Best Mosquito Traps: UV Fan, Indoor and Egg-Laying Picks

The best mosquito trap for most yards is DynaTrap's DT1130SR, a quiet UV-light and fan trap that the maker rates for up to half an acre and that empties with the push of a button. The larger DT2030 covers up to an acre, TIENBE's plug-in sticky trap handles the odd mosquito indoors, and Grandpa Gus's egg-laying traps target females looking for water. Be realistic about what traps can do: they catch some mosquitoes, but removing standing water and wearing repellent prevent far more bites.

Do Mosquito Traps Work?

They work less than the boxes suggest. A trap has to win a contest against you: female mosquitoes are looking for a blood meal, and a warm person breathing out carbon dioxide on a patio is a stronger signal than a light or a fan. University of California IPM's pest note on mosquitoes says that even traps releasing carbon dioxide, such as the Mosquito Magnet, capture only a small proportion of the mosquitoes they attract, and that two or more traps per yard may be needed. It also notes that some mosquitoes fly several miles from where they develop, so a trap is always catching from a supply it cannot empty.

Light traps face a second problem. Many of the mosquitoes that bite people at dusk are not strongly drawn to ultraviolet light, while moths, beetles and midges are. That is why buyers of UV traps often report a basket full of moths and few mosquitoes, and why UC IPM calls electric bug zappers counterproductive: they kill large numbers of harmless and beneficial insects, including predators of mosquitoes.

Egg-laying traps take a different approach. They offer a dark container of water where females lay their eggs, then trap the females or kill the larvae. A CDC-led study of autocidal gravid ovitraps in Puerto Rico found large, lasting drops in Aedes aegypti numbers. The researchers placed three traps at each house and covered most homes in the neighborhood, alongside larvicide and cleanup, so one trap in one yard should not be expected to do the same.

Our mosquito repellent and trap guides cover repellents for skin and patios too, and the mosquito traps section collects our guides to traps for the yard, patio, garage and home.

Do Mosquito Traps Attract More Mosquitoes?

A trap draws mosquitoes toward itself, which is why makers advise placing it away from where people sit. A trap right beside the patio table pulls mosquitoes toward the people as much as toward the trap. Place it between the area you use and the shady spots or water where mosquitoes come from, and it will not add to the bites you get.

Mosquito Trap Types Compared

We compared mosquito traps on how they attract mosquitoes, the coverage each maker lists, maintenance, and what buyers report about catches, reliability and value. Our sources were the makers' listings, Amazon's review digests, UC IPM guidance and the CDC-led trap study; we did not test the products. We left out high-voltage zappers and traps with too few ratings to judge.

For a seating area, a trap is rarely enough on its own; our guide to the best mosquito traps for the patio and garage covers how to combine one with a repeller.

Best UV Fan Mosquito Traps

UV fan traps use a light to draw insects close and a quiet fan to pull them into a basket where they dry out. They are the most common yard trap and the easiest to live with: no zapping noise, no propane and very little maintenance.

DynaTrap DT1130SR: Best Overall Mosquito Trap

DynaTrap's DT1130SR uses an LED light and a whisper-quiet fan and protects up to half an acre, per the maker, which advises placing it 3 to 6 feet off the ground and 20 to 40 feet away from where people gather.

• The catch basket empties with a button, and the LED bulb lasts longer than fluorescent bulbs, per the maker.
• Buyers find it easy to use and quiet, and call it a good general bug catcher.
• Effectiveness on mosquitoes and durability are mixed; some buyers say it catches mostly moths.

Choose it for a typical suburban backyard where you want fewer flying insects overall and would rather not hear a zapper. Run it every night through the season, hang it near the shady edge of the yard and empty the basket weekly.

OUR CHOICE

DynaTrap DT1130SR Half Acre Mosquito & Flying Insect Trap

UV fan trapHalf acre

Best for: A quiet, low-maintenance trap for a typical backyard

• ✓Covers up to half an acre, per the maker
• ✓Easy to empty and quiet, per buyers
• ✓Long-life LED bulb, per the maker
• −Mixed results on mosquitoes, per buyers
• −Durability mixed, per buyers

Editor's Note

It reduces flying insects in a yard. Place it 20 to 40 feet from seating.

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Specifications (2)

Material

Plastic

Product Dimensions

8.48"L x 8.48"W x 11.21"H

DynaTrap DT2030: Best for Large Yards

The DT2030 is a larger UV-LED and fan trap that protects up to 1 acre, per the maker, with a weather-resistant body and a basket that empties at the touch of a button.

• It weighs 6.1 pounds and plugs into an outlet, per the listing.
• Buyers find it easy to set up and clean, and quiet.
• Effectiveness is mixed, with some buyers noting it catches mostly moths, and value draws mostly negative reviews.

Choose it for a large, open lot or a garden with a barn or shed, where a single small trap would cover only a corner. Expect a fuller basket, not a mosquito-free evening.

PREMIUM PICK

DynaTrap DT2030 1 Acre Mosquito & Flying Insect Trap

UV fan trap1 acre

Best for: Large open yards and gardens

• ✓Covers up to 1 acre, per the maker
• ✓Easy to set up and clean, per buyers
• ✓Quiet operation, per buyers
• −Value mostly negative, per buyers
• −Catches mostly moths for some buyers

Editor's Note

It suits large lots. Expect a full basket, not a bite-free evening.

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Specifications (1)

Power Source

ac

Best Indoor Mosquito Trap

Indoors, a small light trap with a glue card catches mosquitoes, gnats and fruit flies that wander in, without spraying anything in the bedroom. It will not solve a real infestation; screens and closed doors at dusk do that.

TIENBE Flying Insect Trap: Best Plug-In Trap

TIENBE's plug-in trap uses a UV light and replaceable glue boards, and comes with 6 glue cards, per the maker; it doubles as a night light with an automatic mode.

• It is silent, with no zapping and no odor, per the maker.
• Buyers like the sticky cards, which they say stay effective for over a month, and the night light.
• Effectiveness, brightness and durability are mixed.

Choose it for a bedroom, hallway or kitchen where an occasional mosquito keeps you awake. Plug it in low and away from other lights, and replace the card when it is covered.

BUDGET PICK

TIENBE Flying Insect Trap with 6 Glue Cards

Plug-inGlue cards

Best for: The occasional mosquito indoors

• ✓Silent and odorless, per the maker
• ✓Sticky cards last over a month, per buyers
• ✓Night light mode, per buyers
• −Effectiveness mixed, per buyers
• −Durability mixed, per buyers

Editor's Note

It catches strays in a bedroom or kitchen. Plug it in low.

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Specifications (3)

Style

1 White Device 6 Glue Cards

Product Dimensions

3"L x 1"W x 2"H

Target Species

Mosquito

Best Egg-Laying Mosquito Trap

Egg-laying traps go after the mosquitoes that breed in containers around homes, such as the Asian tiger mosquito, by giving females a place to lay eggs that never become adults. They need no power and work quietly in the background.

Grandpa Gus's Mosquito Trap: Best Egg-Laying Trap

Grandpa Gus's 2-pack of water-activated traps attracts female mosquitoes to lay eggs inside, where the larvae are eliminated, and each covers up to 1,500 square feet, per the maker.

• You add water and set them in shade under bushes or trees, or hang them from a branch, per the maker.
• Buyers find them easy to use.
• Effectiveness is mixed, and value draws mostly negative reviews.

Choose them for a shady yard with day-biting mosquitoes, ideally with neighbors who do the same. Keep them in shade, top up the water as directed and treat them as one part of a cleanup that also removes other standing water.

Grandpa Gus's Mosquito Trap, 2 Pack

Water-activatedNo power

Best for: Container-breeding mosquitoes in shady yards

• ✓Up to 1,500 square feet each, per the maker
• ✓Easy to use, per buyers
• ✓No power or chemicals to spray
• −Effectiveness mixed, per buyers
• −Value mostly negative, per buyers

Editor's Note

It targets egg-laying females. Keep it in shade and remove other water.

Check Price

Specifications (2)

Unit Count

2 Count

Target Species

Mosquito

Carbon Dioxide Traps and Bug Zappers

Carbon dioxide traps burn propane to imitate a person's breath, often with a scent lure, and are the strongest mosquito attractant you can buy. They are also expensive, need fuel and lure refills all season and, as UC IPM notes, catch only a small share of what they attract. Our review of whether the Mosquito Magnet works looks at the best-known model in detail.

Bug zappers are the trap to avoid for mosquitoes. Their bright light and electric grid kill whatever flies in, which is mostly moths, beetles and other harmless insects. UC IPM calls them counterproductive because they also kill the predators that eat mosquitoes. Zappers can be useful against house flies in a covered barn or porch, but not as mosquito control.

How to Choose and Place a Mosquito Trap

Decide what you want the trap to do. If you want fewer flying insects in a yard and accept that the catch is mostly moths, a UV fan trap fits. If day-biting mosquitoes come from containers around the house, an egg-laying trap plus a weekly cleanup makes more sense. If one mosquito in the bedroom is the problem, a plug-in sticky trap and a screen repair are enough.

• Place outdoor traps away from people: between your seating area and the shade, shrubs or water mosquitoes come from.
• Run them continuously: through dusk and night, all season, rather than only during parties.
• Keep them low and in shade: mosquitoes rest and fly close to the ground in sheltered spots.
• Empty and clean regularly: a full basket or dusty glue card catches less.
• Remove standing water: CDC advises emptying, scrubbing, turning over or covering anything that holds water once a week.

Where Mosquitoes Rest in a Yard

During the day, adult mosquitoes shelter from sun and wind in dense shrubs, tall grass, ivy, under decks and along shaded fences. They leave those spots at dusk to look for a meal, which is why traps placed in or beside that cover tend to catch more than traps in the middle of a sunny lawn. Walk the yard in the late afternoon and brush the shrubs with your hand: wherever mosquitoes rise, you have found a resting area worth placing a trap near, and a spot worth trimming back.

Breeding sites are usually close by. Look under downspouts, in plant saucers, wheelbarrows, kids' toys, tarps over firewood and the dips in a pool cover. Many backyard mosquitoes fly only a short distance from where they hatched, so the trap and the cleanup work on the same few corners of the yard.

The best way to keep mosquitoes away combines a few steps: no standing water in the yard, screens in good repair, a repellent on your skin when you are outside at dusk and a repeller or fan at the table. A trap adds to that; it does not replace it.

Give any trap a fair test. Keep a simple note of how many bites you get on evenings outside for a week before you set it up and for a few weeks after, since a basket full of insects says little about whether the mosquitoes biting you have dropped. If nothing changes, move the trap closer to the shade and water, or put the money toward larvicide and repellent instead.

Common Questions About Mosquito Traps

Which One Should You Buy?

DynaTrap's DT1130SR is the mosquito trap to buy if you want one. It is quiet, easy to empty and sized for a typical backyard, and placed away from the patio it pulls flying insects toward itself instead of toward you.

For a large property, step up to the DT2030; for the bedroom, a TIENBE plug-in is enough; and for day-biting mosquitoes breeding in containers, Grandpa Gus's egg-laying traps work best when neighbors use them too. Whatever you choose, empty standing water every week and keep repellent on hand, since no trap stops every bite.

Before you buy, walk the yard and look for water in buckets, saucers, gutters and toys; removing it does more than any trap.