Customer Reviews

SkeeterVac CPSX000021 TacTrap Replacements

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've only had my skeeter vac for less than three weeks. It works great, the basket is full and the sticky TacTrap is absolutly covered in mosquitos. I have been able to mow my yard after dinner without being attack. My dogs and I can go out and enjoy the backyard, something we could not do before buying the skeeter vac and its bait etc... I can't believe how fast I noticed a difference, I thought it would be at least a month or more. My neighbor across the street said her yard is really bad this year. We did get heavy rain this spring, prompting me to buy the skeeter vac. I haven't gotten one bite yet. I highly recommend this product.

I have nothing to say except it works. Within a day or two the entire strip is full of mosquitos and other various insects that are attracted to the SkeeterVac (I have the SV 27 which started immediately and has worked great so far). My only issue is that $10 per strip gets expensive when it has to be replaced weekly (there is no more room for insects to get "stuck"). At almost $20 per tank of propane, $20-$30 for strips and $10 ($20 for 60 days) it is costing me $2+ per day to run the SkeeterVac after the inital $300 investment. I guess that is just the cost of enjoying the summertime in our backyard.

This is my second machine. The first one eventually gave out after 5 years of 365/24/7 Florida exposure, 2 miles from the beach. I now have a 3100 and it has a newer design which should extend its life over the last one.

They do work and they work quite well.

My only complaint is the by-catch. I have to check it every day and peel off the occasional lizard that stops by to eat the hundreds of bugs that get stuck to the tack trap. Unfortunately, some make it and some do not. Since lizards eat bugs too, I wish this did not occur :-(

IF placed properly the SkeeterVac (and associated TacTrap) works very well. (The SkeeterVac needs to be upwind and uphill so that the CO2 flows across the area you want to protect and away from you. Otherwise it won't work properly and your catch rate will be low.)

TacTrap PROS:

The TacTrap (which is sorta like a huge piece of flypaper) is an important subcomponent of the SkeeterVac - not just to help trap mosquitoes but many also other biting insects and pests. Indeed the TacTrap is particular effective in my yard in catching: horseflies, house flies, no-see-ums, gnats, and flying cockroaches.

The TacTrap is one of the big advantages that the SkeeterVac offers over the Mosquito Magnet. I have both, and the SV and the MM have separate pros & cons. (Both have the fan/screen trap subcomponent.)

I used to pooh-pooh the alternating black and white stripes on the TacTrap until I visited the Florida Everglades. The mosquitoes liked landing on the white & black speed limit signs - so much in fact that in places they were so thick we could no longer read the numbers! But besides that indirect evidence that it works, I have practical real-life multi-year experience in owning a SkeeterVac to know that the TacTrap does its job, and does it very well.

Duration of the TacTrap varies. Generally I change it out with every propane tank swap, but in the hot dry summer months I have gone a couple of months before needing to put up a new one. However this spring has been a particularly bad one for horseflies - the TacTrap probably snagged 200+ in just one week alone and so I had to swap it out for a new one this last weekend. But that's what I bought it for - only one horsefly went after me and within minutes I saw him get stuck in the trap. (He shoots he scores!)

TacTrap CONS:

A couple of times each season my SkeeterVac's TacTrap catches something I wish it wouldn't, e.g. a lizard, and I've also seen feathers from a baby bird, etc. Obviously a trap of this nature is nonspecific in what sticks to it. Fortunately most harmless critters usually just ignore the whole unit.

I find it helps to have two people remove the protective film covering the glue. Otherwise the TacTrap wants to curl back up and stick to itself. You'll never get it unstuck if that happens and the TacTrap will be ruined.

One box I ordered had glue on the protective film itself, making the product unusable. It was one big sticky mess. Clearly a manufacturing quality control error. However that was only once; the other times have all been fine.

It would help A LOT if the TacTrap were 1/8 inch longer. The TacTrap just barely fits around the SkeeterVac's circumference and the tab/slot that is supposed to close it is hard to fasten and stay closed. After tearing the TacTrap film many times trying to get and keep it closed, now I just resort to holding the two ends together with a small piece of duct tape. Pity - I guess they're trying to save a couple of pennies per unit which I'm sure is important to the company in aggregate, but to the customer it causes significant aggravation.

I buy and use this stuff every spring/summer/fall. It works and works well. Buy it if you own a SkeeterVac to significantly complement the fan/screen trap. It should be a five star review however due primarily to the length issue I have to downgrade it to four stars.

Indecision on the part of a Mosquito plants their legs permanently in this sticky cover. Easy to install...easy to remove. Good by Florida Mosquitos!!!

Amazon isn't the cheapest place to get these, as you can readily find them at 14 bux per 2 pack elsewhere with free shipping, but the product is great! It's super sticky when it sits outside (don't brush against it!) and it catches any little bug that may happen to wander by, and a LOT of bugs do.

As this isn't the SkeeterVac product, I won't review it here like the other reviewers. If you'd like to know more about the vac these tac-traps are for you can check it out here:

http://www.whatsyour.name/37da

These sticky replacements are a definite must have. On top of the many, many mosquitoes the vac itself will kill, these tend to get a ton of other unwanted winged pests on their own.

Amazon is the cheapest place I can find to get these since I'm off the road system and can't drive to a store. They work great with the Skeeter Vac.

The best way to attach these to your Skeetervac is to peel off the backing first and then use one or two big rubber bands -- the tab and slot fastening does not work at all. If you can, get someone to help you and wear gloves. The latest ones I bought were folded in half then rolled up in the box so that the strips had a big kink in them. What a mess. That said, the strips work pretty well. A great idea, but terrible execution on the part of parent company, Blue Rhino.

The seller was fine and I had no problem with them. I find that this Skeeter Vac system is a dud and does not work. I have the large unit and a small back yard. I have put this unit on in early spring and still have tons of bugs after sundown.