Tag Archives: AC2T

Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech deployed in a yard

Does the Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech attract mosquitoes?

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.

mosquitoes will gather

Evaluating the claim

I used a security camera to record activity around the cap area. Here’s a photograph of how I arranged everything:

Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech with security camera

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.

Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech begins working instantly

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.

Spartan Mosquito v. Colin Purrington

AC2T, Inc, a Mississippi company valued at over $100 million, is suing me in Federal court over my review of the Spartan Mosquito Eradicator, a plastic tube filled with sugar, salt, yeast, and water that the company claims will kill up to 95% of mosquitoes in a yard for 90 days. The case is a SLAPP, a strategic lawsuit against public participation, that is intended to bankrupt and silence me. A secondary goal of the lawsuit is to silence individuals and organizations who might otherwise speak out about the scam. The case is currently in the discovery phase but Spartan Mosquito has stopped providing documents (e.g., which scientists signed non-disclosure agreements with company, raw testing data, internal communications, etc.), and the judge is considering motions to impose sanctions on Spartan Mosquito for failing to comply with his previous orders. Court documents can be downloaded at Court Listener.

Because I’m in the United States, Spartan Mosquito will not be required to pay my legal costs when this case eventually gets decided in my favor. To get my money back ($90,000+ as of March 2024), I’ll need to sue the company for its initial SLAPP, a process that will take even more money and more time. My suit will seek punitive damages against the company as well as the two founders, Jeremy Hirsch and Chris Bonner. They both have expensive houses with swimming pools so I know they have money.

I’m hoping that my case helps push the need for Federal anti-SLAPP legislation. But I know that’s unlikely, so I’m trying my best to make an example of Spartan Mosquito, as a warning to companies that SLAPPs can backfire. To that end, I’m using this blog to make sure everyone knows about the scam, with the hope that the national media will eventually pick up the story. Once that happens the company will likely go bankrupt.

In related news, Spartan Mosquito will soon settle a class-action lawsuit for $3.6 million that was fully based on my review. I don’t get a dime.

Here are my other posts on Spartan Mosquito.

Notice of lawsuit taped to my front door