Tag Archives: scam

Boxes of Spartan Mosquito Eradicators and Spartan Mosquito Pro Techs.

Posts about Spartan Mosquito

Below are my posts that discuss Spartan Mosquito (AC2T, Inc.) of Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

  1. Spartan Mosquito Eradicator review
  2. Spartan Mosquito is suing me
  3. Class action suit over Spartan Mosquito Eradicators
  4. Scientists confirm that Spartan Mosquito Eradicators don’t work
  5. Spartan Mosquito Eradicator updates
  6. Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech review
  7. Does the Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech attract mosquitoes?
  8. Spartan Mosquito Eradicator vs Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech
  9. Yeast-based mosquito control devices
  10. Spartan Mosquito’s efficacy data revealed
  11. Regulatory actions against Spartan Mosquito
  12. A timeline of Spartan Mosquito
  13. Spartan Mosquito settles class-action fraud suit for $3.6 million
  14. Spartan Mosquito’s attorneys quit over unpaid bills
  15. Spartan Mosquito’s letter to the EPA asking for a testing waiver
  16. Judge dismisses Spartan Mosquito’s SLAPP against me

I never intended to publish more than my original 2019 review, but AC2T’s retaliatory lawsuit against me (#2 on the above list) prevented me from visiting my mom while she was dying and has cost me almost $100,000 in legal fees. I will continue to expose this company until it meets an appropriate fate.

Background

This television clip is a good introduction to the Spartan Mosquito Eradicator and to the company’s frontman, Jeremy Hirsch:

Are you a journalist?

There’s likely a fun story here. Owner of sandwich franchise becomes head of award-winning, $100 million company that sells tubes of sugar water to kill mosquitoes. Inventor says, “We’ve come up with the most economical, easiest, most effective mosquito-control measure pretty much in the world”.

When I point out that device is totally unlikely to work, company lashes out with a SLAPP to bankrupt and silence me. Lawyer in New York then reads my post and uses it as the basis for a $5 million class action suit (but I won’t get a penny). Soon after, separate teams of scientists confirm that, indeed, Spartan Mosquito Eradicators cannot and do not work. Shockingly, the FTC and EPA do absolutely nothing, and even the American Mosquito Control Association cowers in silence, fearful of itself being sued. Only a handful of states have banned sales of the tubes.

And in 2020, Spartan Mosquito even manages to get a version of its tube approved by the EPA, a feat engineered by the lobbying firm behind Brexit. Scientists are horrified. You can now buy the tubes on Amazon, where they’re marketed as a beneficial pest-control insects. Only California sees the scam and bans sales.

Will the FTC ever get involved? Does the EPA know that it’s been snookered?

And how on earth did the tube get registered for sale in the first place, in Mississippi? Answer, political pressure (the Branch Director of the Pesticide Program wrote, “I was told from above to approve“).

If that’s not enough drama for a good read, there’s pornography and NASCAR in the mix (racy, eh?). And I’m guessing that Spartan Mosquito hired a private investigator to pry into my personal life (they posted online comments about my wife). I suspect there is also a lot of delicious information on the company’s failed effort to get a foothold in Africa (all that’s left is an archive of the shell company’s website). There’s even talk of a military discharge file with highly pertinent information. And talk of governors in multiple states intervening on behalf of the company, pressuring pesticide regulators.

In addition to my above posts there’s extensive coverage of Spartan Mosquito on Twitter (99.9% of it from me). E.g., here’s a thread that features Jeremy Hirsch and Chris Bonner (the founders of the company) explaining how the tubes are supposed to work:

There’s also plenty of footage of Spartan Mosquito on YouTube. There used to be more but the company has been deleting it. I can’t say I blame them.

To date, only two news articles on Spartan Mosquito have been published. One concerns the company’s lawsuit (a SLAPP) against me. The other is on the $5 million class-action suit pending against the company in New York.

Are you a state pesticide regulator?

Please consider contacting your counterparts in states that have denied registrations to Spartan Mosquito (CA, CT, ID, IN, KS, ME, MT, NE, NM, NY, OK, PA, UT, VA, WA, and DC) and ask for a copy of the letter sent to the company detailing the reason. You can also ask the Region 4 EPA office for the “Letter of Warning” sent to Spartan Mosquito in 2018 that details why the Spartan Mosquito Eradicator does not satisfy the conditions for exemption from registration under Section 25(b) of FIFRA (i.e., the company has falsely claimed it is exempt).

Are you an EPA or FTC enforcement officer?

I would recommend taking a close look at the efficacy data (field trials, case studies, cage experiments, etc.) that the company has been sending to state lead agencies for the Eradicator. Spartan Mosquito is apparently sending data that show a 95% reduction in mosquito populations (to support the claim of 95% efficacy that appears on the box). It would be very interesting, therefore, to know how they managed to get such results. I.e., because salt is not lethal to mosquitoes, the purported 95% reduction must be due to bad experimental design, selective data reporting, or simple fabrication. If it’s the latter (involving lying to the EPA and to state regulators), prison time for some or all AC2T employees is not out of the question.

I’d also recommend scrutinizing the claim on the box (and on instructional brochure inside, and on company’s Facebook page, and on video ads) that mosquitoes will be “drawn” to the tubes. Here’s the issue: Spartan Mosquito admitted to a state regulator (in 2019) that the Spartan Mosquito Eradicator does not emit enough carbon dioxide to attract mosquitoes. Yet the company has continued to make the “draws mosquitoes” claim for years, assuring state regulators that all the claims on the label are true. This seems to be an example of the company, and perhaps its attorneys as well, of knowingly misleading state and federal pesticide authorities. The EPA should also ask the company to provide the CO2 production data for the Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech to see whether the same issue is at play (the company claims the tube attracts mosquitoes).

If you work at the EPA and know details on how the Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech got its registration, please consider reporting your concerns to the Office of the Inspector General. Did the company receive a data waiver? Did efficacy fall below the 95% population reduction required by EPA? Do you have evidence that regulatory shortcomings are being hidden from the public? You can make a tip anonymously.

Are you John Oliver?

This company’s products would make for a fantastic deep-dive into the proliferation of ineffective mosquito control products in the United States and how some states allow these products on shelves even when it’s pretty darn clear they don’t do a thing. Pills, creams, bracelets, zappers, tubes of sugar water. Spartan Mosquito has taken it to the next level and deserves to be exposed for the hive of charlatans it is.

Here’s one of the company’s commercials for the Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech that you can show and say, “coooool.” True fact: the lobbying firm behind Brexit helped to get that tube approved by EPA. Here’s another heartwarming commercial (for its original tube) that involves a guy slapping his kids. For footage of the frontman I recommend this. Or this. Here’s my YouTube playlist with more options.

You could tie segment in with SLAPPs because the company has served me with one. And you could ask your favorite Mosquito Control Board why Spartan Mosquito Eradicators are banned in over a dozen states but not in New Hampshire. You could also ask the American Mosquito Control Association why it hasn’t released its scientific report on Spartan Mosquito.

The company’s Facebook page is also worth a look. They rarely post about their magic tubes, instead opting to rile up the base with, for example, calls for less government interference in business and veiled support for truckers who use their vehicles to protest vaccination requirements. And, more recently, a subtle reference to the Tea Party featuring an Edwardian boy in a dress eating something with a spoon.

Most importantly, Spartan Mosquito owns a rather nice mascot suit and I bet the guy who built it will make one for you. It goes well with attractive models dressed as Spartans, and maybe you could get the whole gang to picket the beautiful Spartan Mosquito production facility in Laurel, Mississippi, for a photo op. For added fun, please give them signs that say, “Release the efficacy data!”, “Please hire a biologist”, and “It’s spelled ENTOMOLOGY no ETYMOLOGY”. I would be entertained.

Are you on Twitter?

I’d be grateful for likes or retweets of the below tweet. It increases the chances that the EPA or FTC will take notice. Thanks.

Support my legal defense

I’ve spent approximately $90,000 so far defending myself against Spartan Mosquito’s defamation suit and I don’t get any money back after I eventually win the case. If you’d like to contribute to my legal defense, here’s my Gofundme page. If you’re broke but can share the page with your rich friends who hate charlatans, that would be greatly appreciated.

Yeast-and-sugar mosquito control devices

In the United States, nine companies are selling containers filled with water, sugar, and yeast for mosquito control. The marketing pitch is that mosquitoes are attracted by carbon dioxide (produced by yeast consuming the sugar), enter the device through holes, crawl inside, ingest some of the fluid, crawl back up to the holes, exit the container, and then die (e.g., by exploding) due to the effects of a chemical (table salt, boric acid, garlic oil, etc.) dissolved in the fluid. Some of the companies claim their tubes will rid a yard of mosquitoes for three months. I summarize the devices below. You can skip to the end if you just want to know whether they work.

1. Spartan Mosquito Eradicator

First sold in 2016 as the Spartan Mosquito Bomb, the company says these tubes will eradicate up to 95% of mosquito population for up to 90 days. Ingredients are sugar, yeast, and salt (purchaser adds water). I reviewed it in 2019. Below is an infomercial featuring Spartan Mosquito’s Chief Chemist, Chris Bonner:

2. Sock-It Skeeter

It’s identical to the Spartan Mosquito Eradicator except it’s a bag instead of a tube. Contains sugar, yeast, and table salt. Made by Spartan Mosquito but listed under a shell company in Florida (details). Here’s one of the commercials:

3. Donaldson Farms Mosquito Eliminator

Like the Eradicator, the Eliminator is marketed to rid yard of mosquitoes for 90 days. Contains sugar, yeast, citric acid, calcium carbonate, salt, and sodium lauryl sulfate. This device doesn’t appear to registered in any of the states that require registration. Based in Chattanooga, TN.

Donaldson Farms Mosquito Eliminator

4. Mosquito XT

The Mosquito XT contains sugar, yeast, baking soda, and salt. This device doesn’t appear to registered in any of the states that require registration. Based in Paragould, AR (details), the owners run an insurance agency. Here’s a pic from the website:

Mosquito XT

5. Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech

This device is uses boric acid instead of salt as active ingredient, but still contains sugar and yeast (both as unlisted, inactive ingredients). Company says tubes kill mosquitoes for up to 30 days. California banned it after reviewing efficacy data. I reviewed it in 2020. Here’s the inventor, Jeremy Hirsch, on a 25-min Q&A with one of the retailers (note that video glitches out several times):

6. Aion Mosquito Barrier

Company says the tubes “kill and repel” mosquitoes for 90 days. Contains sugar, yeast, and table salt. It was first marketed as The Mosquito Eradicator (picture below). Based in Memphis, TN. Website. Here’s an ad:

7. Skeeter Hawk Backyard Bait Station

Contains sugar, yeast, citric acid, calcium carbonate, and garlic oil. Based in Grand Prairie, TX (details). Below is an ad:

8. Grandpa Gus’s Mosquito Dynamiter

Company claims the device will eradicate up to 95% of mosquitoes for up to 90 days and asserts that mosquitoes “literally explode”. Contains sugar, yeast, and table salt. Made by Vic West Imports of Austin, TX. Here’s an ad that I found on Facebook:

https://twitter.com/colinpurrington/status/1301506601644421120?s=20

9. Tougher Than Tom’s Mosquito TNT

Company claims that mosquitoes explode after drinking the fluid (sugar, yeast, salt). Owned by Simply Strive (Zachary Collins) of Austin, Texas. This device doesn’t appear to be registered in any of the states that require registration of minimum-risk pesticides. Below is an ad followed by a review.

10. Solution X

Per the box, “clears away 95% of mosquitoes.” Based in Memphis, TN (details). Parent company is EnviroChem, a distributor of cleaning compounds. I couldn’t find a commercial or a website but here’s the box layout that they send to state pesticide regulators:

11. Greenerways Mosquito-Bite FreeZone

Claims to lure mosquitoes and then jam their receptors, creating a mosquito-free area with 100-foot radius for seven days. Lists soybean oil as the active ingredient, but also has sucrose, yeast, and essential oils. Available on Amazon and many other online retailers. Greenerways LLC is based in Yardley, PA. Here’s a video ad (screenshot below).

Do they work?

To my knowledge, there’s no evidence that any of the above devices kill or repel mosquitoes when they are deployed outside. There’s evidence they don’t work, though. For example, scientists in Florida tested the Spartan Mosquito Eradicator and concluded it wasn’t effective. And scientists have also established that salt water doesn’t kill mosquitoes, so all the devices that list sodium chloride as the active ingredient (most of them) are not going to work at all. Finally, in my testing of the Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech, mosquitoes are not even attracted to the containers, which, if generalizable to the other products, makes it unlikely these products would do anything even if they had an active ingredient (like boric acid) that is lethal mosquitoes.

Here are photographs showing what is inside a Spartan Mosquito Eradicator (left) and a Spartan Pro Tech (right) after several weeks. Plenty of picture-wing flies, fruit flies, ants, and molds. But no mosquitoes. I’ve never even seen a mosquito come near these tubes.

If you’d like to see the full array of insects and spiders that these tubes killed, I’ve collected them on iNaturalist.

Why are these companies still in business if their products don’t kill mosquitoes?

I think there are four reasons.

  1. Towns, municipalities, and regional health departments often spray adulticides from trucks and airplanes, in the middle of the night, without many residents being aware. And if some of those people have yeast-and-sugar tubes hanging in their yards, they might wrongly assume the lack of mosquitoes is related. This scenario is probably common because spraying happens pretty much at the exact time of the year that homeowners place the yeast-and-sugar containers around their yards. For those curious about Mosquito Abatement Districts, this article has a nice summary. You can also ask your local government for details on whether your house is being treated.
  2. Sometimes due to sudden and extended drought conditions, mosquito populations plummet. Again, people might not appreciate that the lack of water is preventing mosquitoes from completing their life cycle and will mistakenly attribute the drop to yeast-and-sugar devices they deployed around their yards.
  3. Many of the companies encourage homeowners to hang the tubes before the start of the mosquito season. It might seem to some that the tubes are keeping the mosquitoes at bay but in reality it’s because the mosquito season hasn’t started.
  4. Finally, some homeowners spray pyrethroid-based insecticides (like those used by Mosquito Shield and the like) in addition to deploying the yeast-and-sugar contraptions. I’ve seen comments on the internet suggesting that these people believe both are necessary even though in reality the tubes are merely decorative.

Once a person becomes convinced that the tubes work, they are unlikely to abandon that belief even when presented with clear evidence to the contrary. That’s probably especially true if a person tells multiple neighbors that the devices work. I.e., a person becomes personally invested in that belief. Indeed, when the tubes fail in future summers (or during gaps in municipal spraying), true fans of these tubes go to great lengths to blame themselves. For example, they might say, “I don’t think I used the correct temperature of water”, “I may have placed them too close to my house”, or “I should have used a few more tubes.” The companies use the same lines in response to consumer complaints, never acknowledging that the failure is with the tubes themselves.

It’s also worth pointing out that the majority of people who try these tubes conclude that they are ineffective and never buy them again. They lose $50 bucks, or whatever, and chalk it up as a mistake and get on with their lives. Some might pursue a refund but I think most people are too lazy to ask. One of the companies, Spartan Mosquito, even sets its return window to expire 30 days after product is delivered, not after 30 days of use — for a product that is supposed to kill mosquitoes for 30 days, that’s a pretty clever way to make sure nobody can get their money back. I.e., if people try it for 30 days and conclude it’s a garbage product, the return window is already over. And the companies still make a profit because the core subset of true believers (several million Americans in total) will keep spending hundreds of dollars each summer on new tubes. That’s enough to make the owners of these companies millionaires, and explains why more and more people are getting into the market.

People often mention that the reviews for these types of tubes are generally high, and use that fact to argue that the products must, in fact, work. For example, the Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech has a 4/5 rating on Amazon. I’m of the opinion, however, that even completely useless products can get ratings like that. For example, OFF! citronella candles get a rating of 4.2 even when “not intended to repel mosquitoes” is prominently displayed on the packaging (that’s correct: citronella candles do not repel mosquitoes).


Please consider sharing this post on Facebook or Nextdoor so that your friends and neighbors don’t get sucked into the scam.