Flowtron Bug Zapper, 1-1/2 Acre of Outdoor Coverage with Powerful 80W Bulb & 5600V Instant Killing Grid, Electric Insect, Fly & Mosquito Zapper, Made in The USA

I grew up with always having a bug zapper on the back porch. Then I kinda forgot they existed after moving out and starting to do the "adulting" thing. Then I decided to go outside & enjoy the pool one day after work. After a non-enjoyable 10 minutes of battling mosquitos, I was over it! That, fellow readers, is when I remembered the infamous bug zapper from my childhood. So off to Amazon I go.... searching for a bug zapper. And this is the one I purchased. Environment: waterfront (salt), pool, woods, 2 acres, and in a county with an abundance of horses/stables. Problematic Insects: mosquitos, horseflys, gnats. I picked a spot about 20 feet from the pool & deck. Hung the zapper & plugged it in. This took all of 30 seconds to complete. I already had a 6ft wooden post in the ground (formerly housing a birdhouse) that I utilized to hang the zapper. It lit up as expected annnndddd...... nothing. No zapping of bugs. Kinda disappointed. And then dusk began. I know now that the bugs come out full throttle at dusk because that zapper started to get a work out! The next morning my son told me that even our garage didn't have the same amount of mosquitos that it previously had! He had heard it zapping everytime he went outside. But be aware, it's definitely bright! You will not want it hanging by your (or your neighbors) bedroom window. So, after 48 hours it certainly seems to be doing what is expected of it. While I don't hear much action from it during the day, it definitely attracts and kills the bugs once the sun starts to set. **it also does not appear to disturb my purple Martin's, which I like to keep happy, since they eat mosquitos** I'm totally pleased with the ease of use and the results. So much so, that I purchased a second one that will be hung at the side of the house. Anyone suffering from mosquito and fly problems, you should consider taking the bug zapper route before going the chemical route. I absolutely recommend this bug zapper, especially for those needing the larger coverage area!

Last year, when my wife and I moved into our house, there was a ton of standing water behind our house. It was almost marshland. Where we're at in SD has a bit of a drainage problem, and sits pretty low, so standing water is pretty common around town in any undeveloped areas. Anyway, that standing water led to TONS of mosquito problems. I'm not kidding, if I went outside for more than fifteen minutes I'd come back inside with at least ten new mosquito bites. This irritated me to no end. So, I set out to SLAY THEM ALL. At this point, I didn't care what it took--I'd use toxic waste if it meant dead mosquitoes. That's when I found the Flowtron BK-80D. This thing is a beast. I bought two, AND I bought the chemical attractant. I wasn't playing any games with these bugs. This was my crusade. I hung one outside the garage, the other on our deck. There's always been something to the soft blue glow of a bug zapper that brings me back to the simpler days, but this time it was personal. This was not about nostalgia, this was about revenge. This thing is fairly bright, it's not obtrusive to me, but my wife complained about the sound and flashing. I didn't notice it. I was too busy reveling in sweet victory. The first few nights, I laid awake just basking in the sweet blue glow and glorious *zap* *zap* *zap* of this thing go off probably every few seconds. It was a beautiful symphony of lights and sounds and bug death for the first few weeks. Then, it slowed down. My task was complete. For the rest of the summer, I had maybe the occasional bug bite. I could enjoy sitting outside again. Every morning I would check on the zappers, and sure enough there were piles of bodies. It was a mass grave for bugs. These machines are unstoppable. One thing to note is that fried bugs WILL get stuck to this thing. It will require some cleaning because of the sheer numbers of bugs it will kill. Thanks to the Voltron 80W bug zapper, I single-handed committed genocide of an entire generation of bugs, and I enjoyed it. I dare them to come back this year. I'll be ready. The moral of the story is this: this is efficient. It kills efficiently, it kills in large amounts, and it will kill for a long time.

We've tried several zappers that we had to return. This is the best by far. Best voltage. We got the 1.5 acre coverage. We like how the bugs fall through the open bottom. They don't collect as much because the bottom is open. Also since it's so powerful, it basically disintegrates most of them so there's not as much accumulation of the bugs in the zapper. In the video u can see all of the dust on the ground of the disintegrated bugs. U will prob have to clean it occasionally with a blower, but this is the cleanest, strongest by far. I sat about 15 feet from it and no bugs hit me or but me! This is the one.

For reference we live just north of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Several other reviews good and bad make reference to their area and type of mosquito and how it effects how well the unit works. It has been raining for weeks here (which isn't usual) and the mosquitoes are just out of control (not usual also), swarm us like knats lately. Honestly I'm a big guy and the neighbors gotta think I'm re-enacting the bee scene from Tommy Boy every time I go in the backyard, even with deet and bug soother sprays both on.. Also we have a 20 month old girl who loves being outside and fights us and cries as we rush her inside the house from the car to keep her from being bitten up, it breaks our hearts, but what can we do? Even our Labrador is getting chewed up and the top of her head where the fur is short is bumpy with bites and this is an inside dog with a dog door. I researched and read every review on any product I thought would help, even a little. First I drained anything holding any sort of water from the rain. I then sprayed our shrubs, compost pile, lilacs and hostas with the most potent spray I could find and it knocked them down quite a bit. I found this on Amazon and with 4+ stars on 3800+ reviews I felt it was probably worth a try. Firstly it shipped fast (Prime) and arrived in perfect condition. I temporarily mounted it hanging from our garage eve before dark and powered it up, few zaps here or there at first. As it started to get dark it was one or two zaps per second. I went inside and came back out after dark to check on it after our daughter was asleep and it was zapping constantly. I approached it and stood in amazed disgust as the wall of the garage was furry with mosquitoes next where the unit was hanging and I watched up close as dozens of mosquitoes flew in through the outside plastic grid and to get zapped. I know it kills all kinds of flying bugs , but was pleased in our case that it was 20 to 1 Mosquitoes to other stuff while I watched. I'm aware that it takes several days to weeks to reduce the mosquito population in an area but with this and spraying problem areas I think our yard will be filled with toddler laughter again soon. I hope this helps you reclaim your yard as well. Thank you for reading

This thing appears to work. It does not guarantee you will not be bitten, but it guarantees that you will not be bitten AS MUCH! After the rubbishy Danatrap it has been a God Send. Yes, I would recommend it, but it is expensive to run. Octenol lures are not cheap and you definitely need them, replacement lamps are expensive and then there is the cost of running the thing day and night from spring to winter so you have that to add to your electricity bill. If you suffer as much as I do from mosquito bites you will gladly budget for this gadget, it makes life bearable, and sitting or working in the garden pleasurable again. UPDATE: June 27th 2012 We have had this lamp for almost three years now and it is just wonderful. For the people who have had no success I will give a few tips. 1) Buy a stand for it so that it can be at least 6ft from the gound. We bought Flowtron SP-200B Security Lantern Pole. 2) Place it about 100ft from the area you want to protect. Deck, patio etc. (This lamp covers one and a half acres, that is approx 312 linear feet, front to back, side to side, so you could safely set it 100 to 150ft away to keep the buggers away) 3) Keep the lamp clean, clean it every week, it works best when the bulbs are bright, If they start to dim or one goes replace promptly, don't limp along. 4) Always use Octenol lures. (Mark your calendar when they need replacing, and replace on time) Those are the rules we follow and believe me life has been sweet ever since. I suffer terribly from mosquito bites they are the bane of my life in summer. They swell up to the size of a boil and last for well over a week. I was virtually a prisoner in my house. I was prepared to spend money, and this is not cheap, keeping up with the lures and the bulbs which work best when they are at their brightest. But I have to say it has been money well spent. I can go out into the garden without spraying myself all over with insect repellent, I can even go out in the evening and not be bitten. We can sit out on the deck sipping Martinis and watching the sunset AND NOT BE BITTEN! And what is more, because it covers such a large area it protects us both at the front AND at the back of our house and probably part of our neighbors gardens as well. Thank you Flowtron. Thank you very, very, much. Jolly good job.

Purchased two of these after researching all kinds of mosquito control products and options. So my review is all about mosquito control - if that doesn't interest you, you may not find this information useful... First I'll include information about THIS product - skip to the end to read other options I considered and why this product was a winner. I know it's not directly a review of this product, but sometimes one item is the best because of limitations or shortcomings with other solutions. I felt it important to outline those as I spent a lot of time collecting and analyzing the data - maybe it will save someone else from spending their time on it. FIRST IMPRESSIONS Opening the box, the product was very simple and fully assembled - bulbs installed and all, which was great. You get exactly what you see in the pictures - the unit with a metal hanging loop up top, plus some documentation. Take time to read the instructions - what I've found from all my research is that catching or killing mosquitoes has a fair number of subtle tricks - so don't just run a cord, plug this thing in, and expect magic. Height above the ground, location relative to the common wind patters, locating it in front of or behind something that blocks the wind, visibility (the bugs gotta SEE the light to be attracted to it!) and more are all factors you should learn about. Some are in the manual, but lots more information is online. And PLEASE - do NOT hang this right next to where you want to sit and enjoy your outdoor space. This unit ATTRACTS pests - and kills them. But there is a small time gap between when the pests show up and when they die. If you put this unit too close to your enjoyment areas, you'll actually have MORE bugs. I am amazed by all the bad reviews I see about devices that attract pests because the owner had not thought about how something like this actually works, nor had they read or followed the instructions. You need this unit close enough to your enjoyment area to reduce the local population of pests, but far enough away so it is drawing bugs AWAY from you and not TOWARDS you. </rant> :) You'll need some way to hang this thing as it doesn't have any feet, the bait cup is on the bottom, and you'll just end up with a pile of bugs ruining your zapper if you don't hang it up lol! I just went down to my local home improvement store where they had several options - check out the garden section for hanging plants and those are good options. I found tall metal rods that stick in the ground like a stake and have a loop and hook at the top - great if you want the unit freestanding and want to move it around easily. I bought a simple 12-15 inch long hanging basket bracket - it screws to a fence or your house or anything else and works as you might imagine. No big deal there... Also - the bottom of the black outer cage is not flat on the bottom so it's not stable standing upright. I think they should have done a tiny bit better with that as the bait holders are what makes it unstable. A tiny adjustment to the mold for the plastic outer grid would fix that. But that's a VERY minor issue as it's only like that while you work with it. Do be careful though - if you drop it hard on the base you might break the small plastic tabs that hold the bait cups in - they are also the bulb retainers so they ARE important even if you don't use baits. And on the topic of lures,baits, and attractants - all names for the same things - this unit comes with one small octenol lure - I think just a 400mg time release one. Depending on where you live, you might need other baits if you are after mosquitoes specifically like I am. In Houston, we have a WIDE variety of species. So I ordered a combination of lures from an online company - you can't find the right baits on Amazon unfortunately. For all types of mosquitoes, you need THREE key lure ingredients: Octenol attracts the classic mosquitoes - ones that are active in the morning right at dawn and evening right at dusk. But for other types like Tiger Mosquitoes that bite during the brightest sun of the day (as well as night, evening, holidays, etc) you need a combination of lactic acid (which is found on human skin) and ammonium bicarbonate. Depending on your location, species of mosquitoes, and other factors, you will need to adjust your baits. Of course, you can test to see what kind of results you get with NO baits, too. That might be enough and if it is - you have a 100% maintenance free solution. Me - I HATE mosquitoes and they LOVE me, so total eradication, to whatever extent was possible, was my goal. This unit obviously needs to be plugged in. The instructions say to use a cord and connector made for this purpose, but I didn't see anything like that down at the depot of home improvement. I ended up buying a 50 ft. "landscaping" extension cord that was dark green in color and rated for outdoor use. Given the huge increase in holiday light displays, I would imagine anything fit for outdoor Christmas lights would work here. If you are paranoid and have the money, you can of course hire an electrician to wire you up something fancy. Last - before I went and bought my extension cords, mounting brackets, and got myself invested in a permanent install, I wanted to do a simple test. I put the octenol lure in place, rigged a hanging option by screwing a small piece of wood into a tree, and hung the unit about 2-3 feet above the ground - about where your legs would be exposed wearing shorts LOL!! Then I stuck a clean, white piece of material under the trap to make it easy to see any dead mosquitoes. I used a Styrofoam cooler lid, but whatever...just make sure it doesn't blow away - a brick solved that for me. At first I was sad - despite dozens of mosquitoes swarming around ME and ready to feast on my flesh, I heard not one zap of the power grid and no dead bugs. So I left it to run for a while. After about 90 minutes a heavy storm was rolling in so I figured my test was over as any "evidence" would get blown or washed away. And behold! There were about a dozen or so dead mosquitoes on the foam lid. SUCCESS! They appeared to be only one or two species - but once the additional baits are delivered and installed I expect improved results. I can't say longer term how well this unit will reduce the population of mosquitoes or even if it will be enough to be able to go outside and not get bitten. But it DOES kill mosquitoes in the Houston area and hopefully with additional attractants it will get those aggressive and horrible Tiger My next project - once I hang these up, get the additional baits, and see how those perform, is to consider adding CO2 to the mix. Carbon dioxide is probably THE BEST mosquito bait - which is why you see all those propane traps that make CO2 and heat by burning propane. My plan is different - I'm following the method used by health workers around the world to trap mosquitoes for health and medical research - dry ice. The plan is to buy a simple insulated container to hold the dry ice (a thick cooler so it will last a long time) and some simple plastic tubing. Punch a hole in the cooler down low, put in the dry ice, seal it up so the vapors get forced thru the tube. Put the end of the tube inside my bug zapper so the mosquitoes are drawn into the killing grid - DONE. I'll only go that far if the other options aren't fully successful. Overall - I like this product because it is simple, inexpensive, and durable. But by adding baits and other attractants, you can scale it up to suit your needs and still spend WAY less money than the fancier products with fans and nets and propane tanks. OTHER OPTIONS - and why I didn't choose them over this product... I was reluctant to spend hundreds of dollars on one of the mosquito-specific trap-style products like the Mosquito Magnet for a few reasons: 1) The huge number of reviews about the unit breaking down (strike 1), the huge number of reviews indicating service was difficult (strike 2), and the huge cost of repair sometimes costing a fair percentage of the original purchase price (strike 3). So ability to maintain one of these things was questionable. 2) All the "trap" style units require significant use of expendables. Tanks of propane, proprietary nets that degrade, dry rot, or wear out. Special batteries and electronics. Even the lures/attractants used have to be purchased in specific form factors and shapes to fit the machine, unlike the Flowtron zapper that you could literally stick a bait anywhere on, under, or in. Yes, there are two small nooks at the base of the bulbs designed for this purpose, but there's no reason to think the trap wouldn't work well if you added some alternate bait types and just stuck, lashed, or otherwise affixed them using your own creativity. Most of the trap-style units are not designed to work if you get creative with the bait placement - they require it to be in a very specific place to lure the mosquitoes into the vacuum suction area. Like your home vacuum cleaner - just a few inches away from the nozzle and there's very little suction. 3) There seemed to be much fewer placement options as most of the trap-type units appeared to simply sit on the ground - most had wheels of some kind. It wasn't like you could hang them from a fence post sort of arrangement or swag them to a tree. Since I wasn't sure where they'd end up, I wanted something smaller and more easily moved around as needed to get the best results. I also didn't want one of those yard misting systems - spraying chemicals regularly onto my yard just wasn't for me. Plus that is REALLY expensive, has significant consumable costs, and needs space for the large tank of chemical and pump and such. Spraying chemicals on my body? No thanks. MAYBE for camping in the Everglades but around my home, not happening. I tried one of those fogger guns - you know the type that are sometimes powered by propane and some are electric? They use a special oil-based product to create an ultra-fine mist with droplets hundreds or thousands of times smaller that what a garden spray set to "fine" produces. The idea is that the fog can permeate in and around foliage, leaves, and just about everything else, providing absolute and complete coverage. Takes <5 minutes to do your yard, just a few minutes for the fog to dissipate, and you are bug-free for hours. Only it didn't take 5 minutes. It took five minutes for the unit to heat up hot enough to use. And then you had to pump the oil into the fogging chamber with a squeeze trigger - on problem is that the rate at which you pump must be precise - otherwise the fog is too "wet" or "dry" per the instructions, I found my unit constantly sending out not only fog but also little droplets of oil out the tip. The fog is supposed to make a quart of oil last for weeks or months even, but unless you product fog and ONLY fog, the product is consumed MUCH faster. All this is completely dependent on you holding the unit level during use and squeezing the trigger at just the right rate. And that rate varies based on outside temp and other factors - so you have to be a master at this. AND you have to fog every time you want to enjoy your yard. I found it took 15 minutes or so to lug the unit out, plug it in, let it warm up, fog the yard, and then you MUST let it cool down for 10 minutes or so before you can store it. To give you an idea of the heat - flames can shoot out of the fogger if you use it wrong, and the big fogging chamber has all kinds of warnings on it not to touch it, ever. Last were the clip-on-your-person type repellents. Some had good reviews and they seemed like a viable option - relatively cheap, easy to use, no waiting, minimal expendable/consumable items. I'll be honest - I didn't try these even though they were among the better options per my criteria. I couldn't see keeping spares on hand when guests stopped by. What if we had a party? Would women in nice cocktail dresses be clipping these to their straps or ankles? Too many logistical complications here. These products have their place, but not for keeping your home and your castle free of pests... And beyond purchased products - there are any number of DIY mosquito control methods - from 2 liter bottle with yeast in them to box fans with netting. I found it hard to separate truth from fiction, but in the end I did manage to find some studies done by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and other organizations. See - mosquitoes carry some nasty diseases. Finding a cheap way to control them in 3rd world countries is a BIG DEAL. What I ultimately found is that most of those home-made systems DO work, but aren't powerful or effective enough for population control. They'll catch SOME mosquitoes and you will think they are working. But just do the real world test - walk around outside and see if you get bitten! That's ultimately what will determine if my methods are successful or not. And if you've read this far, God bless you! I hope you found this useful and worthwhile.

i dont know why i missed this when i was looking for bug zappers. i only saw the $250+ one had great reviews. what got me here? we have a yellowjacket problem, so i youtubed yellowjacket bug zapper and saw this (among other video): [...] i wrote to flowtron to see if i should get the 1/2 acre (our backyard is much smaller than an acre!) or acre and a half to kill yelowjackets and they let me know, "The ½ acre unit, BK-15D is a 15 watt unit. The 1.5 acre BK-80D is 80 watts. Both units have the same power output from the grid which is 5600 peak volts. The basic difference is the coverage area.None of our units will kill yellow jackets. They are simply not attracted to UV light. So they are ineffective on these type of insects. These units will lure and kill mosquitoes, midges, gnats and black flies etc." but i had already ordered the 80 watt one before he wrote back. i put it on the stairs where the yellowjackets live (i put this directly on the floor, on one of the stairs), and they all swarmed around it, they all came out of the proverbial woodwork bc they were drawn to this, all agitated and flying around. this seemed to kill almost all of them - about 12 just lying there, 2 staggering around. the next morning at 6 am they were all still there, i presumed dead. a few hours later, i went back in the backyard, and they were all gone. were they carried off by another bug? i thought so, until a few hours later, i put this machine back, and saw a whole bunch of yellowjackets flying around this zapper again. did they come back to life? must have. we used this again and this time once they seemed dead we hosed them and put them down the drain, to definitely drown them. there are still a few left but far fewer than before, and we're using this again. (update, the second round killed them all as far as i know - none left that i know if!) i dont know anything about mating habits and if they will reproduce or if i got the queen, but i can assure you that yellowjackets are attracted to this. i'm just not sure if they killed them right away or just shocked them, bc i dont know how they mysteroiusly dissapeared the next day. so once you feel you've killed them, dispose of them safely as soon as you can, within a few hours should be fine. from the guy's email, the smaller 1/2 acre one would have been fine but i'll keep this. oddly, the other bugs r still biting me like crazy, but i was most concerned about the yellowjackets as i got stung. so i recommend this for sure. it comes with a circle on top, to hang it from, but beware, that circle has a hole in it. we found out the hard way because we put a string through there and then it fell through the circle, causing this whole machine to come crashing down, but luckily it's sturdy and didn't break. i also learned you can search amazon reviews, and if you search amazon reviews and type in yellowjackets or yellow jackets you will learn of others' experiences. i see people were successful killing yellowjackets buying the smaller coverage area with the pole, which is around the same price. i wish i had taken a picture so you could see all of the dead ones. i'm really glad i didn't have to spend $250+ on the other bug zapper. i could afford this one, and it does the job well. ps i didnt use attractant. maybe i need to to catch the other mosquitos. it's just nice not to be afraid every time i have to go in the backyard. thanks flowtron. **pps, i googled yellowjacket trap and i saw some cheap cute yellow things that look like hives, you may also want to try that. i ordered some but dont think i can test them now, unless there are hidden yellowjackets left. best of luck to you!!

Summer time in Texas can mean 2 things....extreme heat and extreme mosquitos especially after a decent rain. The mosquitos can be so bad that you don't dare to be outside without being coated with mosquito spray head to toe. Until I found this mosquito zapper!! I bought (2) of them and placed one on one side of my outdoor patio and the other under my metal carport. Between the (2) zappers we seen a huge decrease in mosquitos in just 24 hours!! My family was able to have our freedom to be outside again without being under attack by mosquitos. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that has been dealing with extreme mosquito infestation. I have bought the cheaper zappers in the past and they have not held up like the Flowtron zapper did. It has held up through the summer so far and will be stored for use again next summer. The zapper is a little pricey but it’s worth the money plus it is a good quality American made product. ✅ Pros: Exceptional Coverage: -Effectively covers up to 1.5 acres, making it ideal for large yards, campsites, barns, or outdoor events. -One of the strongest consumer-grade zappers available. Instant and Powerful Kill Grid: -The 5600V electric grid delivers quick kills without mess or toxic chemicals. -No waiting—bugs get zapped on contact. Bright UV Bulb (80W): -Strong UV light effectively attracts a wide range of flying insects, including mosquitoes and flies. -Works especially well at night or in low-light areas. Low Maintenance: -Self-cleaning grid reduces the need for constant cleaning. -Rugged, weatherproof design stands up to rain and sun. Chemical-Free Pest Control: -No pesticides, sprays, or refills required. -Safe for use around food areas (though not for indoor use due to noise and zap sound). Made in the USA: Durable construction and quality control backed by U.S. manufacturing. ⚠️ Cons: Zapping Sound: -Loud and frequent “zaps” can be surprising or annoying to some users, especially in quiet areas. Attraction Radius Matters: -Needs strategic placement away from people but near insect zones to avoid drawing bugs toward your guests. Bulb Replacement: -Replacement UV bulbs are sold separately and may need changing annually for peak performance. No Catch Tray: -Dead bugs fall to the ground, so placing it over grass or an easy-to-clean surface is ideal. Price: -The zapper is a little more expensive than others listed on amazon. ⭐ Who It’s Best For: -Homeowners with large yards or farms -Campers and outdoor event hosts -Anyone needing chemical-free mosquito and fly control over a wide area 📊 Overall Rating: 4.6 / 5 ✔ High power | ✔ Wide coverage | ✔ Rugged design | ❌ Noisy zaps | ❌ Not subtle or indoor-friendly