Saturday, June 19, 2010

Mosquito Magnet MM3300 Review

Mosquito Magnet MM3300 Executive Mosquito TrapI'm willing to bet you never heard of the Mosquito Magnet MM3300 Executive Mosquito Trap?  The word "executive" really makes it sound snazzy, huh? Well at a price of $670, you get a whole lot more than snazz my friend.

Here are the advertised features.

* Cordless mosquito trap that covers up to 1 acre.
* Patented CounterFlow technology lures, captures, and controls mosquitos.
* LCD panel offers enhanced diagnostics and 4 fuel savings modes.
* Mimics the human breath by converting propane into CO2.
* Backed by Mosquito Magnet's 360ยบ consumer support.

We didn't have a chance to test any consumer support. But wow, "mimics human breath" - very elaborate though.  And all that fancy technology really works. The thing literally sucked up tons of mosquitoes in the first week we had it set up. Mosquito Magnet has been perfecting trap designs like this for years.

It runs on a propane tank and the patented "smart technology" with LCD panel regulates the propane use very efficiently with 4 different fuel saving modes. It also differentiates between days and nights, and only cut on at certain peak hours and temperatures when the mosquitos are out, or the breeding process is starting.

On top of being such an advanced unit, we really liked the down to earth and smart human aspect features. Like how the unit is cordless and rechargeable. And getting out th net to clean it was extremely easy.

All in all the Mosquito Magnet MM3300 is a great deal. While the price is a bit high for sure, the productivity of the unit is obviously worth it. 

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Review of Mosquito Bits

Mosquito Bits 30 Oz.
Mosquito Bits is a rather revolutionary mosquito fighting product.  I say revolutionary since it's kills mosquito larve - why not get them when they are young and get it done!  It's from the Summit Chemical Company. It's a quick-kill pellet for mosquito larva.  The idea is that you sprinkle the "bits" into any standing water where you see larvae.  It's EPA registered in all 50 states, and environmentally sound.  It's advertised as killing the larvae within 24 hours.

If you live in a rural area, or just any area with some standing water, or even moist areas - this is for you. Sprinkle the bits on these areas and mosquito larva will die and not form in the area.  It does a great job without harming wildlife.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Malibu MZ102 Review

Malibu MZ102 Battery Powered Mosquito InhibitorOK - So the next item up for review is a the Malibu MZ102.  This little number is just that; a little number.  While it kills a little number of mosquitos (umm, zero), it sure packs a punch to get them out of the way! And sometimes that's all we need right? Good things do apparently come is small packages. And cheap packages - The Malibu is under $5 and good for one hundred feet.

It's a better powered device that drives away those mosquitoes with a chemical  called Linalool.  From our testing it seemed much more effective than Citronella. It has a smell, but it is much nicer and less abrasive than Citronella. The simplicity of it being battery powered is nice. And you don't have to fuss with any open flames, etc. And you can run it inside, if need be.


We did a test run where we left it on 24 hours a day. It lasted a bit over 2 weeks with the new batteries we had.

You won't have to spend much money to get those mosquitos of your deck for the Spring and Summer. The Malibu is cheap and looks sleek. The only other thing you'll need and some batteries. And the refill packets. Two refills are just under $10, but they last very long. We still haven't run out of our first one. =)

Flowtron BK-80D Review

Flowtron BK-80D 80-Watt Electronic Insect Killer, 1-1/2-Acre Coverage
Introducing the Flowtron BK-80D. It's a modern take on what was surely a concept you've seen before. It's an electronic insect killer that covers a range of 1 and 1/2 acres! Such coverage comes at a exceedingly reasonable price as well, only $79.00.  A very competitive price, for a very competitive product.

We actually used to have the Flowtron 40, as a test model. It worked well enough for it's price of $54.99, but we had so many mosquitos it quickly clogged up.  After a while it became clear that I had to use a blower or aircompressor to clean out the grid on the unit.

After nearly a month of steady use from the Flowtron 80, it quickly became apparent that clogging wouldn't be a problem. It's a just a bigger and more rigid unit.  What was also not a problem was the mosquitos in the yard. I did an exceedingly great job of killing them off.  I actually used it on conjunction with Stingers "Mosquito Lure" and it worked like a charm.

Obviously the machine needs to be plugged in, so you might want to have a dedicated extension cord as well. Having it set up in a place where it's dry is essential. Also, not having it set up too close to where people are is a good idea, since it does attract bugs.  It quickly did such a thorough job of killing mosquitoes, that we just turned the unit on at dusk for about one hour. Otherwise we didn't even have to run it.  The Flowtron BK-80D is wholeheartedly recommended!

Dynatrap DT1000 Insect Eliminator Review

Dynatrap DT1000 Insect Eliminator
Here is the Dynatrap DT1000 Insect Eliminator! The list price is $149, although it was recently relisted at a bit over $96.  It's a fan style unit, as opposed to one of the more expensive propane units. It's advertised by the manufacturer as having these features:  
  • Powerful but whisper quiet fan to trap insects into the retaining cage
  • Operate 24 hours a day and 7 days a week
  • May be used indoors or outdoors
  • Bulbs will last an estimated 3,000 hours or approximately 4 months
  • Dynatrap has a 10 feet cord and includes a cleaning brush and metal chain to hang
Now, we got our test model and found that it is fairly quiet, especially compared to other models we're tested.   Keep in mind is that while it is advertised as being for use indoor and outdoor, when it is outdoor it should certainly be under cover, just to keep it out of the rain. This Dynatrap unit is much less expensive to run, and much less maintenance, as other brands we've tested.

We also found that it catches basically anything that is small and that flys. Moths, flies, etc. So far we haven't caught any of the good garden bugs you'd want to keep though. So all is well on that front!

We haven't had the unit running long enough to change the bulb. But the bulbs only run about $10 for a pack. Seems like a good deal.


Overall a nice unit. Llightweight. It doesn't shoot out chemical odors. No zapping noises. No need for propane. No expensive parts to replace.  The Dynatrap DT1000 is just a fan that sucks up bugs, bug does quite a good job of it.