Customer Reviews

Stinger UV40 40 Watt 1-Acre Advanced Bug Zapper

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(33)

 

 

I changed my Stinger rating from a 5, to a 1 (there was no O!)

Stinger:
Pros- With mosquito lure, killed lotsa bad insects (at first, then wouldn't zap small insects!?)- BUT!
Cons- Their electric wire grid uses square wires that QUICKLY clog up. Pretty soon it was packed solid & killing nothing!
I had to keep blowing it out ( air compressor) every couple of
days- HASSLE!

Flowtron "80!" (took puny 40 back!)-
Pros- Killed lots more bugs, because it NEVER clogs up (zaps small insects too!)!
The electric rods are straight up/down, so no cross wires to catch falling insects & clog.
Dead insects fall out the bottom- Blow clean once a month...
I used the Stinger mosquito lure, purchased at Wally World...

Cons- The only con is that the outer protective plastic cage HAD bars only about 1/2" apart (same with Stinger)- This kept larger moths... from being able to easily get in to the electric grid.
I used a large wire cutter & cut out every 3d bar- on top 2/3ds of cage- Alternating..., so cut bar was in the middle of two solid bars on adajacent side- Still rigid!

I put it on an outside timer (for when evenings cool down- Not much insect activity below 55 degrees...). Adjust accordingly.

Never hang it near a door, as their is always a 10'+ swarm of insects around it.

Try to hang it over head high, in a DRY (electric) area.

I HAD a "BAD" problem with mosquitos (West-Nile fever...!)! I web searched for a bug killer... that would work!
Top choices, for me-
1. Propane powered models/traps...- High-maintenance, bulky, heavy, expensive (about $300+... for "top-rated" models!), 5 gallon propane tank lasts only about 30 days ($OUCH!), fire danger..., then you end up with a messy net full of mosquitos (still alive?)!
Too much of a HASSLE...! NOT for me!

2. Electric bug zappers- I read SERVERAL web reviews saying that these types of low-maintenance "electric" bug zappers would not attract mosquitos (My old Flowtron did not!)?
a. I reviewed the Stinger UV40. THIS WORKS!!! (I recommend getting at least the 40w (1 acre)! Only $7 more than the puny looking 15w. The 80w "looked" AWESOME?!-
It comes with a mosquito bait lure- "Octenol (a USDA tested mosquito lure) cartridge included".
They recommend replacing it every 30 days (I replace mine "when" it stops drawing mosquitos. $5 @ Wal-M).
The Stinger unit has a place DIRECTLY UNDER the light, to place the Octenol lure- The fumes rise up and draw the mosquitos in to the electric zapper grid. Was this just "sales hype"?
#1$Wal-M & Lowes have liberal return policies. I decided to "give it a try"?
Every morning there WERE "hundreds" of dead mosquitos on the patio, under the Stinger!!!
Some environmentalists claim bug zappers "may" also kill helpful insects?-
All I've ever found, are LOTS of dead mosquitos & moths!

Some helpful tips-
1. Do not mount near doors... (draws "swarms" of insects!). Hang it 7ft high (head room).

2. As a test to see when it stopped zapping (temperature)?- I left mine on all night, and checked it frequently (I'm a night person), to see when it stopped zapping? We "usually" have cool evenings- it stopped zapping at about 1am. Does nothing "before" dark!
I put mine on a timer (I will adjust settings, as temperatures... change)!!!

3. For easy cleaning (only once in awhile)- Instructions say- you can blow it off with the exhaust side, of a vacuum cleaner?
I blow mine out with an inexpensive air compressor (if you don't have one, you should! Lots of uses!).
I would "not" recommend turning a water hose on it (electronic parts/shock hazard...!)!

4. They recommend that after a year- Even though UV bulb still glows, it loses its effectiveness, and stops drawing many insects. I will "then" "easily" replace the UV bulb ($12 @ Wal-M).
ENJOY!

I put a couple of these zappers between my house and some treed wetlands. They kill so many Mosquitoes and other insects that I have to clean the Stingers out every week or two. Fortunately, an electric yard blower cleans them out pretty easily. I don't even have to unplug them. One precaution: don't use this near a picnic bench or your pets water or feed bowl. Exploding insects can't be very healthy to consume for man or beast. I would have rated this item five stars except that the replacement bulbs cost about $20 each and need to be replaced in pairs every 4 to 6 months.

In common with many of the other reviewers it all starts out with a crackle. The perverse counting of how many flies get baked in the first few minutes of operation is kinda fun till you forget it's there.

Sadly in under 21 days of use it's dead and no longer energizes the grid looks like this is either fundamentally flawed as a design or QC is lacking.

Addendum.
The second one that replaced this one burnt out, not only that it melted the top exposing the live wires. This company is not just making poor products but demonstrable dangerous ones.

I have bought and returned 1/2 and 1 acre Stinger bug zappers from Costco 4 times now in the past 3 years. Thank God I was buying from Costco as Stinger products are worthless. Light attracts them but zappers don't work. Some worked for a week and others didn't zap at all. I don't know why Costco carries such a terrible product. I kept thinking, maybe these were a bad batch and I will finally get a good product. Not so, do not buy these products.

I recently bought the Stinger UV15. It worked well for one month! In that month I followed the recommendations for cleaning it and keeping it clear of dead bugs. Well just shy one month and the grid has completely failed so it attracts the bugs, but doesn't kill them. This product is not worth the money!

I purchased one and it lasted about 3 months; light still worked but did not kill any bugs attracted to it. Stinger replaced it under warranty-this time it lasted one month-same problem. Stinger replaced it again under warranty and the third one lasted 1 1/2 months, again same problem.
Will not go to the trouble to get it replaced again-will buy a Flowtron which I had used 5 or 6 years ago and which lasted for 2-3 years.

I tried the 1/2 acre and 1 acre versions. The light attracts tons of bugs, but the grids rarely zap one. The bugs fly around in there like crazy. I put a white plastic bucket under each one. After 2 hours there was only a handful of dead bugs in each bucket, even though there were clouds of bugs flying into each unit.

I agree with the other reviewer, buy Flowtron instead. My Flowtron 40C lasted 20 years with the same bulb and never had a clogging problem with bugs. For the same price, the Flowtron 40D is a much better buy.

Awesome bug zapper, but, a small adjustment made it that way. I opened the cage and cut off 1 row of the metal grid to make it a bit tighter to kill smaller insects like gnats and flying ants. I do have to clean it more often but at least the bugs are dead. I either turn it off and spray it with the water hose or the air compressor, whatever is closer. It's been working for well over a year now out in the Florida weather.