Solving the Problem
Background
I work in an urban entomology lab. I aid in bed bug research and feed, clean, and maintain the common and tropical bed bug colonies. We regularly receive calls from people who have found bed bugs within their home. The treatments we recommend are usually expensive. This is because bed bugs are elusive and may go unnoticed until an infestation has occurred. By the time this has happened, the treatments required are costly.
How could this be avoided? By continuously using a product that monitors for bed bugs.
Devices that both attract and trap bed bugs are extremely expensive or inefficient. Here are some examples of the least expensive traps I could find.
- A bed bug trap that comes with 4 lures ($299): This trap is extremely expensive and the owner would have to continue paying for lures.
https://www.bedbugsupply.com/nightwatch-bed-bug-monitor.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIt860pYjN3QIVB5yzCh1neQwHEAQYASABEgIkq_D_BwE
- A pack of lures ($60): These lures cannot be used alone. They must be used with a trap, such as the one listed above.
https://www.domyown.com/sensci-activ-bed-bug-lures-p-14067.html?keyword=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIt860pYjN3QIVB5yzCh1neQwHEAQYBSABEgIcB_D_BwE
- A single-use trap ($9): This trap can only be used for a certain period of time. Although it may seem cheap, the consumer would have to buy this product over and over again in order to continue monitoring for this bug. Also, the attractant would only lure bugs within proximity (about 3 feet).
https://www.amazon.com/Ortho-Bed-Bug-Trap-0465510/dp/B072HSXS8W/ref=asc_df_B072HSXS8W/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198081460782&hvpos=1o4&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12390276078298227488&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9011699&hvtargid=pla-350110448810&psc=1
The Product
My idea: An affordable bed bug lure and trap that does not require any additional payments. The item can be purchased once and work throughout the consumer’s life. The only attachment a consumer may need to buy in the future is a sticky trap, which is relatively cheap.
Background: Bed bugs are attracted to heat. Most blood-feeding insects are attracted to heat because they consume the blood of warm-blooded mammals. Within the lab, I use heated water to attract bed bugs during feeding. If a device used heated water as an attractant, rather than a chemical lure, the attractant would never stop working or need to be replaced. The person would only need to fill the device with water once.
Materials and methods: This device would consist of a water heater with a resistor, a plastic enclosure to hold water, and a sticky trap.
Water heaters are surprisingly easy to build. The materials needed are also relatively inexpensive. These materials include a waterproof extension cord, two copper wires, two razor blades, and four conductors.
Here is a video of a mini-water heater being made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U01FLPGb4zY
As you can see, very few materials are needed to create a mini-water heater. I would use this method; however, I would also use a resistor to limit the water temperature. Resistors are also inexpensive.
A resistor ($0.10): https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Vishay-Beyschlag/MBA02040Z0000ZC100?qs=RlDpP5aUYW38ZwJ4GChjzA%3D%3D&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1LCuiJXN3QIVjoWzCh0VZArFEAkYBiABEgJDufD_BwE
I would place the mini-heater into a plastic enclosure.
Plastic enclosure ($3.00): https://www.polycase.com/lp-21p
This plastic enclosure would be covered by a sticky trap that can be replaced cheaply if/when necessary. There would be a small opening on this enclosure that would allow the consumer to fill the device with water. This opening would seal once closed. The user would just have to fill the device with water and plug in the chord to the wall. The heat from the trap should lure bed bugs from around the room. If bugs were present, they would stick to the trap once in contact. The user would always know whether or not he or she had bed bugs.
ReplyDeleteI like how you listed out the actual components of the product. This shows how much thought you’ve put into this. Your personal experience and knowledge has definitely shaped your understanding of the unmet customer need. You also know who is in the target market. There are individuals as well as businesses who would greatly benefit from the product. A key selling point would definitely be the lower cost as well as the lack of continuous expenses over time.
The amount of detail that you have put into this solution not only shows your expertise in this type of work but also shows you passion for the solution which is something that cannot be learned. This solution is something that has not been done before like you said. The ease and simplicity of this solution helps to limit a problem while also saving the consumer money which will create demand and lead to a market.
ReplyDeleteHey Ashley,
ReplyDeleteYou can certainly tell this solution to your problem was thoroughly worked out. Something I definitely appreciated about this post was the in depth background that you provided to available solutions already on the market. By doing this, you have given us all a pretense as to why it is we need your solution rather than the others.
This sounds like a great idea, and one that you seem to know a lot about. I really like how you broke down the product and provided links to help us understand how it would work, and it seems like your design is well-crafted. Obviously your background in bed bug research has aided you greatly in this, but perhaps the best selling point you have is the price and lifetime of the product. Really great idea.
ReplyDelete