MOSQUITO TRAPS - a BIG bite out of your WALLETJul 02 '02 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Mosquito traps are a sophisticated and recent invention. I am currently using two different types. The less expensive one seems equally good, if not better.
We live in a rural area of north central Florida, just outside of Ocala. Mosquitoes are a major annoyance this time of year (summer), and a potential danger as well. Equine encephalitis is a mosquito borne disease that can be fatal to humans and horses, and anyone who survives can suffer brain damage. Dogs and cats can suffer heartworm infections, also transmitted by mosquito bites, and often fatal. We own one horse, six cats and two dogs, so we have a big furry family to protect, as well as ourselves! We were intrigued by the new Mosquito Magnet - a mosquito trapping device purported to have been developed for the US Coast Guard. It is a major investment, costing just under $1,300 for the top of the line "Pro" model, which is promised to control mosquitoes for up to one acre. We have five acres of woods around our house, and decided to invest in two Mosquito Magnet Pro machines. SET UP AND STARTING The two traps arrived at the same time, and I (the wife) was able to assemble and start both of them by myself. The "brains" of the unit needed to be placed upon the wheeled pedestal, and bolted together. Then the propane tank was attached by connecting the regulator hose between the tank and the machine. A small container of mosquito attractant, Octenol, had to be placed inside the funnel area of the machine, and a finely woven catch net was hung inside the little door on the side of the case. Starting is accomplished by holding in a safety valve for 10 seconds, then pressing a red starter button while continuing to hold down the safety valve for another 60 seconds after hearing the starter catch and the propane light inside the unit. Then it was left to do it's job. I opened the little door next morning and found about 7 mosguitos flitting about inside. Good. It was spring, and the presence of mosquitoes was still barely noticeable. It seemed to catch every one in the immediate one acre area. The propane lasts almost exactly three weeks - 20 days - after which it was necessary to swap it out for a full tank, change to a fresh Octenol attractant strip, and check the net. It had become a final resting place for a great many mosguitoes in three weeks, but did not have to be changed for two more months and three swaps of the propane tank. Both machines worked well for almost four months, and we were thrilled. Hardly a mosquito was left in our front and back yards! Last year we could not leave the house during the late summer without being besieged by the tiny terrors. This year, I had decided to buy these machines in the spring and get the drop on the mosquitoes' relentless procreation before they became so numerous. So far, so good. The Mosquito Magnet puts out Carbon Dioxide at a temperature of 102 degrees (about the body temperature of a dog, cat or horse)to simulate exhaled breath, while the Octenol puts out a scent to attract the bugs. When they approach the source of the scent and the warm breath, they are vacuumed into the little collection net inside the machine. A SET BACK Unfortunately, one of the two Mosquito Magnets stopped working. Before the fourth month of use, it did not use up it's full tank of propane, and did not relight after I changed to a full tank. I called customer support at the manufacturer: American Biophysics Corporation. Their representative was cordial and helpful, telling me that their previous propane regulator hoses had been failing, and that they would send out a new and better replacement for free. When I told her that I had two machines, she agreed to send a replacement for the second machine, as well. It took almost two weeks to get the regulators, and I could tell the difference in the back yard where the malfunctioning machine had been in service. A few mosquitoes and no-see-ums were turning up again without it. ANOTHER KIND OF MOSQUITO TRAP While I awaited the propane regulators for the Mosquito Magnet Pros, I learned about another new brand of mosquito trap, called the Sonic Web. It cost "only" $300 and claimed to catch as many mosquitoes as the more expensive traps... as well as promising to catch flies. It arrived promptly, and appeared deceptively simple when I unpacked it and set it up. Set up was incredibly easy. I just hung an Octenol strip from the center column, placed a wide collar of sticky stuff around the top of the column, closed and snapped the top on the unit together, carried it to the back yard, and plugged it into an outdoor outlet. One of the main differences between the Mosquito Magnet and the Sonic Web is that the Mosquito Magnet is self-contained, runs on the propane, and does not need to be plugged into an electrical outlet. Therefore, it can be placed conveniently anywhere outside. The Sonic Web comes with an outdoor rated, 50 foot electrical cord with an on/off switch, and is much lighter and easier to move. I set it very near where I had the then non-functioning Mosquito Magnet, plugged it in and turned it on. It produced a cloud of warm breath, and emitted a low heart-beat sound. The promotional materials for it touted the combination of heart-beat, warmth, Octenol, and contrasting white and dark grey patterns on it's exterior as a superior combination of attracting features. It's method of capture was the 6 inch wide circular cuff which sits around the top of the center column, covered with a sticky material that remains sticky even in wet weather. Amazing. I felt it with the tip of my finger after a heavy rain... and it was actually sticky when wet! It has been working now for over a week, and has caught about as many insects within that time as the Mosquito Magnet Pro did. Thank God. THE HIGH PRICED CONTENDER STALLS AGAIN After the Sonic Web had been in service nearly a week, the new propane regulators arrived for the Mosquito Magnet Pros. I eagerly replaced the faulty one on the back yard machine that wasn't working, setting aside the spare, since the machine in the front yard continued to work just fine. But, to my disappointment, the Mosquito Magnet Pro failed to light again. I switched to the second replacement propane regulator and tried again..... no dice! Back to the phone to call customer support and report this set-back. This time, a different customer service rep had me test the regulator line to see if propane hissed out the end when I depressed the end a little bit. Yes... it did. Uh, oh... that means that the "brains" of the unit must be dead. They would send me new brains... for free... but that could take another two weeks. :::::sigh::::: And the customer rep asked me if the unit had been out in any "torrential rain". "Of course it has", I replied, "THIS IS FLORIDA!!! This thing was supposed to be an outside device! If it breaks in heavy rain, it should not be sold in FLORIDA!!!", I wailed. The man proceeded to explain that I should shut it off, let it cool down for half an hour, then cover it up when I anticipated heavy rain. I should mention here that the start-up procedure is not especially easy. You have to hold in the safety valve, press the start up button, and continue to hold in the safety valve for another minute until the machine gets really going. It starts to hurt your finger, holding in that safety valve, after about 30 seconds, but I bore with it, reminding myself that it WAS catching lots of mosquitoes, and I would not have to do this again for another three weeks. The customer service rep even told me that I could quickly swap an almost empty propane tank out for a full one without turning the machine off, thus sparing myself from performing the start up procedure all over again. BUT... it RAINS almost every afternoon here for the entire summer!!! I'll be doggoned if I will go through shutting it down, waiting for it to cool off, covering it, and then starting it up all over again every darned day! Who has time for THAT???!!! Fortunately, the front yard machine is continuing to work... so far so good. So we shall see. Most of the mosquito activity occurs at dusk... (right when it usually rains)... and on into the evening, then again at dawn. I will give the back yard unit it's brain transplant when the replacement part gets here, and get it going again. It has a one year, full money back guarantee through Frontgate, the online store from which they were purchased. But if these machines turn out not to be able to function after a heavy Florida downpour, I will demand a refund and return them both. NOTHING was mentioned about ANY problem standing up to heavy rain in any of the promotional materials nor any of the instructional materials that came with these units. Meanwhile, the Sonic Web, at one third the price, continues catching lots of mosquitos, no-see-ums, gnats and flies on it's special cuff of sticky stuff. Looks like I'll have to change to a new sticky cuff next week... a very simple task, involving no special start-up proceedure or anything! INTERIM CONCLUSION Both the Mosquito Magnet Pro and the Sonic Web do succeed in catching mosquitos. The Sonic Web is limited in it's placement by having to be plugged in to electricity, but the Mosquito Magnet Pro seems fussier and more inclined to malfunction. I am hoping that the Mosquito Magnet Pros will eventually both work, despite the Florida tropical rains, and that I can enjoy the continued use of all three machines. If the Sonic Web continues to do such a good job, I may purchase another one of those, at one third the price of the Mosquito Magnet Pros, and plug it in at the front yard. Then I'll place the Mosquito Magnet Pros farther out into the acreage to kill mosquitos near our horse corral and pasture areas. I will update this review as the situation evolves. People need to know about these machines!  |
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