O-Matic carried out a review of the literature on the attraction of insects to lights of differing wavelengths. There is a vast amount of research on the subject in which many studies have shown insects to be sensitive to light between 350nm and 700nm with peaks at around 360nm and 550nm (the UVA and green spectral peaks).

This paper examines the development of the Synergetic lamp by Insect-O-Matic and looks at its properties relative to traditional UVA lamps.

<<< Page 2 of 8 >>>