Mosquito Trap

We all know the dangers of viruses carried by mosquitoes these days, and so the gardeners' time-honored method -- lots of songbirds, especially purple martens! -- may not be enough anymore. For those of us who spend many hours outdoors in gardens with ponds, fountains, or even dripping taps, the presence of LOTS of mosquitoes is just a given, and we need to do something about it, both to reduce the mosquito population and to feel safer. Super-expensive, motor-powered mosquito sucking machines are one answer, but this simple trap is a much more realistic and cost-effective one! Here's how it works:

This trap lures mosquitoes to a drowning death with pheromones, the hormones that female mosquitoes use to mark the area they want to lay their eggs. (They are very picky about the condition of the water for egg-laying.) This trap exactly duplicates these egg-laying pheromones, fooling mosquitoes into believing that this is their breeding site. They enter the trap and drown.

All you have to do is add the water to the trap. It takes 4 cups of ordinary tap water and another 4 cups of water from some outside source -- rainwater, a half-full watering can that's been standing out for a week or so, ditch or swamp water, etc. You just pour all the water into the trap, dissolve the entire packet of green pellets into the water, and then drop the lure into the water. Leave the trap uncovered for two days, then put on the lid. Mosquitoes and other flying insects will begin entering the trap after 1 to 2 weeks.

Once the trap is set up, all you have to do is maintain at least a cup's worth of water in the trap at all times. Just 2 traps covers a regular-sized yard, and 8 an entire acre. Leave them out all season, replacing them only when the water level falls too low. That's all there is to it!

This trap is very economical and easy to use, a fine alternative to expensive devices. And it reduces the overall mosquito population by capturing females about to lay eggs, thus literally preventing millions of new mosquitoes from entering the environment. Give it a try this season -- I think you'll be amazed and delighted by the results!