This post evaluates the claim on the label, “mosquitoes will gather near them”. Per the company, it is the first step in how the device kills mosquitoes. I.e., the device needs to attract mosquitoes if it is going to work.
Evaluating the claim
I used a security camera to record activity around the cap area. Here’s a photograph of how I arranged everything:
Below is a 15-second time-lapse to show that small insects such as ants were easily visible, even at night. I think they are Prenolepis imparis, which are 3-4 mm long —mosquitoes are larger and thus would be detectable even in flight.
On the day that began filming (September 2nd, 2020) I counted over a dozen mosquitoes (all Aedes albopictus) landing on my arms and legs within 30 seconds. According to the instruction sheet, the device begins to work instantly, as soon as water is added, so an hour of remote, video observation should be a sufficient amount of time to evaluate the attraction claim.
I collected continuous footage for over a week, ending observations on September 10th. The mosquitoes were still plentiful on that day.
Results
During 183 hours of footage, I couldn’t find a single mosquito on or near the device. Here are the contents. I also posted a photograph to iNaturalist.
Conclusion
Because the Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech did not attract any mosquitoes, it therefore did not kill any mosquitoes. If my results are generalizable to other yards, the device is worthless as mechanism of mosquito control.
It is noteworthy, I think, that Spartan Mosquito has not made public a single video of mosquitoes gathering around a Pro Tech (or an Eradicator) when it is deployed outside. My guess is that the company has tried many times to get such footage but has not succeeded in attracting a mosquito. It will be interesting to know whether they will be compelled to disclose their efforts in a court of law. I.e., because the company has formally claimed to the EPA that “mosquitoes will gather” around the Pro Tech, the company would be in substantial legal jeopardy if that statement turned out to be false. If that’s what is going on then it seems likely that the EPA Enforcement Office might coordinate with the FTC as well.
Please also see my page, “Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech review“.
Footage
In case anyone might be skeptical of my results, I decided to upload all 183 hours of footage onto YouTube. I had to break it into 16 segments due to size limits on YouTube.
Oh yeah this thing is total BS. I feel bad for the consumers who have thrown away good money on these tubes!!
Sadly, fans of these tubes do not really care if the devices don’t attract mosquitoes. They still Believe they work. It’s a cult.
I’m sure your mind is made up ,but I have sold these at my retail store ,bought from my distributor for the last 3 years. We sold around 400 kits so far. 9.5 out 10 of al the customers came back and bought more ,sometimes a lot more. People that live in a woods and for the first time since they bought the place ,can they go out and work in a summer afternoon and many more like that.
Is your distributor still supplying Spartan Mosquito Eradicators? The company didn’t make any last year, I think, and they’ve been trying to get people to buy their Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech, instead.
Thank you so much for this info. I was fixing to buy a mess of this stuff and decided at the last minute to check reviews. I appreciate you helping me to not waste my money on this crapola. Thanks again.
I guess people think if its expensive it may work.
Glad it was of help. People are desperate, and Spartan Mosquito fills the need for hope.
Which products do you recommend please?
I like Bti and autocidal gravid ovitraps (details).
We were going to buy it. I had hope-we have many animals here and my outdoor cats roam around in the grass. I thought it would be helpful. Now I am very sad, but won’t waste money. Is there a non toxic way to keep mosquitos away? We have an acre with a ditch that collects water in back of us, thus-always mosquitos.
Hi Deb. I’m sure you have already, but there’s nothing better for that scenario than monthly additions of Bti cakes. Or every week just to be sure. See #4 on this page for details.
Hi Colin, thank you for taking the time to put together a thorough and documented review of Spartan’s products. I recently purchased a two Dynatrap3 LED traps. A small one for inside, and larger unit for outside. The patio unit was capturing mosquitoes and flys like crazy when I last checked on it. A plus is, very low power consumption, unlike the Flowtron zappers I been using 40/80 watt. You might want to do a review on these also. Keep them coming and best of luck to ya!
Thanks Colin for your efforts in testing this product. I saw it yesterday at my local Home Depot placed strategically for impulse purchases. I’m glad I held off and found your website. Keep up the good work.
Hi, Colin! Unfortunately I read your review AFTER I had purchased the Pro Tech version. I’m going to try it anyway just to see if Texas mosquitoes are more hungry or dumber than those in your neck of the woods. The folks on the Nextdoor (social media) site swear they’re having a lot of success with them, and they’re selling like hot cakes at the stores. If they DO work, I’ll definitely use the refill recipe. Thanks so much for your research.
Yes, on platforms such as Facebook and Nextdoor you’d think Spartan Mosquito was some sort of cult. It’s fascinating.
When I first saw the Spartan Mosquito Eradicator videos on Youtube, I went to their website to check for pricing and found them to be quite pricey. My next thought was to find the Safety Data Sheet to find out what the active ingredients were so I could make my own using empty plastic peanut butter jars. When I discovered the ingredients were sugar, salt and yeast, my first thought was, this will not kill mosquitos, it might attract ants but that’s about all. Your video confirmed this to be true.
Thanks
Keith
I wish more people would go through the process you did.
No ,it is now protect [Pro Tech] only. And those don’t sell. People won’t pay the same price for something that needs double the amount and lasts for 1/3rd the price [time].
Yup, comments on Spartan Mosquito’s Facebook page seem to echo that. Will be interesting to see whether they blink and start making the Eradicator again.
Have you corresponded with the company at all about this? I’m very curious what they tell retailers about the decision to stop making the Eradicator.
I bought several of these out of curiosity. I live in the woods and the mosquitoes population this year is higher than I have ever seen due to two months of constant rain. I’ve only had these out for two days, but I have to say, writing this now from my piazza, I have nary a buzz. Granted, these need a lot more time to fairly evaluate, but my curiosity is piqued.
You should know I have Masters degree in Entomology, and am intensely skeptical person by nature, but I also am open minded. I saw one favorable YT video and bought these on impulse.
I will update this at some future point…
Hi Matt. Thank you so much for leaving a message and I look forward to updates. Can I persuade you to set up a video camera to spy on them? Or to empty contents onto a plate and photograph? If you can do the latter, just snap a high-resolution pic and then pour the liquid back in with a funnel. Most people find ants and mold in the Spartan Mosquito Pro Techs but some claim to find mosquitoes. I’m dubious because a lot of people have a pretty broad taxonomic view of mosquitoes, one that includes most dipterans. Which YouTube video convinced you to try? Most of them are made by people who sell them directly or who post Amazon Affiliate links so they have an interest in getting people to buy them. They never show a cloud of mosquitoes around the tubes or show mosquitoes trapped inside.