CO2 traps help, but they’re not magic

CO2 mosquito traps can reduce backyard populations noticeably, but they won’t solve the problem alone.

The ones that use carbon dioxide (mimicking human breath) actually work better than UV-only traps because female mosquitoes — the ones that bite — are drawn to CO2, not light. UV attracts a lot of bugs, but mosquitoes prefer warmth and breath. So a good CO2 trap with an attractant like octenol or lactic acid will catch hundreds of mosquitoes a night.

But here’s the catch: they only pull from a limited range, maybe 50-100 feet. And if your neighbor has a swampy drainage ditch, the trap might just be pulling in mosquitoes from their yard without making a dent in the overall population. You can also end up attracting more mosquitoes to your property than you kill if the trap isn’t positioned well or isn’t running consistently.

The real solution is boring: eliminate standing water. Bird baths, clogged gutters, plant saucers — that’s where they breed. A trap is a decent supplement, not a replacement.

Don’t buy a CO2 trap until you’ve checked every bucket and puddle in your yard.