I tested the Mosquito TNT in my Pennsylvania yard and concluded that it does not control mosquitoes. Moreover, they kill a considerable number of non-target organisms, including pollinators, provide an ideal habitat for fly larvae that feed on the decaying carcasses of previous victims, and smell bad. My full review is below. If you just want tips for getting your money refunded, you can jump to that part.
The claim
Tougher Than Tom asserts that female mosquitoes are attracted to the containers, and then into the holes, by the carbon dioxide produced by fermentation of sugar by yeast as well as by the reaction between sodium bicarbonate and citric acid. Then they drown, speeded by the active ingredient sodium lauryl sulfate, a surfactant. The company says the four-trap kit will make a 1-acre yard “mosquito-free” for 30 days.
Test results: zero mosquitoes were trapped
I took photographs of four traps every several days as a way to record what types of insects were being killed. By far the most common were flies (fruit flies, blow flies, picture-winged flies, etc.), wasps (yellowjackets and hornets), earwigs, beetles, and bumblebees. After about 20 days the stench was enough to make me gag whenever I got close. At no point during my inspections did I notice a single mosquito. I never even observed a mosquito near the containers.
Test results: flies deposited thousands of eggs
After several weeks, the fluid was teaming with larvae of multiple species of flies. Some were humpbacked flies (Phoridae):
The containers also contained larvae of Coboldia fuscipes, a type of minute scavenger fly (Scatopsidae). Here are photographs of the larval, pupal, and adult stages.
Why don’t they work?
Given the very small amount of bait it is clear that not enough carbon dioxide would ever be produced to attract a mosquito. Moreover, traps are not generating heat or emitting vertebrate odors, important cues that mosquitoes use to find hosts. All yeast-and-sugar traps on the market are scams and this one is no different.
“Wait, but ads show they work!”
Many of Tougher Than Tom’s ads assert that the dead insects inside the traps are all mosquitoes. This is just a simple lie, and easily exposed as such by zooming in on the images. You can easily see that the containers are full of fruit flies, bottle flies, and wasps. I have never seen a mosquito in a Mosquito TNT.
Another tactic is to show images that have been Photoshopped. For example, the image below has mosquitoes that were carefully copied and pasted from a photograph taken in Germany by Steffen Kugler. It took me approximately 5 mins to figure that out. It’s unclear whether Tougher Than Tom has legally licensed that photograph.
A more recent development is to show AI-generated videos that depict swarms of mosquitoes trying to get into the holes. Or dozens of mosquitoes trapped and drowning. It should be emphasized that if the traps were capable of attracting mosquitoes, the company would simply use real videos. But because that footage doesn’t exist the company resorts to deception. Here’s an example ad (on Facebook). It’s hilarious to see the mosquitoes flying around inside the fluid (that doesn’t happen in real life). Here’s a screenshot:
Tougher Than Tom also uses “user-generated content” (UGC) to push the Mosquito TNT on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. These paid “influencers” invariably say the product is amazingly effective, even though it appears they have set them up only moments before. The UGC ads seem to be following a script prepared by Tougher Than Tom that frequently includes how safe the ingredients are, how yards become “mosquito-free,” and how traps eliminate worries over mosquito-borne diseases (all claims that violate FIFRA). None shows mosquitoes inside a Mosquito TNT. The UGCs rarely disclose a financial relationship with the company even though that is required by the FTC.
Sale-price fraud
Tougher Than Tom also deceives users about the price of the Mosquito TNT by using strike-through pricing, showing the “sale” price relative to a putative regular price that is there just to make you think you’re getting a great deal. And the discount is “always just about to expire, so act now!” Strike-through pricing is illegal at the federal and state level. If there’s an attorney out there looking for a super-easy class-action to file, this would be it. For reference, Tougher Than Tom obtains these containers from China for approximately $0.69 apiece. That should give you a sense of how much money the owner has likely made over the years.
Where it is sold
The Mosquito TNT is peddled as a “Minimum Risk” pesticide product and thus doesn’t need get a (federal) EPA registration. That said, the company needs to pay a fee and submit paperwork in almost all states in order to get a state registration, so sometimes out of simple laziness a product might not be available in all states. Plus certain states require that a company provide proof that a product works or that its ingredients aren’t carcinogens. Together, this means that is often up to a pesticide company to be transparent about where it may and may not be sold.
Tougher Than Tom does not accurately disclose where sale of the Mosquito TNT is prohibited. On its website, New Mexico and Tennessee are named. On Amazon, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Maine are listed. My guess is that the product is regularly shipped to states that have denied a registration. Indeed, one Amazon review says that product was used in the Bahamas. I think Tougher Than Tom hires Spring Regulatory Sciences (“Never worry about registering and maintaining your product again“) to file all the applications, fill in data gaps, and pay the fees. Perhaps they are a bargain.
To get a better sense of where the Mosquito TNT is banned, I went through pesticide-registration databases for all 50 states, plus D.C. and Puerto Rico. Twelve states prohibit sales of the Mosquito TNT: California, Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania (my state!), Rhode Island, Washington, and West Virginia. In at least two states Tougher Than Tom withdrew its application, which can happen when a state asks for efficacy data or other supporting documentation. In some of the states it is likely that the product was denied a registration, though regulators will not disclose to me the reasons for the denial.
The following states likely allow the Mosquito TNT to be sold: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia (NA), Hawaii (NA), Idaho, Illinois (NA), Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts (NA), Michigan, Minnesota (NA), Mississippi, Missouri (NA), Nebraska (NA), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (NA), North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas (NA), Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, D.C., and Puerto Rico. States with “NA” (not applicable) do not require registration of Minimum Risk (25b) pesticides as long as they conform to EPA requirements (e.g., can’t make health claims, can’t make false statements, can’t make misleading statements). Such states merely require the company to assert its product is in compliance (i.e., nobody confirms that requirements are met).
How to get a refund
Don’t be shy about asking for a complete refund. Here’s the sequence you should follow:
- Ask for a refund via the support dialog on the Tougher Than Tom’s website. Mention your order number and the amount you paid. It would be helpful to quote some of the language on the website about guarantee (“100% guaranteed,” “hassle-free refunds,” “30-day money-back guarantee,” “order with confidence knowing you have Tom’s handshake guarantee,” “If Tom’s products don’t work for you, you get your money back!”). You can also include a link to the money 100% satisfaction guarantee graphic. If you are ignored for more than 24 hours or if they respond with “you need to mail back the unused traps at your expense,” proceed to #2 immediately.
- Send an email to the owner, Zachary Snyder Collins (zach@simplystrive.com), and CC info@simplystrive.com to make sure your message gets seen. Politely ask for a refund and include the response from the support team. Mention that you noticed on Trustpilot and BBB that many people are getting full refunds without needing to send the traps back.
- Post a negative review on Trustpilot or BBB that details exactly why you are dissatisfied with the product’s performance. Quote some specific wording from one of the many money-back guarantees as well as your order number. Highlight that the company seems to be giving full refunds to others who have left reviews, and that you’d like the same. FYI, Tougher Than Tom often tries to get negative reviews taken down by flagging them for “harmful or illegal content”, so contact Trustpilot and report that, too.
- If company refuses to refund your order in full, file a complaint with your State Attorney General. You can learn about this option by conducting an internet search for “file complaint with attorney general [insert your state]”. Again, mention the specific language about money-back guarantees, and how company is refusing to honor it. The Attorney General (or his/her staff) will then contact the owner of Tougher Than Tom on your behalf. This can work very quickly, especially if you live in a state where the Mosquito TNT cannot legally sold (see above section).
How to file a state or federal complaint
If you’d like to help protect other consumers (and you should), you can report the company for making false or misleading claims. You can also report when Tougher Than Tom ships the device to one of the 11 states that bans it (see full list above).
To locate the person in charge of pesticide registration and enforcement in your state, click on this map. These people have the power to revisit a product’s registration status as well as levy fines against the company for shipping to the state without a registration. In your email, provide details of what your traps have captured and attach photographs if possible.
You can also report the company to the EPA and the FTC. For these communications it is helpful to attach screenshots of the marketing materials that led you to believe that the product eliminated (completely got rid of) mosquitoes. If you noticed zero mosquitoes inside your traps, mention that, too. And take pics of contents.
If you would like to get a better sense of the company’s past legal troubles I would highly recommend reading the consent agreement reached with the EPA in 2025 that resulted in a $80,800 penalty payment. That’s likely a very small fraction of the profits made by the owner each year.
Here’s the company contact information to share in your report:
Tougher Than Tom
2028 E Ben White Blvd, Suite 240-1328, Austin, TX 78741
(413) 400-0067
Further information
- The official company name is “Simply Strive.” Per Zoominfo it is headquartered at 1414 Shore District Dr, Apt 3320, Austin, Texas 78741, a 10-min drive from the above mailing address located inside Scan Mailboxes Solutions. To the best of my knowledge the company has no research or testing facilities.
- The containers are sold as wasp traps by Xiamen Consolidates Manufacture and Trading Company, a Chinese firm specializing in pests. The traps are shipped on container ships to various ports in California and Washington and then driven to a warehouse in Ohio where orders are fulfilled.
- The owner of Tougher Than Tom likely got into the mosquito-control business from fellow Austin resident Nick Olnyk, founder of Grandpa Gus, a company that had an identical product lineup before being sold a few years ago. I think Collins copied the “folksy, honest grandpa” marketing schtick from Grandpa Gus. Same grift.
- I think the owner used to be married to Brandi Dugal, the inventor of the Fidget Game for teaching reading (see Shark Tank appearance).
Other reviews
- Mandy M. (YouTube)
- Cassie (TikTok)
- Bonnie McConnell (Facebook)
- Trudy Harlow (Facebook)
- Tougher Than Tom Mosquito TNT users (Facebook group)
Contact
If you have a question, information you think I should provide, or find errors, send me an email.
Thanks for the great review! I was looking at this vs. the Ortho® Home Defense® Mosquito Kill & Prevent kit. Any chance you’d feel like reviewing that next?
That’s definitely on my list of things to try but I haven’t purchased one yet. So probably not this year but next.
Incredible review. Well done and thanks for saving me from making an expensive mistake.
Glad you found it useful. I’m shocked that EPA and states allow this scam to be sold.
Spot on. I have tried numerous treatments aver 2 decades, and being located in Austin, my wife succumbed to the marketing hype for this one.
I was skeptical as the product did not mention targeted species, as different species are attracted to different cues based on their host. Mosquito-bird vector mosquitoes, for instance, seek based on different criteria than strictly mammalian-host species. This is why octenol baits are ineffective against West Nile virus carrying mosquitoes.
Carbon dioxide, admittedly, is a universal attractant, but essentially useless without a synergistic, species-specific, co-atrractant. (I have two composters in my yard that likely generate as much CO2 as the TNT.)
Product did not work at all, and the bugs it did catch were not mosquitoes.
Reached out to the company via their online portal. After filling out the necessary form, it said No one was available. Tried multiple times without any response.
Ultimately, I reached out to the BBB. Tom’s responded to the BBB complaint, sharing my attempts at correspondance which they *had* documented, and claimed they had offered me a refund. (Not true.) The BBB designated the case resolved based on their bad faith response.
They did not, and their response to BBB did not provide any further contact info.
I had wanted to work with, and even share my knowledge and scientific literature so they might develop a viable product, but have come to view this company as a scam.
Ahh, yes, I remember reading your BBB review and the associated “resolved” tag and didn’t seem to be true. Definitely a scam and I’m hoping the EPA will take another look at this guy’s operation. He’s making quite a lot of money off these wasp traps. Could you be persuaded to write to the EPA? Currently I think it’s just me complaining.
Well if they don’t work, what do you recommend?
There is no one thing that will eliminate mosquitoes (sorry), but here are ways to make them tolerable:
Purge all standing water.
Thin groundcover so that they can’t hide nearby.
Set out Bti honeypot traps.
Buy autocidal gravid ovitraps.
Spray your clothing with permethrin.
Use DEET and picaridin.
Buy a Thermacell.
Whatever you do, please DON’T fog your yard with pyrethroids.
Details: https://colinpurrington.com/fighting-mosquitoes/
Permethrin is highly toxic to cats, so keep this in mind before spraying your clothing with it. If they come into contact with your clothing, or you pet them with residue on your hands, it could kill your feline companion.
Yes! (If anyone else is curious about the effect, I have details on my page, “Effects of mosquito sprays on humans, pets, and wildlife“.)
Also, permethrin-coated clothes are safe around cats. It’s only the fluid permethrin that can kill them, so you need to be very careful when you apply it.
Do you mean “don’t” fog your yards?
Can you direct me to the sentence where I made the error?
Somebody else directed me to the error and it is now fixed.
Yes! Thank you.
I worked in pest control for 30 years & finally I found your honest review of just one of the bs products out there. Mosquitoes are attracted to CO2, heat, pheromones & light colors, as you said there’s really nothing in this device that will attracted mosquito’s. We used a product called “In-2-Care” that works fairly well but the best mosquito defence is to make sure you eliminate ALL standing water sources around a property, Aedis Aegypti & Aedis Albopictus only need 1/8th of inch to lay their eggs, so even plants such as a bromeliad can hold enough water to breed. Good news is the “Ankle biters” although active during daylight hours, only fly a couple hundred feet or so, not miles like the common nocturnal Culex mosquito. So eliminating ALL standing water is by far the best strategy.
I would love to get some In-2-Cares for my yard someday. Currently have 4 gravid ovitraps, a Bti bucket, and mini-pond with a Bti dunk floating around. Plus I get rid of all standing water. But like most people, I also have neighbors who do none of the above so it’s not providing great control.
I don’t know if or how well the TNT device works at it, but technically, yeast consuming glucose should produce CO2 (any homebrewer can confirm). So theoretically, that’s one thing that should attract mozzies to the device. Obviously, YMMV.
I 100% agree that the Mosquito TNT will produce CO2. But just as sure that it doesn’t produce enough, even on day 1, to attract a single mosquito. And after day 1, sugar is all gone so no CO2 produced at all, so the “30 days of protection” claim is hilariously false. It’s just a pure scam, with hundreds of thousands of suckers.
Thanks for the honest review. I saw the marketing and was curious what they were selling for $40. Sodium laurel sulfate is a surfactant, which lower water tension. Used as a major increase in almost any moder soap, it would sort of “suck” in insects, who are light enough with small enough feet to stand on the surface tension at the edge or normal water. Son anything in there is drowning, not being killed by an active poison.
The sugar water would attract yellow jackets especially as well as other bees, there is some chance the CO2 from fermentation might draw a few mosquitoes and acerterbacter will turn that into vinegar which will draw fruit flies like crazy. Rotting insects drawing flies is more dead bugs. Seems a good way to make nasty smelling sludge, but will do nothing to get rid of mosquitoes.
Yes, the sludge inside a Tougher Than Tom’s Mosquito TNT is truly vile. Really can’t believe this guy sells millions of dollars worth of these wasp/fly traps.
Been using this for 4 years now, no mosquitos. I have 3/4 in a small town in Michigan, and this works way better than the chemical yard spray. My sister tried it on their 1 acre that borders a farm and their kids had their first mosquito free summer. I don’t know what to tell you, but it worked for us.
Thanks for your comment. With respect, I am certain that whatever freedom you and your sister enjoy from mosquitoes is unrelated to the presence of Mosquito TNTs. As I mention in my review, there isn’t enough sugar in one of these containers to ever produce enough CO2 to attract mosquitoes, and even if there were, mosquitoes use thermal, visual, and olfactory cues to find hosts, not just CO2. But beyond that reason, it’s also the case that there is not enough physical room in a Mosquito TNT to fit all the mosquitoes in an area. I.e., lets assume that they do attract mosquitoes and that mosquitoes do crawl through the holes in the side. That would mean that the tens of thousands of mosquitoes in an area would pack themselves into the container … and there simply wouldn’t be enough room for all of them — there really are that many mosquitoes, a seemingly endless supply. I know there is probably nothing I could write that would convince you to be skeptical, but if by chance you’re bored, please dump the contents of your traps onto a large white plate and take photographs. I’m happy to look at the pics and assess whether you have any mosquitoes. The trick is to take the photo before the contents become too rotten. Also, if you have a spare security camera that can be focused on a trap, it’s a really easy way to see who is showing up. If you see a cloud of mosquitoes trying to get in, then you are correct and you can send me a clip. But what you’ll find is house flies, flesh flies, picnic beetles, and countless other non-mosquito insects that are attracted to rotting liquid. I’ve done this for the Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech, another scam. Details herein case of interest. By the way, I used to live in Okemos.
Thank you for posting this. The fact that this product kills so many beneficial insects, and does practically nothing to control mosquitos, is terrible. We need honest, brave people like you to call out products that don’t work and that are solely sustained by aggressive marketing and false claims.
I’m so glad you found it. And I think these traps do absolutely nothing, not practically nothing. Complete scam and I don’t understand why the EPA or FTC hasn’t charged this guy for fraud.
I am so impressed with your thorough investigation of this product, including detailed, blow-by-blow pictures. I appreciate the detailed information for consumers to pursue avenues for refunds, and how to register a state or federal complaint. This is powerful information that can make an impact. I was sent a FB link of this product from a friend. I was immediately skeptical. My husband and I have found nothing works on our intense population of mosquitoes. The add was both cheesy and never tells you the ingredients.
Hi Brenda. So glad you find it useful. Yes, Tougher Than Tom’s marketing strategy is deliberately cheesy and is an immediate turn-off to most. But it’s done that way to target a certain demographic, I think, one that is more inclined to believe it might work. The ads are peppered with little tidbits of unrelated but true facts, all stitched together with an AI prompt to “make edgy and funny.”
And as you’ve discovered, there really isn’t anything that will remove all the mosquitoes from a yard. The best I can offer is the list of what I do: Tips for killing and repelling mosquitoes. Let me know if you have questions. And good luck!
Great review, thank you!!!
My pleasure!
I’ve been using these for the past few months and have not had 1 mosquito bit. I live next to a creek and have been unable to be outside over the summer for the past few years. These traps have been amazing. Not sure what your issue was. Mine are filled with mosquitoes. I’d recommend these to everyone
Could I trouble you to send me a high-quality photograph of the contents of the trap? I do this by dumping everything onto a white plate and taking closeup pics of every insect on the plate. Then I put the liquid back in the trap with a funnel. I’m happy to confirm whether the insects you have in your trap are mosquitoes. All I can say is that whenever I look at other people’s pics all they have are non-mosquito insects, and quite a lot.
I will point out that not even Tougher Than Tom has photographs of mosquitoes inside their traps, if you exclude the ones that are photoshopped.
Great info! I really appreciate it!
My pleasure!
Appreciate the review. I’m a magnet for mosquitoes and ticks, so summer is never fun for me.
I feel like I owe you this one: there’s a May 13 comment where you say “please do spray your yard”. Another commenter pointed it out (asking if you meant “please don’t spray”), you asked where you stated that, and it doesn’t appear they responded.
Ahhh, thank you so much! Fixed.
Great review!! Too bad I found it too late. I could have written the same experience. My jars never caught a mosquito & look just like yours- full of larvae. I thought I researched before I bought a big box full – I wanted to believe!! They claim I will get a refund when I return them.
I have to pay for shipping but I just want to be done & take my loss at this point
Post a review on Trustpilot AND send email to owner (zach@simplystrive.com) asking for a refund. You should not have to pay shipping.
UPDATE- I’m back to say yes it is definitely a scam for trapping & zapping mosquitoes I’m surprised that I had very good customer service experience! They answered every email quickly and today I received a full refund.
( I did not get reimbursed for my shipping it back to them)
It was a huge disappointment. Wasted time & hassle with no results.
That requirement to pay for return shipping is likely illegal given all the guarantee language on the site. If you have time, I’d highly recommend leaving a 1-star review on trustpilot AND writing a complaint to your Attorney General. And are you in one of the states that bans the sales??
I fell for Tougher Than Tom TNT, it’s just a marketing scam with zero results.
Have you tried my tips for getting a refund? It’s never too late.
Yep, same here. SCAM. Not one mosquito. Lots of other junk, that was VILE to smell. WASTE OF $$ Boy I feel stupid.
You should feel ANGRY. Please follow the instructions on how to get your money back and let me know if you hit roadblocks.
I tried TNT for the first time this year and I can say honestly that my experience has been very different than yours. I have 4 traps at the corners of my .5 acre property and yes, the flies and mosquitos have not been eliminated entirely but I have noticed a drastic difference in the amount of them near my patio and seating area. I am quite pleased with my purchase and have recommended it to others. It has worked better than anything I have tried in the past and it is safe for my dog, unlike some of the chemical sprays we have tried. I found no bees, butterflies, moth’s or beetles in the trap, but yes many flies in addition to the mosquitos are in the traps. I am sorry that your experience was not as good, but I thought for your readers I would share my experience.
Hi Joelle. Thanks for sharing your experience. Could I trouble you to send me photographs of the mosquitoes that are inside the containers? Over years of looking at other people’s pics I’ve never seen a mosquito, so yours would be a first and I’d be very interested. If you’ve posted photographs online in your communications with others just reply to this message and use the img tag to insert the URL. And out of curiosity, has your local health board been fogging with insecticide at night? West Nile cases are at high levels this year in the United States and some county health departments spray. Other people live in Mosquito Control Districts that have a large staff and multiple fogging trucks. Sometimes residents are unaware that that happens and can attribute the effects to unrelated events. Very glad to hear you don’t have your yard sprayed with pyrethroids.
I live in a very wet area. My traps are now almost full lots of mosquitoes on the bottom and flies on the top. There are no fogging trucks. I just wanted to share that I am pleased with the product. I would order it again next season. Happy to send you a photo. Not sure how to attach to this comment.
You can send me pics via my contact page.
Terrible Product! They lie about what it does! Four traps hanging for 5 days now and only 2 Mosquitoes! And I live where there are a lot of Mosquitoes! Completely disappointed!
Yes, definitely lying. Please leave a detailed review on Trustpilot and provide your order number so that they can more easily refund your credit card. And please consider sending a message to the regulators in your state urging them to reconsider the registration for this scam.