Mosquito Magnet - does it really work??

Has anyone ever used one of these or can comment on their effectiveness? We have 2 ponds on our property and I am considering getting one of these on Ebay - but wanted to get a little feedback, if possible. (I also posted this question under Pests & Diseases - but thought I'd try here too)

Thanks for any help!

Nope, never have.

I am not sure what a mosquito magnet is. I know the bug zappers kill more beneficial bugs that they do bad ones. The little pill thingies you put in ponds work well for keeping them from breeding and are safe. But a mosquitoe magnet? They would have to be feeding on some mighty iron rich blood to be attracted to a magnet! So if you are anemic they would not be attracted to it...

Sorry Moogie I couldn't resist...

This message was edited Wednesday, Apr 24th 9:05 PM

I have also been thinking of getting one of these things. They sound like they might work but I hate to spend the money if they don't work. I live next door to an old log raft swamp so I have mosquitoes by the millions :~( Nasty little bugs. Also have thought of building bat houses. Lani

Zanymuse- I shudda known better than to post this without a description!! :-) There are several manufacturers: Mosquito Magnet, Mosquito Trap, etc., but they all use the same setup - propane, octenol, and electricity. Anyway - they start at $365 on Ebay ($499 retail) and here's what it's about:

The Mosquito Magnet is designed for the homeowner who needs to protect up to 3/4 of an acre area. The Mosquito Magnet™ mimics a large mammal by emitting a plume of carbon dioxide, heat and moisture, which when combined with an additional attractant, octenol, is irresistible to mosquitoes, no-see-ums,biting midges, black flies, and sandflies. The patented scientifically proven COUNTERFLOW TECHNOLOGY™ allows the Mosquito Magnet™ to emit a plume of carbon dioxide, heat, and moisture to attract biting insects, while simultaneously vacuuming the insects into a net where they dehydrate and die. No electric killing grid or pesticides are used, and it releases no harmful substances. The Mosquito Magnet™ operates 24 hours a day in order to capture day-biting, as well as night-biting blood-seeking insects.

That is a lot of money to spend on something you are not sure of! No wonder you need input from someone who has tried it! IF it works it would be a great deal but if it ends up like the sonic pest thing it would be a waste...Now I too am curious!

I've seen an infomercial on this, but don't have any experience myself. I did just read in Organic Gardening that rubbing crushed catnip leaves on your skin really works to keep the critters away (of course, you'll be bombarded with cats, though!).

One of my favorite websites, TechTV, has a story about it: http://www.techtv.com/news/culture/story/0,24195,3335798,00.html

I tried epinions.com at http://www.epinions.com but didn't see any reviews of that brand name. I've not tried the other names it's sold under.

Also, if this is to be believed, the product is "used by the US Coast Guard": http://www.countryhomeproducts.com///catprod.asp?mscsid=TJVXMLM0866E9PRLFS4P4PXT5TTGDVP6&dept_id=50171&src=AW41437XE2172747

Here's more, from goPBI.com (Palm Beach area stuff): http://www.gopbi.com/health/guides/magnet_experts.html

The Wall Street Journal Real Estate Section: http://homes.wsj.com/housegarden/toolsgadgets/20010724-fletcher.html

"The New York Mosquito Control Plan": http://www.safe2use.com/ca-ipm/00-04-16.htm

A testimonial (This is at the manufacturer's site, so whether it's a paid testimonial...well, who knows!): http://www.ambiophysics.com/craytoncove.html




This message was edited Thursday, Apr 25th 2:21 PM

Gardenwife - I suddenly had this image of me being assaulted by dozens of catnip-crazed cats and started laughing out loud. DeepWoods Off sounds pretty tame by comparison! LOL

Thanks for all your great info and terrific links - I really appreciate all the time you took on this - and also for the great laugh. (I really needed that!) :-)

Now, I'm off to surf those links...

You're welcome! I'm an information junkie - I love researching stuff.

Yes, I can imagine how popular we'd be with our cats (and our neighbor's cats and any stray cats...) if we did this. I don't have catnip growing, though -- Just peppermint, spearmint and catmint. At least we could come inside and go to bed without making the bed stink like bug spray, LOL. But the cats would never leave us alone!

I went out today to pick a bunch of catnip (not for bug purposes though) and when we moved into this place two years ago there was an area with TONS of it. My goats have kept it eaten so much that there isn't a bit of it alive now. Darn goats must have been out there trying to keep the mosquitos off themselves LOL Lani

After you posted this Kimberley, I was thinking of what might happen if I rub catnip all over me. LOL! With 6 housecats, I would definitely have to shower before going to bed or I would get no sleep at all. But, I may not have to worry about it, since my little catnip plant is being assaulted daily and it isn't even outside yet. It's survival is still being debated.

According to an advertisement in the Austin paper yesterday, there are three different sizes/models and the most expensive one is over a grand.

Cheaper to find an Avon lady and buy skin-so-soft and rub THAT all over you.