Mega-Catch Premier

This is certainly an easy mosquito trap to set up and run. I did not get the CO2 option, and did not even put in the octenol yet, so it requires only occasional emptying of the liquid catch tray, which… seems to fill up with hundreds of mosquitoes in a very short time. Still experimenting with placement, but this trap obviously works very well, and is so much easier and more reliable than the propane powered ones. I'm delighted with it.

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I bought the MegaCatch Premier last year. I hate mosquitoes biting my little 2- and 5-yr-old daughters, not to mention myself. Placed the trap in a prime location where I get bit nonstop when working in… the yard. Nothing. Nada. Nil. Attracts mosquitoes??? Yeah right!! What a piece of junk!! I wholeheartedly agree with the other negative reviewers. This machine is a big scam. I cannot believe that other people, using the same type of machine, have had such great results. I will believe it when I see it. Used for 1 month last summer, 2 weeks this summer. NOT ONE, NOT A SINGLE ONE mosquito caught!! Used the octenol lure, too. No improvement. But it did catch a slew of little white moths. Great. Just what I needed, a bunch of dessicated little white moths. What a rip. I am also going to complain to the BBB and whoever else will listen. These people, and other bogus mosquito trap vendors, need to be stopped. I am amazed that they are able to peddle this crap with apparently no consequences.

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We've been using it for about a month and have definitely noticed a decrease in mosquito bites. Placing it is tricky (and I've yet to try another spot) and it does seem to catch anything (not just… mosquitoes). It doesn't eliminate all mosquitoes, but last year our yard was unbearable for 5 minutes (10-20 bites), and now I can sit outside and read and only get bit a handful of times for 30 minutes. After about 3 days, my best guess is it catches about 30-50 mosquitoes and 100 or so 'other' bugs (moths, gnats, etc), which I don't mind at all as they fly in the house at night. We use the water trap, and due to the Alabama heat it does require refilling every 3 days or so. I've also placed dunks in my gutters for the first time, so it is difficult to tell what effect each is having. The octenol lure helps, but so far as I can tell it doesn't seem to be catching the Asian Tiger Mosquito in high volume (the only variety left that is still biting us). However, reviewing the contents of caught bugs is tough (I dump the water trap contents in the toilet and sift through it. Locating the striped white legs of the ATM in a wet mess is a tricky proposition, so I can't be sure of this). I'm going to try the Mosquito Magnet Lurex lure once my octenol runs out in a week to see if that helps, as well as tinkering with the placement. FYI, I ordered from Costco and received 2 extra octenol lures and a free weather cover (none of this was in the product description). YMMV on that. For those worried about it breaking, research Costco's very generous return policy. I'm sure this product is wildly YMMV (it seems placement is KEY, and if you can't find an adequate spot this is not for you), but for us it seems to be working.

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I have the Premier and while it worked ok the fan stopped the first year I had it. The refills are expensive too although I have found the Mosquito magnet refills will work. The fan is a standard 120mm X… 38MM computer case fan. I have heard that Mega Catch wanted $100 for a replacement fan. You can find a high quality replacement one with dual bearings for about $24.00 from any computer parts supplier. You just have to cut the wire off of the old fan and splice it to the new one if the connector on the new fan doesn't match.

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In short: the Mega Catch Premier works well for us in Durham, New Hampshire. I've seen all the negative reviews here, and though I'm sure those people aren't lying, I also have to disagree based on… personal experience. That said, it's not a RonCo, set-it-and-forget-it type of device. I had to analyze my yard, figure out (a) where the mosquitoes where coming from, (b) where we were most likely to be and (c) where (in between those two points) to place the trap. I also factored in the wind patterns. The first summer, we set one up and used the wet catch system with soap and a little soda (after testing we found orange-flavored soda worked best, perhaps due to scent?). It took about a week to notice a difference,but it was significant. Our biggest complaint the first year was that when the wind shifted at night, we saw more mosquitoes. We have square-shaped property that backs up to woods and had the trap in one corner. The next year we put another trap in the adjacent corner to catch the "night shift" and it works splendidly. We use Octenol lures and they do seem to make a difference. Catch rates definitely drop once they dry out (usually a month or so). In short, these traps work very well for us, but not without a little analysis (to figure out where to put it) and regular maintenance (to ensure the wet traps stay... wet!). And no, I was not paid, compensated, or solicited to post this review.

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