Mosquito Magnet
Mosquito Magnet Patriot Plus Propane Mosquito Trap
Trap · Device
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Pros
- It does catch mosquitoes: propane makes the CO2, heat, and moisture that draw them in, and a unit this size is pitched at up to a half acre.
- No cord and no pesticide, so it runs quietly in a far corner of a large yard.
Cons
- Independent backyard results are weak and inconsistent, so the 25 to 45% figure is optimistic and hard to verify.
- It is a money pit: about $320 up front plus ongoing propane, lure, and net costs, and it needs weeks of nonstop running to matter.
- Placement is everything, and set wrong it can pull mosquitoes toward your yard.
The full review
Propane-powered suction trap from Mosquito Magnet that burns a standard propane cylinder to produce the three cues mosquitoes track down: carbon dioxide, warmth, and moisture. An octenol or Lurex attractant is added to sharpen the lure, and a fan then draws approaching mosquitoes into a net where they dehydrate and die. It is marketed as protecting up to an acre and running on a single tank for about three weeks. The device genuinely catches mosquitoes, but the leap to real backyard relief is where independent testing gets lukewarm: it takes weeks of continuous running to make a dent in a local population, results are inconsistent from yard to yard, and the up-front price plus the ongoing cost of propane, attractant refills, and net changes is steep. Like all traps it is a yard-level population tool, not skin protection, and where you place it matters enormously. Set near a patio it can draw mosquitoes toward the people it is supposed to protect, so it belongs out between the mosquitoes' harborage and where you actually sit.
Scorecard
Expand any pillar to see exactly why it scored what it did.
Effectiveness45%41This is a trap, not applied to skin: it lures host-seeking mosquitoes with CO2, heat, and scent and captures them, thinning the local biting population by roughly 15–35% over about 21780 sq ft where it is well placed and run continuously, with a single unit's real effect on the modest side. Its job is to thin a yard's mosquito population over time, and it works slowly as that population turns over. Results swing widely with placement, competing hosts (nearby people and pets pull mosquitoes away from the trap), and whether you run it all season. Scored on how well it does that job deployed as intended, with a light temper for the real-world swing in placement and competing hosts (lower confidence).
This is a trap, not applied to skin: it lures host-seeking mosquitoes with CO2, heat, and scent and captures them, thinning the local biting population by roughly 15–35% over about 21780 sq ft where it is well placed and run continuously, with a single unit's real effect on the modest side. Its job is to thin a yard's mosquito population over time, and it works slowly as that population turns over. Results swing widely with placement, competing hosts (nearby people and pets pull mosquitoes away from the trap), and whether you run it all season. Scored on how well it does that job deployed as intended, with a light temper for the real-world swing in placement and competing hosts (lower confidence).
Evidence & honest claims25%8No published studies in our library directly support this product's active ingredients at their concentrations (base 20). Of 4 marketing claims audited: 0 strong, 2 moderate, 2 weak, 0 unsupported (-12).
No published studies in our library directly support this product's active ingredients at their concentrations (base 20). Of 4 marketing claims audited: 0 strong, 2 moderate, 2 weak, 0 unsupported (-12).
Safety15%75This is a standalone trap, not applied to skin, so there is no dermal exposure and no pesticide vapor or smoke to breathe. Because it lures mosquitoes with CO2, heat, and scent rather than zapping everything nearby, it is far more selective than a bug zapper and does not kill large numbers of harmless or beneficial insects. It burns a small propane cylinder, so run it outdoors and follow the fuel-handling instructions. Place it away from where people gather so it draws mosquitoes toward the trap, not toward you.
This is a standalone trap, not applied to skin, so there is no dermal exposure and no pesticide vapor or smoke to breathe. Because it lures mosquitoes with CO2, heat, and scent rather than zapping everything nearby, it is far more selective than a bug zapper and does not kill large numbers of harmless or beneficial insects. It burns a small propane cylinder, so run it outdoors and follow the fuel-handling instructions. Place it away from where people gather so it draws mosquitoes toward the trap, not toward you.
Transparency15%50This product is a device with no repellent formula to disclose, so it is neither credited nor penalized on ingredient transparency (neutral 50); its claims are audited under Evidence.
This product is a device with no repellent formula to disclose, so it is neither credited nor penalized on ingredient transparency (neutral 50); its claims are audited under Evidence.
Every pillar is scored from published rules. Read how we score.
Coverage & effectiveness
This is a trap: it lures host-seeking mosquitoes with CO2, heat, and scent and captures them, thinning the local biting population over time. It works slowly across a yard rather than protecting you on the spot, and results depend heavily on placement and running it continuously.
Mosquitoes
EstimatedLow- Coverage
- ~21780 sq ft
- Fewer bites
- 15–35%
The band shown is a low-confidence estimate of local population reduction, not on-the-spot protection, and the coverage figure is a conservative half acre rather than the up-to-one-acre marketing claim. A propane trap does catch mosquitoes with real CO2, heat, and an attractant, but the propane counterflow traps are the weakest-evidenced of the lure traps: the American Mosquito Control Association's review of published studies concludes they could not demonstrate a meaningful reduction in biting pressure, and the mosquitoes they attract best (Culex and floodwater species) are strong fliers that keep arriving from breeding sites elsewhere, so removing the ones near the trap barely dents the supply. Real single-unit reduction depends on running it continuously for weeks, on placement, on the local species matching the attractant, and on there being no closer hosts. Combined with the cost of the unit, propane, attractant, and nets, the realistic reduction in how much you get bitten is modest and hard to verify, so this is scored with low confidence and is best treated as one part of a plan rather than a solution on its own.
Ingredient disclosure
This product is a device with no repellent formula to disclose, so it is neither credited nor penalized on ingredient transparency (neutral 50); its claims are audited under Evidence.
The manufacturer does not publish an ingredient list for this product.
Claims audit
What the marketing says, versus what the evidence supports.
“Protects up to 1 acre”
OtherWeakA best-case number. Effective range in real yards is much smaller and drops with wind, obstacles, and competing hosts; treating an acre from one trap overstates what a single unit does.
“Kills mosquitoes and breaks the breeding cycle”
EfficacyModerateThe trap does kill the mosquitoes it catches, which is real. The stronger implication that one backyard unit reliably breaks the breeding cycle is where independent evidence is thin, since caught females are only a fraction of the local population.
“Silent, cordless, chemical-free operation”
OtherModerateAccurate about how it runs: propane-powered, no electrical cord, and no insecticide, since it lures with CO2, heat, and octenol rather than poisoning. This describes operation, not effectiveness.
“Continuous, long-term mosquito control all season”
DurationWeakOverpromises. It needs weeks of uninterrupted running plus regular propane, attractant, and net upkeep, and even then independent results for backyard bite reduction are inconsistent, so season-long control is a best case rather than the norm.