DynaTrap DT1050SR 1/2 Acre Mosquito & Flying Insect Trap – Kills Mosquitoes, Flies, Wasps, Gnats, & Other Flying Insects - Bug Zapper Alternative - Black

I now have two of these units, one on each end of a 24' long x 15' wide covered deck. It actually may be overkill. Whatever. I put the first one up about a year ago, plugged into a timer that turns it on from 7 pm to 7 am, when the bugs are most active in our area. Our home backs up to a very wooded area with water standing and flowing through it as its a drainage area. So, yeah, a fair amount of bugs and mosquitos were present. Usually.Not any more. Throughout a fairly hot, humid Georgia summer we've experienced very few bugs or mosquitos attacking us. I've emptied the bottom container monthly -- it's been about 1/2 full each time. Going into Fall now, the bug-catching is way down, as expected. Over time it appears that the catchers have reduced the overall population.Many have noted that the lights don't seem to last long. My luck (?) has been better. The first unit has been running 12-hours a day for a year with no problem. The second a month or so, again, no problem. FWIW, I found replacement light bulbs for this unit at HD for far less than they are priced on Amazon or the DynaTrap site.Worthwhile investment to be able to use our deck virtually year-around, day or night!

Bottom line: I believe this company is a scam. Their product doesn’t work to alleviate mosquitos (it does kill lots of moths however), it is impossible to replace the bulb due to their poor design, and the motor goes out right after the warranty).Now for more detail: I live up in the mountains which does have season mosquito problems. Our back decks look out at wonderful views and we enjoy spending as much time outside as possible. However although candles worked a bit, we still needed something more powerful to keep the mosquitos in check. Of course Dynatrap advertises very aggressively. I was always a bit concerned since some of their claims, such as having a special “coating” that keeps mosquitos away are unfounded. And boarder on the outrageous. However, I did buy the unit. We did get a great deal of “debris” in the catch basin, but it was 99% moth, which is not a threat, and not the reason to purchasing this unit. In the year that I had this, I never once saw one body of a mosquito. Worse yet, when I went to replace the bulb, I was thrust into a nightmare of their horrific design. There are four screws on the bottom after you remove the debris cage, that you need to unscrew in order to get to the bulb. The instructions supplied with the unit say that they supply a special Phillips screwdriver. I still had the original box, and remember when I removed the unit from it, there was no screwdriver. I have a very large collect of various size Phillips screwdriver heads, and none worked. I tired soaking the screws with both an “unlock” spray and WD-40. Still, the screws would not budge. Finally I brought the unit to my local hardware store, and after over an hour utilizing specialized screwdrivers, they were able to finally get all screws out. They told me that this unit was badly designed and they don’t know how anyone could get this out on their own. I was glad to get it removed and gave them a nice tip, and bought, what I thought would be a special screwdriver. Then at home I had to deal with a bracket and screw that hold the bulb into the socket. It is virtually impossible to access the screw or the bracket with your fingers, and it’s a miracle I was able to get both out, and more important, get them out of the unit without losing them. Once the new bulb was replaced it was another hour to align the bracket and screw even before screwing it in. I did then get the bottom back on, and was able to re-screw it in. I then plugged it in. The light went on, but now, the motor-fan no longer works. I checked the wire connections very carefully and they were all unmolested and connected.Then wanting for the last time to check the unit, I found that again, it was impossible to unscrew the four screws to open it for inspection. Even with my new “special“ Philip screwdriver. I didn’t feel at this point like going back to my hardware store, and spending any more money. So, after a year of this unit never working to actually do its job and remove mosquitos, and then realizing that the design makes it impossible to replace the bulb, which they say should be replaced at least every three to four months, I’ve given up. I’ll just have to throw the hundreds of dollars away along with the unit.By the way, Dynatrap customer services is dysfunctional to non-existent. I utilized their e-mail form, and never got a response. I finally did actually speak with a live human being, and explained the problem. She put me on hold for twenty minutes, and then came back to say they actually don’t supply the screwdrivers anymore, nor did basically in the beginning, and they don’t have them in stock. I realized my warranty was expired, and asked her about the motor, and she said: “yes, well they do tend to fall apart after a year or so… nothing we can do… I suggest just buy another one”. I have a better idea for everyone reading, stay as far away from this “snake oil” fraud Dynatrap as you can. They don’t work, and they will make your life a living hell. I believe the company is a bit of a scam. And in these days of pandemic obstacles and stress, a product like this and a company like this is the last thing you need.

We purchased this product after it was recommended to my husband and I by two different friends who use it and love it (one lives in the city and the other in the country). We have 4 acres, but 3 of them are wooded. We tried having someone come to spray the perimeter monthly but that did nothing for our mosquito problems and I was not too thrilled with that option.We hung our UNDER our second level deck (40x12) since it said it could handle some water and rain. Our deck has no covering, so we thought that was the best placement to get the coverage we were looking for. And the area under our deck is concrete but tends to be damp because of the size of our deck.We empty it out weekly and by the second week, we have had a significant decrease in mosquitos. I read about the 6 week cycle, but this began working for us after just a few days. How I determine "working for us" - myself and my two boys are mosquito MAGNETS. They never touch my husband. Since we hung this, only one bite. That includes playing in the backyard grass and deck (where my kids are daily and I am with them if I am not working). It does not work on gnats (FYI :) I can not point to any particular change in weather that would contribute to this decrease. We have had rain, humidity, sun up here in northeastern PA. Maybe more rainy that other years.My girl friend said she has had hers for 8 years. i hope ours lasts that long! It was worth the money if it continues to perform like it has so far.