Biogents Mosquitaire CO2 Mosquito Trap - Sweetscent Mosquito Bait & CO2 Set - Effective Against All Species - Patio & Outdoor Mosquito Trap

We live in the the San Fernando Valley in Southern California and mosquitos have been really bad for us this year (I feel like location is important for people who are considering). I got fed up and decided to bite the bullet on this expensive trap setup after a family member let me know it was working for them (in another part of SoCal).In short... it works.What you see here is the first time I've emptied the trap since I set it up back on 8/26.I carefully removed the net catch last night (MAKE SURE YOU KEEP THAT LID CLOSED! I taped it beforehand to prevent any accidents), placed it into a gallon zip lock bag, and then placed the bag into the freezer overnight. The instructions say 2-3 hours will kill them, but like the line in the movie ALIENS..."it's the only way to to be sure."The results were shocking to be honest. It's a mix of all types of mosquitos, including the nasty Aedes variety. There's a large property behind my house whose owner leaves a lot of stuff around. My gut is telling me they're creating a breeding ground for these things in all the nooks and crannies of their junk.PROS:- Effective. That's all I want a mosquito trap to be.- Easy setup- The supporting bait packet doesn't smell that bad... at least compared to a typical water based fly trap.CONS:- Expensive initial investment, but it seems like this will pay off easily over time based on what I've been able to catch in a fairly short amount of time.- You must buy a cO2 canister. A 20lb tank (with a fill) ran me about $190 locally. $33 for a refill. I haven't needed to refill yet, but I'm guessing I probably will in the next week or so.- I feel like the trap itself is a bit over priced. I think $175 to $199 would be more reasonable.My setup:1) I have the cO2 trap and tank on a dolly that I cart around to different positions in the yard depending on the time of day/shade. Moving both individually is cumbersome with all the cables and tubing. A filled 20lb cO2 tank also weighs what feels like 50 pounds when filled – not convenient to move all the time.2) I set the cO2 regulator to release 0.5kg to 1.25kg depending on conditions. I pump it up during the late balmy summer afternoons with still, hot/slightly humid air. On days with more wind, I'll cut the cO2 back or not use it at all. With wind, the cO2 is blown around and is not concentrated near the trap.I wasn't going to buy the timer they sell for the regulator in the beginning (it's $95!), but now that I know this works, I'm going pick it up so I can have the cO2 release at specific times of the day.TIPS:1) Make sure you handle the included bait packet with gloves. It's oily and the smell of extremely dirty, sweaty gym stocks will linger.2) Consider a mobile setup like what I did to make placement and adjustment more convenient.3) Move the trap around. They love shade and I've placed it underneath a patio umbrella sometimes which I'm sure concentrates the cO2 a bit since there's now a 'ceiling' in that location.4) When power down the trap, the lid automatically closes because there is no longer any suction keeping the trap open. HOWEVER, one time it didn't close and the mosquitos that weren't fully in the trap FLEW OUT. Easy insurance that you don't let these demons escape is to use some masking tape on the lid handle to secure it BEFORE you unplug.

I tried a few different things & this turned out to be the total solution. First I tried the propane tank mosquito magnets at $600. Because propane tanks are so easy to get anywhere. However the propane method caught very few mosquitos. My highly uneducated guess would be mosquitos really don't care for burnt propane CO2 over pure CO2.The Biogents Mosquitaire CO2 Mosquito Trap is amazing. In full disclosure I eventually purchased 3 of these units, after proving the first one worked so well. Why not 3X the killing power?! No fun having a nice heated saltwater pool & having mosquitos buzzing around you & your guests at night. I'm in South Florida, humid summer time year round basically.I highly suggest getting the CO2 version / attachment. It works some without it & the scent baits (which are expensive) but nothing compares to the CO2 version. I ran it for a month without the CO2 until I got around to buying one tank & seeing how much of a difference it really made. The answer... Mosquitos are highly attracted to this CO2 settup & not to my guests & I. I purchsed a "TMCRAFT 20lb CO2 Tank" on Amazon for $185. It costs me about $75 to fill it with CO2 at a local beer keg store. So far I'm past a month on on my first fill & still going strong. It's catching so good on the CO2 I don't think I need the $19 a month baits. So theoretically I'm putting that money towards the CO2 Fill cost. If you don't get the CO2 you should buy the baits (which smell like dirty socks)To make my tanks last a lot longer, I turn on the CO2 at dusk & then turn off in the morning. Mosquitos are far less active in the hot day time. Rainy overcast days I leave it on... They sell a CO2 timer for like $200 but I had to draw the line somewhere.I have a friend that gets bitten by mosquitoes instantly going outside no matter what. No one else in the group gets bit but her. It's truly laughable... Since I've installed this system she hasn't gotten bitten once which is a full blown miracle.Last note the location of where I have mine placed varies your catch rate so you may want to move it around & find the best kill spot in your yard. Also I never turn the power off so they are always vacuumed in. On occasion if you want to clean the bags easiest thing to do without releasing live ones by mistake. Close the flap against the vaccum running. Pull out the full catch assembly from the base & put the whole thing quickly into a plastic grocery store bag. Tie a knot & put the whole thing in the freezer for 3 hours. Then take out, dump all the dead mosquitoes into the plastic bag you were using. Tie that off put in garbage then put your catcher assembly back in base.I never write reviews but had to on this product & after wasting $600 trying the propane mosquito magnet fail.This is close to $600 after the CO2 tank purchase & fill but absolutely worth it!