Placement and maintenance are the most important steps to get the most from your traps. Traps should be placed where they will attract egg-laying mosquitoes as well as allow you to maintain them easily and routinely.
Placement. Place Mosquito Swallows in in shady spots, where breeding adult mosquitoes find shelter, and where you will be able to add water routinely and easily. Ideal spots include in bushes; on fences; on the side of sheds; near or on decks and patios; and near sprinklers or in areas where you will remember to add water. Avoid placing traps in places that receive direct daylight during midday.
- Container-breeding mosquitoes will seek shade and shelter from the midday sun, so traps placed under trees, in bushes, or under the eaves of a house will attract more mosquitoes.
- Movement in high-traffic areas will also cause mosquitoes in the open pool to retreat to the inside of the device.
- Because the trap needs additional water at least once a week, place the trap where it will receive water from a sprinkler system and/or rain, or where you will remember to add water yourself.
For example, above is a trap placed under a home's eaves, close to a front door, and near landscaping that requires routine watering.
This next trap is in thick bushes, near a hidden sprinkler, and near a well-traveled area.
The trap above is on a fence where it can collect rain, but out of the reach of small children and pets.
A typical home could use three or four traps as shown in the diagram below.
You may need to experiment to get the best trap placement.
Initial set up.
Initial set up. Mount your traps using the four screws included; or use your own 1" PVC or other pipe, firmly placed into the ground.
Next, before adding water, put a pinch of dead leaves from the ground inside the empty trap. Then fill with water. (You should not worry about overflowing the trap, as the drain holes on the side will not allow the water to remain above a certain level.) After filling with water, drop an additional dead leaf or two into the open pool of water. The dead leaves in the water, combined with the black trap and shade, should attract breeding mosquitoes.
On-going maintenance. After setting up the trap, add water at least once a week. Water from a sprinkler system or a good rain should do it, or if you add water from a garden hose or can, anything more than half a cup should work fine. When the weather gets hot (or if squirrels or birds are drinking the water), increase the number of times you add water to two or three times a week. Adding water helps flush the mosquitoes into the back chamber of the device, maintains a water level to keep trapped mosquitoes inside the trap, and minimizes available food.
During mosquito season, drop a single leaf from the ground into the open pool once a month, or more frequently if the leaf in the open pool gets flushed inside (for example, after heavy rains). The plant debris is an attractant for mosquitoes to lay eggs.
When to start and stop using traps. Begin using traps at any time during mosquito season, and as early as right after the last freeze. (A hard freeze may cause the water in your trap to expand, potentially damaging the trap.) You can stop using the trap about a month after seeing the last mosquitoes of the year. After this and before the start of the next mosquito season, dump the water from your traps on flat pavement to ensure any remaining mosquitoes are exposed to the elements and die; rinse your traps well to eliminate over-wintering eggs and dispose of built up debris; and store them until time to set them up again. Remember to wash your hands after coming into contact with water from the trap!
View the specific instructions included with each trap.
Learn more about the Mosquito Swallow by viewing frequently asked questions. Or if you are ready, place an order now.
We hardly ever see a mosquito. I love this product!"
- J.E., Taylor, TX
