Skeeter Vac SV-27

Though the most credible professional researchers focus on the Mosquito Magnet traps as the most effective, the SkeeterVac SV-27 offers a major advantage -- it's powered by one AA battery rather than a 50-foot electric cord. Like the Mosquito Magnet Liberty (*Est. $500), it needs a propane tank. The burning gas emits carbon dioxide to attract mosquitoes -- the other lures are water vapor, heat, LED lighting and octenol -- and a fan and vacuum suck them in. SkeeterVac says there's an acre of coverage, but we found no independent corroboration of that claim. If you live in the southern United States where Asian tiger mosquitoes are prevalent, you'll need a trap that uses the chemical Lurex, either the Mosquito Magnet Liberty or the SkeeterVac SV3100 (*Est. $285).

We found no unbiased professional studies of the SkeeterVac SV-27 -- most of them concentrate on the Mosquito Magnet line. We found about 60 owner reviews of various SkeeterVac traps at Epinions.com and about a dozen about the SkeeterVac SV-27 at Amazon.com. Negative comments at both websites are similar to those about the Mosquito Magnet -- it lasts only about a year (or a season) of almost constant use before wearing out.