Summary: Read the product literature; works as advertised and directed. Place away from common gathering areas and start early in the year. A bit of background: I live in Zone 8a (Dallas, TX) and the summers here are hot and, at time, uncomfortably humid. My particular neighborhood was built over wetlands a half-century ago. Because of that, there's ample ground for mosquitoes to live and reproduce. My body reacts very poorly to mosquitoes; I tend to develop welts that get bright, bright red and take a week or two to heal properly. Often, during summer evenings, I'm limited to staying indoors unless I decide to douse myself in pure DEET. Not wanting to harm a declining bee population, I employed a multi-layer approach to controlling the mosquito population to reclaim my summers. First, I set traps along the perimeter of my property (about 1/3 acre) in some Home Depot buckets with bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis pellets (BTI) (just water and some pellets). I set these out as soon as the last freeze passed. I change out the buckets about every 3 weeks, or after a big rain. I also put pellets down into the catch basins of my property's drains. This way, any water flowing out of the drains will be treated with the BTI and the mosquito reproductive cycle interrupted. Any standing water around my property also gets BTI treatment every 3 weeks. Next, this is where the Dynatrap comes in. I setup the Dynatrap at the corner of my property, about 100 feet away from our patio, where we congregate or spend most of our time outside. I set up the trap about two weeks after the last freeze. This was around the time the soil temps reach 55F and I fertilized our yard. I included a small octenol lure in the basin of the trap to boost its effectiveness. Once setup, I left the Dynatrap running 24/7. I think this is where people get hung up. In order for the product to work, it has to constantly run. It serves as a "good enough" bait target when humans aren't around. Think of it this way: if you're driving from Austin to Dallas and want to eat BBQ, you'll stop at the Rudy's in Waco and it's fine. But if you're in Austin or Dallas, you're either getting Franklin or Pecan Lodge. The Dynatrap is the Waco Rudy's. When there's no humans (Franklin or Pecan Lodge), then the Dynatrap works in attracting mosquitoes. However, if you're around, you're a better snack than the Dynatrap. This is why it's so important to 1) put the Dynatrap in a part of your yard you do not frequent and 2) leave it running 24/7. After emptying the trap for the first time, I noticed about 3 dozen mosquitoes. While it doesn't sound like a lot, it means these 3 dozen early-season mosquitoes do not have a chance to reproduce and make hundreds, maybe thousands, more. Also, if you take away places they can reproduce (with the BTI traps and pellets), it drastically cuts down their ability to reproduce effectively. I change the octenol lure every 3 weeks, in conjunction with me applying more BTI pellets to my drains and standing water traps. In addition to the BTI treatments and Dynatrap, my last line of defense is a repellent. I spray a mosquito barrier (99% garlic juice) around the perimeter of my property every 2-3 weeks depending on the amount of rain we receive. This seems to sir them up pretty good and chase them away. So far, so good. I'm not expecting complete mosquito elimination, and neither should you. Anyone knocking this product because they plugged it in and got a bite a day later is setting unrealistic expectations and not reading the product directions. The instructions specifically say you need to wait 42 days. However, I am expecting a reduction in the amount of bites I get on a warm June evening. Also, I'm not expecting the Dynatrap to be the end-all, be-all solution to mosquito control. Mosquito control requires vigilance and consistency. I'll need to treat standing water all around my property until the first freeze. I also know my mileage may vary if my neighbors don't do their part. However, with BTI, the Dynatrap, and mosquito repellants, I think I stand a fighting chance at enjoying my summers outside not doused in DEET. UPDATE 7/30/21. We’ve been using the Dynatrap all spring and summer. We had an extraordinarily wet spring into mid summer, causing an explosion of mosquitoes in the area—but not in our back yard. To be clear: we still have some mosquitoes around and we still use bug spray, fog, and other preventative measures, but there’s a noticeable drop in mosquitoes when we’d otherwise be swarmed. We still change out the octenol lure every 3 weeks, use garlic juice around the perimeter, and wear bug spray. I think the Dynatrap works pretty well. I’ll report again at the end of the season. In sum: -Read the directions. -Read the directions, seriously. -Place away from where you gather, leave running 24/7. -Use a lure to maximize effectiveness. -Start early in the season. -Consider using other controls techniques to maximize mosquitogeddon.
