elzora's Full Review: Mosquito Magnet Liberty by American Biophysics
We live in a wooded area and are inundated with tons of pesky mosquitoes in the summer months. Our neighbor purchased a one acre Mosquito Magnet, and we were so impressed with how many mosquitoes his machine killed that we decided it was time to buy one of our own. We thought we could save a little money and get away with buying the half acre model (the Defender). I wish we had spent the extra cash and purchased the one acre Liberty model.
I already wrote a review on the Defender, but our neighbor has been on vacation for the past few weeks, and we have been handling the care and removal of mosquito's from his one acre Liberty model. We've been around it enough to be able to write a fair review of this model.
The one acre Liberty model runs about $500.00 in our area. Like the Defender, the Liberty also has a cord that needs to be buried in the ground. If you want a more portable unit that requires no electrical cord then it will cost ya, we found such a model (Liberty Plus) and it rang in at an astounding $700.00!!
Mosquito Magnet Liberty - 1 Acre Model
ASSEMBLY: This comes in a large box, not much bigger than the 1/2 acre unit, so it should fit in the back seat of your car. It does not come with a propane tank or CO2 cartridge.
Aside from the CO2, there is also an attractant that you need to apply (and replace every three weeks) called Octenol Biting Insect Attractant. We paid $25 for a set of three. If you live in an area where the Asian Tiger Mosquito lives, you should use the Lurex attractant instead of Octenol. Note: The octenol works much better if you actually follow the directions and take the plastic cover off before installing it! (Yup, I actually installed it with the plastic film still on it!).
PLACEMENT: To ensure that your Mosquito Magnet works to it's highest effeciency, you need to place the Magnet between the breeding areas and people areas. Breeding areas are usually where there is standing water and lots of bushes and trees. The Magnet should also be 30-40 feet away from people areas, and upwind of the breeding areas.
It should be placed in an open area vs. in an area with high grasses or plants. CO2 stays close to the ground, and mosquitoes will follow it to the trap. High grass will impede the flow of the CO2 and the mosquitoes will find YOU instead of the Magnet. The Magnet should also be placed in a shady spot if at all possible. These bugs don't like the sun.
The machine does make a low humming sound (the fan for the vacuum), but it isn't noticeable until you get close to the machine.
RESULTS
I checked on the Liberty Mosquito Magnet yesterday, and was astounded to see that the large mesh bag was FULL of mosquitoes, literally thousands of them! This bag is capable of holding a lot more mosquito's than the bag in our Defender model. I would guess that the Liberty catch bag is approximately 4x8 inches long, and several inches thick. We have had to change this mesh bag about once a week!!
Cost of Running
Aside from the high cost of the initial purchase, there are several other costs associated with using the Mosquito Magnet�. As stated, the CO2 and attractant needs to be replaced regularly, and the propane tank should be refilled every 3 weeks as well. If you fail to refill the propane tank, this could adversely affect the vacuum.
Final Thoughts
While we are happy with our 1/2 acre Mosquito Magnet, after seeing how many more mosquito's this model caught, I would spend the extra money and get the 1 acre Liberty model.
UPDATE:
Our neighbor could not get his Liberty model to work this summer. It simply wouldn't light. They did all the recommended things, like purging it (and those cartridges are NOT cheap!). He even replaced the fittings that go to the propane tank. That did allow us to light it, but after running for two months it caught hardly any mosquito's.
I have read many other reviews where this is the case. This was an expensive gadget that fails after one year. I do NOT recommend it. He gave it to us thinking maybe my husband could get it to work. Now we have two units sitting at the end of our deck, the Liberty and the Defender, neither of which work.
Mosquito trap for yards; works for no-see-ums, other biting insects too Silent and odorless; 1-acre coverage; 24-hour protection; attracts biting inse...More at Amazon
Mosquito trap for yards; works for no-see-ums, other biting insects too Silent and odorless; 1-acre coverage; 24-hour protection; attracts biting inse...More at Amazon Marketplace
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.