No one likes mosquitos. They pester us, ruin our summers, drink our blood, spread disease, and generally make our lives miserable when we’re outside. With all this in mind, it’s no wonder that Americans spend millions on different tools and sprays to keep mosquitos away.
It’s also no wonder with all of the products on the market, that some of them just simply do not work. One in particular that won’t get you results is the trap-plus-attractant apparatus commonly known as the mosquito magnet.
Low System Reliability
Most mosquito magnets try to play off the fact that mosquitos hunt by tracking heat and CO2 from their prey. To confuse the mosquito, a magnet will oftentimes be heated and have a CO2 release. This will (in theory) attract the bugs to the trap where they will be trapped and killed.
Unfortunately, this has proven to have a dubious-at-best effect on the local mosquito population when tested in the lab. Studies have shown that most mosquito magnets are no more effective than a bucket of insecticide, and that mosquitos are actually clever enough to distinguish between the CO2 put out by a living creature, versus that which comes from a machine.
High Costs
Many mosquito traps use propane to poison the mosquitos around them, but this can prove extremely expensive. You’re talking about using a consumable fuel to kill insects, when the costs for that fuel do nothing but climb.
On top of that, mosquito traps tend to be pretty costly in general, and really don’t do anything beyond what a body spray might do. Imagine paying $200 for something that a $3 can of spray could have mimicked, and you start to see why mosquito magnets tend to instill many people with buyer’s remorse once they’ve purchased them.
No Lighting Arrays
It’s been proven that bugs are attracted to light. This is why bug zappers tend to work so well. With that in mind, you would think that more mosquito magnets would take advantage of this fact. Perplexingly, most don’t. They instead rely on their smoke or gas systems to do the work for them.
Not only does this mean that the mosquitos have a low chance of actually being attracted by your trap, but also they might be distracted by nearby light sources and avoid your trap altogether. In fact, studies have shown that lit traps oftentimes work at a much higher rate of success than traditional gas traps, but that doesn’t stop people from shelling out hundreds of dollars each year on worthless ‘mosquito killers’.
Poor Usability
Because most mosquito magnets use gas, they can only operate within an extremely limited range. After all, you don’t want to make anyone around you sick, or put anyone at risk. While this is noble, it also means that the traps are so limited in what they can do, that there is little to no point to them.
Most systems require multiple units to cover an area properly and must be placed carefully considering downdrafts and blockages like structures and fences. So, unless the mosquito happens to be within a couple of feet of the trap, chances are, it won’t do much. When you consider that mosquitos can cruise at 25 feet to hunt for prey, you quickly see why traps like this just don’t work.
High Maintenance
Not only are mosquito magnets costly, but they’re high maintenance as well. You wouldn’t think something like a mosquito trap would have a lot of bugs to work out (see what we did there?), but they actually tend to break down often, and their return rate is rather high. So, if the only bugs you’re looking to kill are the moths in your wallet, feel free to invest in a mosquito magnet.
We get it; when you’re desperate, you’re willing to try anything. The truth of the matter is, Ja-Roy Pest Control is the local expert on mosquito treatments that actually work. Let our local team evaluate your surroundings, figure out where the spawning pools for your infestation are, and deal with the problems at their source.
We’ve made it our business to know how to kill pests, and when you hire us, that is exactly what we’ll do. You shouldn’t be afraid to go outside for fear of being bitten, and you certainly shouldn’t waste money on treatments that just don’t work. So, the next time you have a bug problem, call the solution.
Do Mosquito Magnets Really Work in Southern Louisiana?
Ja-Roy Pest Control Services is a local Pest Control and Extermination company helping homeowners and businesses with pest issues across Southern Louisiana.
