There are two key elements to a successful mosquito trap.  First the ability to attract mosquitoes to the trap and second the ability to get the mosquitoes into the trap.

There are thousands of mosquito species worldwide.  Each species is unique and each is attracted by different combinations of sensory stimuli.  The trick for the mosquito trap manufacturer is to use combinations of stimuli which attract the target species.  Some manufacturers have gone to extraordinary lengths in this regard.  For example the gas release system on the Mega-Catch™ ULTRA is designed to replicate a key element of human respiration by releasing quantities of pure CO₂ at varying rates over fixed intervals to produce an exponentially decaying concentration gradient in the air plume emanating from the lower part of the trap with mosquitoes using this concentration gradient to navigate their way to the trap.

Mosquito Magnet® traps use counter flow technology with a patented catalytic converter to produce CO₂, heat and moisture to attract mosquitoes.  They also say that most mosquitoes require a secondary attractant to hone in on the trap for which they offer either Octenol or Lurex3™.    Read more

We’ve done the research, compared and reviewed all the top mosquito traps so you don’t have to. source

It’s important that consumers are able to make informed choices when purchasing any product. This website sets out to provide as much information as possible to help potential mosquito trap owners make those choices with a list of 5 things you need to know before you buy a trap:

1. What performance/features do you need the mosquito trap to have?

2. Will the trap be safe for the intended environment?

3. Will the trap operate reliably?

4. What are the running costs?

5. Can you expect to receive a high standard of after sales service?

Personal protection with products like DEET or Repel, together with mosquito netting and screens plus a mosquito trap or two will help make your yard a more enjoyable space over summer. 

You can keep mosquitoes outdoors by creating skeeter-free zones inside with screens and mosquito netting.   Mosquito nets are effective but protect limited spaces; mosquito traps protect larger open spaces. Nets are extremely effective at blocking mosquitoes; mosquito traps kill mosquitoes by attracting them in first.  

Mosquito traps are not a replacement for mosquito nets, screens or repellents, but an adjunct.  When used together they can help reduce dependence on sprays of toxic pesticides and provide an effective long term method of control by reducing the number of mosquitoes and other biting insects from your yard.

Yale University researchers have found more than two dozen scent receptors in malaria-transmitting mosquitoes that detect compounds in human sweat, a finding that may help scientists to develop new ways to combat a disease that kills 1 million people annually.

Female Anopheles gambiae mosquito

These olfactory receptors in the mosquito Anopheles gambiae offer scientists potential new targets for repelling, confusing or attracting into traps the mosquitoes that spread a disease afflicting up to 500 million people.

“The world desperately needs new ways of controlling these mosquitoes, ways that are effective, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly,” said John Carlson, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at Yale and senior author of the study. “Some of these receptors could be excellent targets for controlling mosquito behavior.”

Source

In the past people relied on chemical sprays and the like to prevent mosquitoes from invading their homes and garden, but those chemicals aren’t much better for us than they are for the mosquitoes. Fortunately we’ve got better technology these days and mosquito traps are one of the best ways to get rid of mosquitoes.

The Blue Rhino SkeeterVac Mosquito Elminator is one the high end mosquito traps. Its works by transforming propane into CO2, which mosquitoes are attracted to (this is how they track you down in the dark — via the CO2 in your breath).

The Mega-Catch Premier is another impressive mosquito trap.  This trap does not use propane or other chemicals, but instead works by utilizing a UV light.

Read more @ http://hubpages.com/hub/Mosquito-Trapss

CHILDREN as young as 10 are being trained to be dengue busters, collecting and studying the mosquitoes that spread the potentially life-threatening disease.

Queensland Health, James Cook University and Cairns Regional Council are testing a dengue fever education campaign in Cairns schools, in an attempt to raise awareness of the disease from an early age.

As part of the project, students in years 5 to 7 are taught how to safely collect Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, breed them, and observe and record their life cycle, before disposing of the insects.

Education Queensland regional science manager Adam Hooper said there was no danger of catching dengue from the studies.  Read more @ http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2010/03/23/101191_local-news.html

A lot of the negative feedback you’ll see for mosquito traps is because new owners didn’t use them properly!

Mosquito traps don’t REPEL mosquitos, these machines ATTRACT the mosquitos and then kill them. It also takes a while for them to lure and kill a large local population. Buying a mosquito catcher in the afternoon and putting the unit in the middle of your big neighborhood barbeque that same night is a sure recipe for turning your party into an itchy, buggy disaster!

These mosquito machines should be placed a good distance from where people are congregating (ideally, 35′ or more), preferably upwind. Place mosquito traps on the perimeters of your yard, not in the middle of your activity area, and set them to run 24/7 or at least daily during peak insect activity times (dawn and dusk) at first. After several days they will have begun to kill off the existing colonies and you’ll be well on your way to a mosquito-free yard!  Source

Here’s a mosquito trap that may rightfully be called sexist.  

The “MozziQuit”, developed by Ignatius Noronha, a Mangalore based innovator, attracts and kills female mosquitoes to stop them from breeding.

Noronha was working for an American manufacturing plant in Saudi Arabia until he set upon his new mission of developing a cost effective device to kill mosquitoes.

Explaining the science behind attracting mosquitoes, he said, “Mosquitoes normally detect human presence based on the carbon dioxide we exhale. 

There is a special additive I have added to the device, which attracts the mosquitoes.”

Read more  http://www.ptinews.com/news/495138_Eco-friendly-mosquito-traps-to-hit-markets-soon

A mosquito trap captures and kills biting mosquitoes, significantly reducing the flying parasite population in your yard. This allows you, your family, and your friends to enjoy your backyard safely once again.

Mosquitos are drawn to the carbon dioxide (CO2) people exhale so if you breathe, you’re an attractive target for a mosquito. Some mosquito traps attract these flying pests by emitting CO2 gas or using lures mosquitoes find attractive.  And once attracted, they’re trapped, then die. 
Get them before they get you!  Read more http://mosquitotraps.net/

Washington, (IANS) Researchers have come up with the cheapest and most efficient way so far to trap adult mosquitoes and the deadly diseases they carry, from malaria to the West Nile Virus.

Emory University (E-U) has filed a provisional patent on the Prokopack mosquito aspirator, which uses a battery-powered motor to suck up live mosquitoes for analysis.

In both field and lab tests, Prokopack outperformed the current gold standard for resting mosquito surveillance – the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Backpack Aspirator (CDC-BP).

Mosquito-borne diseases rank among the world’s top killers, and Vazquez-Prokopec, inventor and a post-doctoral researcher in environmental studies, hopes that more affordable and efficient surveillance methods will help save lives.  Read more @ http://www.india-forums.com/news/article.asp?id=221748

According to Elizabeth (Biz) Collins of the North Fork Mosquito Abatement District, it’s almost unheard of to have an all-volunteer trapping program. But that is exactly what was accomplished this past season in the North Fork, and hopefully with more volunteers, can be expanded next season.

Volunteer have to set out the traps and pick them up at specific times. The traps, due to the life of the batteries, need to be set out between 5 and 7 p.m. and picked up between 7 and 8 the next morning. If the traps are picked up late or set out too early, the batteries fail and the mosquitoes can escape making the sample useless.

Trappers donate their time, cars and gas. They receive no reimbursements for their work. After the crew was laid off for the season due to a shortfall in tax revenue, the district had their first case of mosquitoes with West Nile Virus.

The volunteer program has grown from two people in 2008 to eight volunteers by the end of that season. In 2009 up to 13 people volunteered. For 2010, the volunteer program is aiming to grow to 20 people.