Five students from the Federal Institute of Pará (IFPA), in Marabá, in the southeast of Pará, won the national stage of the IV Sustainable Schools Award with a low-cost trap to capture mosquitoes of the Aedes and Culex genera.
Named EcoLuz Trap, the innovation is produced with reused materials, does not use insecticides and costs approximately R$20 per unit, according to studies carried out by the team.
The results of the award were announced on September 17, in Salvador (BA). The project won in the category that brings together experiences from the final years of Elementary School, High School and Youth and Adult Education (EJA).
🏆 With the award, the group will represent Brazil in the international stage of the contest, scheduled for December 2, 2026, in Mexico City.
The initiative is promoted by the Santillana Foundation and the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI). The award guaranteed teachers air tickets, accommodation and participation in the international event.
🦟 Trap costs around R$20
The EcoLuz Trap is a light trap built with reused materials and low-cost components.
Among the items used are cans, wires, power sources, LEDs, simple boards and 12 volt micro fans.
➡️ According to the team, the value of each piece of equipment is around 80% lower than the price of commercial models used as a reference by students.
The operation combines light and ventilation to attract and capture insects. During the tests, students evaluated the efficiency of LEDs in different colors: blue, purple/UV, green and red.
They also recorded the number of insects captured per hour, as well as information such as the date, location and time the traps were operating.
The collected specimens were observed in the laboratory. Among the mosquitoes identified were those of the Aedes and Culex genera.
🏫 Idea came up on campus
The project was born from the observation of the presence of mosquitoes in classrooms, corridors and common areas on the IFPA campus in the city of Marabá.
The situation was also perceived by students in their homes and in communities close to the institution.
It was in this scenario that the students of the technical course integrated with High School in Environmental Control Wilian Saraiva Silva, Cleiton Santos Costa, Lucyellen Carvalho Neres, Maria Clara de Souza Lima and Yane Katlen da Silva Lima began to research alternatives for capturing insects.
The work was supervised by professor Riguel Feltrin Contente and collaborated by professors Sérgio de Souza Custódio Filho and Israel Peixoto Moraes.
“The project was conceived collectively, but they were the ones who carried out all the practical part”, said professor Riguel Feltrin Contente.
♻️ Without insecticide and with reuse
In addition to capturing mosquitoes, EcoLuz Trap proposes the reuse of materials that could be discarded.
According to the team, the idea is to reduce dependence on chemical products and avoid the indiscriminate capture of other insects, especially pollinators.
The project brings together, in the same initiative, environmental education, public health, social innovation and sustainability.
🔧 The five students participated in diagnosing the problem, technical drawing, building prototypes and operating tests.
They also worked on recording and analyzing data, identifying captured insects and adjusting trap components.
The changes involved points such as electrical safety, assembly and maintenance of prototypes.
The project also held workshops with the community on assembling, using and maintaining the traps.
