Last summer we bought a SkeeterVac to deal with the mosquito problem here at Squirrelhaven. We got the cordless model and put it out in the garden. Its performance was superior to that of the Mosquito Magnet, our previous mosquito killing machine.
Mosquito Magnet waiting to be picked up by the garbage truck.
The Skeeter Vac uses several methods to attract and trap mosquitoes. The lack of a cord makes it very versatile.
This spring, when we set up the SkeeterVac, we put the tac trap on it. The tac trap is a sticky trap, with contrasting triangles of black and white, that goes on the outside of the machine. We noticed that the tac trap started catching mosquitoes, along with the other trap on the machine. Then we started seeing flies caught in the tac trap. No biggie, the machine is set up next to the compost bin, and I'm not worried about a few flies. Then this morning, I noticed a bunch of metallic green bees struggling to free themselves from the Tac Trap, with more already dead. That's too high a price to pay for a few less mosquitoes. I immediately covered the Tac Trap with plastic from the newspaper.
We will not be using the tac trap anymore. I strongly urge anyone with a SkeeterVac to stop using the tac trap immediately. I also urge Blue Rhino, the manufacturer of the SkeeterVac, to figure out a way to make the tac trap safe for pollinators. We must do all in our power not to harm pollinators.