Who owns a Mosquito Trap

[Burnadell]

While taking the day off to complete some continuing ed, I got distracted by the green screen and decided to do some research on a mosquito trap. We have decided to bite the bullet and buy one this year...live on a couple acres with a pond and spring behind us. It's time to declare war on the little kamikazi blood suckers.

I have a Thermocell, but I'm talkin' about the bigger units for 1-2 acres. Any of you guys have a Mosquito Magnet, Mega-Catch, Lentek or some other brand of CO2 utilized trap??? I have done some research, and most people swear by them, but a few say they don't work for them.

I would like some first hand info from my green screen panel of experts.

[BrianL]

I had a Mosquito Trap and threw it in the dumpster, i think, if it is still in the barn you can have it. I lived in the woods at the time, and after a month had less than 10 mosquitos in the bag. I then gave it to my brother in law who said that he wanted to try it in his yard, and he brought it back a month later with the same results. I used the regular 2 acre bug zapper with the sqaure mosquito baits and they worked much much better for me.

[Davik]

I have one...never been used...I'll take a pic tonight...although I think it's too small...you might want to get someone to make a few more up if you're looking to cover alot of ground...pics later tonite.

[JTS]

You can make your own out of old 2 litre plastic coke bottles and just put them in hidden spots all over the place.

Let me see if my memory works, here is what I remember:

- Cut the top off the 2 litre plastic bottle just below the curve down the side.
- Put the top upside down in the bottle so the mouth of the bottle is now like a funnel into the bottle.
- Tape it all together so it stays put that way
- Paint the bottle black or tape up with black tape as mosquitos like dark places
- Pour in some yeast, sugar, and water
- As the yeast ferments it puts off CO2 which draws the mosquitos into the funnel
- Mosquitos go in and can't or don't go back out.
- Waaa laaaa, do it yourself mosquito traps

Also, there's a product called Mosquito Bits that you can put in water and it kills them.

[JTS]

OK, found this:

(1) cut off the top of an empty two litre bottle (like the normal round coke bottles). Cutting just above the label is ideal. (2) Mix 50grams of brown sugar with 200ml of hot water and let it cool to 40 degrees celcius. (3) Add 1 gram of yeast (no need to stir) and replace the top of the cut bottle upside down to create a funnel. (4) seal the sides of the container and wrap with black paper.

Explanation: the fluid mix creates carbon dioxide which attracts mosquitoes and the black wrap makes it dark to help attract them too. the yeast will have the greatest affect at around 40 degrees celcius and the sugar water will make the mosquitoes sticky so they can get out. Mosquitoes are too dumb to realise where they came in from so they will die inside. I got this from a website. Just google 'homemade mosquito trap' and it should be on the first page.

[Mudshack]

I am very good friends with the owner of MesquitoMax. They specialize in mesquito control for your yards. They are good, and the guy is a seriously strong Christian who will bend over backwards to earn your business. PM me if you are interested.

[Atfulldraw]

IMO you will do better with a Permethrin spray system or a bat box than a mosquito magnet.

Save your money - we spray our yard every week with a product that hooks up to the water hose - we live on the lake, and that works pretty well.

I'll have to check to see what brand magnet we have - it's from something like Scientific American Biophysics Company or something fancy-sounding like that.

We use it, spend lots of money on propane and it sucks - hardly catches any skeeters at all. It does seem to do a little better on the smaller ones (the ones that carry West Nile, but the big Tiger Stripe skeeters would rather bite me!

[Mudshack]

They key is spraying the trees and bushes....they hang out in there during the day. Anyone who ever pruned a thick tree will tell you that. I look like I have the Measles after pruning our back yard trees.

[Atfulldraw]

Mudshack -

You are so right.

I've been thinking about putting together a sprayer system to automatically kill the little buggers.

Just haven't gotten around to it yet. The component parts are pretty cheap.

Most companies want a few thousand for what seems to be about three hundred dollars in parts.

[Thorson]

Here is an interesting read from the University of Florida:

http://news.ufl.edu/2005/05/19/mosquito-traps/

[Thorson]

Here is that DIY Mosqito Trap that JTS was talking about:

http://www.diyhappy.com/quick-and-dirty-mosquito-trap/

[ken]

We had a mosquito magnet and it didn't work. From what I have read the people that say it works don't live in parts of the country that have the Asian Tiger Mosquito like we have in Southeast Texas.

[Davik]

Mosquito trap...

Here are the pics...you might have to use a toothpick to stake it down, and if you can get someone to make a few more, you might be able to set up a "trapline" to catch them...what exactly do you bait them with?

[Landrover]

We had a mosquito magnet and it didn't work. From what I have read the people that say it works don't live in parts of the country that have the Asian Tiger Mosquito like we have in Southeast Texas.

Boo-Yah! I think Ken has nailed it.
I think the gulf coast ain't a very good place to test those suckers. My wife says our Mosquito Magnet does NOTHING at all. I think it does work but not very good!!!!! My buddy in upstate New York says his works great.....but they ain't got the issues we have! I have not even turned it on this year it is gathering pollen as we speak!

[BIG IRON]

The only thing our Mesquito Magnet lured in was my wife and our $500. They are junk.