Trapango Fruit Fly Trap

Trapango Fruit Fly Trap

The Trapango fruit fly trap can effectively chatch fruit flies, flies and vinegar flies. It attracts flies in whole swarms, this way the insect invasion can't escalate.

The special features of the Trapango fruit fly trap

• Trapango catches fruit flies without the use of poisons and chemicals
• The animals are not killed
• Reusable
• Developed and manufactured in Germany
• It is family friendly. The flies can be easily observed, which can be especially interesting for curious children.

Overview

• Trapango user manual
• Cleaning
• Materials
• Test
  • The bait and its effect
• Interview with Michael Curth
• Conclusion
• Questions and answers

Trapango user manual

Trapango is made of three parts: A see-through cup, the special catch funnel and a transparent lid. The lid also serves as the base of the trap.

A small piece of fruit is placed in the cup as bait, ideally a apple slice or some mashed banana. After the fruit, the catch funnel is inserted into the cup. The trap can now be positioned next to your fruits or anywhere else where a large number of flies requires it. When enough flies have gathered in the cup, they can simply be released.

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Tip:

On the way to where the flies are released, the Trapango Fruit Fly Trap can be closed with its lid - this way no flies escape during transport.

Please note:

• To achieve the best results, do not expose the cup to direct light.
• Dispose the rotten fruit quickly, the bait should be replaced regularly every 2-3 days.

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Cleaning the fruit fly trap

Trapango can be easily cleaned under running water, but is not dishwasher safe.

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What materials is the fruit fly trap made of?

The three parts of the Trapango are made of the recyclable polypropylene (PP). This polymer belongs to the group of polyolefins, but does not contain any plasticisers (BPA-free). The printing is done with food-safe ink. The cardboard packaging is made of 100 % recycled paper.

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Trapango fruit fly trap in test

I always have a lots of fruits in the house - whether for smoothies, freshly squeezed juices or Nicecream. Fruits, especially when they are nice and ripe, not only tastes good to humans, I notice that as soon as it's a bit warmer outside. Fruit fly alarm. I have been asking myself the same question for years: What can be done about the little fruit flies? I already didn't like chemistry in school. It would be a bit absurd to talk about the importance of organically grown fruit and at the same time fight these little fruit flies with chemicals. But the picture of fruit flies drowning in a vinegar is not the prettiest either.... and I have never been comfortable with the no less brutal vacuum cleaner method. When my colleague, Kazuo, told me about the new Trapango fruit fly trap, I became curious. In the last few weeks, I and certainly about 1000 fruit and vinegar flies have tested this sustainable fruit fly trap.

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Small bait, big effect

When I first placed a small piece of ripe banana into the Trapango, I felt like an animal scientist. I watch the fruit fly trap, which I had placed right next to my fruits, from a kitchen chair. But for now, nothing happened. The fruit flies still occupy my fruits and seem to have no interest in the bait. Since I am not a full-time animal scientist, I had to leave my observation post at some point. In the hours of my absence, my bait must have attracted some interest - when I came back, there was a lot of activity in the trap. The entire swarm seems to be enjoying themselves in the trapango, as silence reigns all around my fruits. After my discovery, I took the fruit fly trap outside, removed the catch funnel and released the fruit flies into the evening sky. Quickly rinse, replace the bait and you are ready for the next fruit fly invasion.

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The trap inventor in an interview:

"I first tried to think like a fruit fly!"

To learn more about Trapango, I arranged an interview with Michael Curth, designer and inventor of Trapango.

GreenSmoothies.com: When and how did the idea for the fruit fly trap come about?

Curth: The idea came in 2014 when I was dealing with a massive fruit fly invasion in my kitchen during my parental leave. With little success, I set up the familiar vinegar dishwashing liquid bowls and immediately faced protests from my daughter, "Dad, why should the flies drown? they are not supposed to!"
It was time to rethink the "fruit fly trap"!

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GreenSmoothies.com: How did you develop the trap?

Curth: I first tried to think like a fruit fly! When you observe the animals, it quickly becomes clear that you don't need an expensive attractant to catch the flies. Pieces of fruit that are already getting "squishy" are the best. The fruit flies feed on the yeasts that form on ripe fruits. By the way, when the fruit spoils, the fruit flies help out proficiently: When they land on the fruit, they "inoculate" it with yeast spores, which they carry on their legs. This is also the reason why relatively few flies are interested in fresh bait and then, as in a chain reaction, the whole swarm gathers in the trap! The catch funnel of the Trapango is the main part of the development. With the help of CAD (editor's note: computer programs for designing and modeling products) and state-of-the-art 3D printing technology, the optimal structure was created after many test series.

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GrüneSmoothies.de: What was particularly important to you in the development of the trap?

Curth: As described, the primary goal was to move away from the common practice of killing the animals. Flies often starve to death on sticky surfaces or slowly drown in liquids. But we also needed a trap that would finally put an end to the annual plague in our kitchen, the conventional methods are not really effective there either.

I am glad that MACUR GmbH has managed to realize a very effective, resource-saving and environmentally friendly product.

It is produced in Germany with short distances and fair conditions for all involved. The Trapango is easy to clean and can therefore always be reused. In the meantime, the trap has proven itself in everyday life with many enthusiastic users - it is in constant use in our house. Even the youngest, one and a half years old, is fascinated by the flies in the Trapango and runs into the garden with his big sister to release them!

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Conclusion

Thanks to the Trapango, fruit flies become pleasant visitors. Immediately upon arrival, they leave through the catch funnel and into the inconspicuous trap. No more hectic flying around. The fruit supplies remain untouched by the guests. Instead, entertainment through the see-through cup of the trap and I, as the host, can decide when to take the guests outside. The Trapango fruit fly trap convinced me as an absolutely effective trapping method that relies on sustainability and - if there were such a thing - "fruit fly international law".

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