I tested the Mosquito TNT in my Pennsylvania yard and have concluded that they do not control mosquitoes. Moreover, they kill a considerable number of non-target organisms, including pollinators, and provide an ideal habitat for fly larvae that feed on the decaying carcasses of previous victims. My full review is below. I also include tips on getting your money back when the company refuses to honor its 100% guarantee.
Marketing materials assert 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: no 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 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 mosquitoes. This is just a simple lie and requires you to not look too closely at the contents. If you pause the ad and zoom in you can easily see that the muck is 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. Because that footage doesn’t exist the company resorts to trickery. 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. Users invariably say the product is amazingly effective, even though it appears they have set them up only moments before. The influencers seem to be following a script 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 deal. And the deal 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 for approximately $0.69 apiece. That should give you a sense of how much money the owner has likely made over the years.
Where can the Mosquito TNT be sold?
To the best of my knowledge, the following 12 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. Some have denied an application (they will not reveal reasons to me) but at least one is because company withdrew its application, likely because state requested efficacy data.
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).
Tougher Than Tom does not accurately disclose where sale of the product 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.
How to get a refund
Tougher Than Tom has clear and generous return language (“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!“) that is even highlighted by a graphic. But as you have probably already learned, the company ignores refund requests. For those who persist, Tougher Than Tom support will inform you that traps need to be mailed back at customer’s expense and that traps need to be unused. To get around these illegals tactics, I recommend:
- Sending an email directly to the owner, Zachary Snyder Collins (zach@simplystrive.com), politely asking for a refund. This bypasses the bots and the purposefully non-responsive help desk based in Romania. You can CC info@simplystrive.com to make sure your message gets seen.
- Posting a review on Trustpilot. Quote the specific wording about guarantee(s) as well as your order number. The company seems to monitor this site closely and will often try to appease consumers in an effort to maintain a good standing on the review site. Note that Tougher Than Tom often tries to get negative reviews taken down by flagging them for “harmful or illegal content” (LOL), so contact Trustpilot and report that, too.
- Filing 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]”. The office will then contact the owner of Tougher Than Tom on your behalf, using legal language that may get the company’s attention.
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.