South African hygiene and sanitation services provider Sanitech has launched a new insect control system specifically designed for customer-facing environments, such as businesses in the hospitality and retail sectors.

Traditionally, pest control has been a ‘back-of-house’ function, often confined to kitchens and loading bays due to the industrial appearance of conventional light traps. The Lumio system offers a  sleek, discreet design that can be integrated into the interiors of hotels, restaurants, and retail spaces.

“Lumio is designed to be aesthetically pleasing enough to be deployed front-of-house,” says Sanitech MD Robert Erasmus. “It does not look industrial; in fact, it is subtle enough that a customer might mistake it for a Wi-Fi router. This allows businesses to extend pest control coverage to every corner of their operation.”

The unit incorporates LED technology instead of traditional fluorescent tubes and, unlike standard units that rely on a single light frequency, it utilises three distinct wavelengths to attract a broader spectrum of flying insects, including flies, moths, mosquitoes, and fruit flies.

"Once attracted, the insects are captured on a unique dual-surface glue board, both horizontal and vertical, ensuring much higher retention rates than older models," Erasmus explains.

Lumio offers a mercury-free, energy-efficient environmentally conscious alternative to traditional traps. The unit consumes only 16 W of power, comparable to a standard light bulb, and features a fully recyclable body. It is also glass-free, making it compliant with safety requirements of food manufacturing and pharmaceutical environments.

“The unit is mercury-free and Restriction of Hazardous Substances, or RoHS, compliant, and the glue boards are environmentally approved for food environments. Because it uses LED rather than fluorescent tubes, it eliminates the risk of chemical emissions and glass breakage, making it far safer for both staff and customers,” Erasmus notes.

Units can be customised with specific company branding and are available as wall-mounted or free-standing installations.