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HOW IT WORKS  Mosquitoes are like bloodhounds.  They have a great sense of smell but very poor eyesight. They can smell you from 100 feet away, but they can’t see you until they are within 30 feet. So you place the trap between you and the mosquitoes, but at least 30 feet from people.  That way, they encounter the trap before they sense you.

1. CO2 is released every 5 seconds simulating the “breath” of a small animal. CO2 is the most powerful attractant for mosquitoes and all other biting flies, including horseflies, midges and noseeums. The Dragonfly II uses small CO2 cylinders that are easy to attach and refill. It is cleaner and more attractive to mosquitoes than propane, and adds no more CO2 to the environment.  So from about 100 feet away, they sense the CO2 and go for the trap.

2. The trap uses an additional attractant, Octenol (or if you choose, the Combo lure with Octenol and Lactic Acid), which is activated by the heat of the thermal lure, and evaporates into the CO2 plume. Octenol and Lactic Acid reinforces the mosquitoes' impression that the are going towards an animal. 

3.  When the mosquitoes get closer, they can see the trap (lit when dark), and its large heated section (the large dark area at the top).  Mosquitoes have body heat sensors on the tip of their antennae that can detect an animal or human from 10 to 30 feet away.

4.  Mosquitoes typically circle their prey before landing, so they approach the Dragonfly II thermal lure, and fly around it. The thermal lure produces the infrared image of blood near the surface of the skin and the body temperature of a small animal. As one entomologist (insect scientist) aptly described it, “To a mosquito the Dragonfly looks like a shaved rabbit!” 

5.When mosquitoes fly too close or attempt to land on the thermal lure, they are vacuumed into a catch tray by the draw of the silent fan through one of the four capture ports at the top and bottom of the Dragonfly II head.  Within a couple of hours they die of dehydration from the air passing over them and shrink to a tiny size.

Tests show the Dragonfly II works better than propane traps, which have a single capture source, for all four major groups of mosquitoes in North America and around the world: salt water, fresh water, snow-melt (rivers), and container breeders (tree holes, tires, etc).  See the test results below.

The Dragonfly II is part of a mosquito defense system.  No mosquito trap will kill all mosquitoes, so we recommend that you use the Mosquito Sentry or Cognito repellent devices as well.  They will keep the mosquitoes that are not captured by the system away from you.  You put them near you.

CO2   Why is CO2 better than propane? Propane must be burned to create CO2.  When it does, it contains unburned hydrocarbons which taint the pure CO2.  It also contains small amounts of foreign substances that can clog the ignition valves.  This has been a real problem for some manufacturers of propane traps, particularly the Mosquito Magnet.  (The cordless models we sell, the SV3100 and SV5100 have been reliable and we recommend them for Asian Tiger mosquitoes.) And the propane tanks are heavy and cumbersome.  They weigh more (nearly 40 lbs) than some people can handle, and require a tool to change. The CO2 tanks used by the Dragonfly II are the same ones used by paintball guns.  They are small, light, and easily changed.  A 24 oz. tank weighs about 4 lbs.

Where to get CO2? 

We cannot ship anything under pressure such as CO2 or Propane. So you must buy them locally. The CO2 bottle and refills can be purchased at Lowes, some sporting goods stores, and Paintball stores and fields. A full 20 oz. bottle costs about $36.00 at Lowes. You exchange the empty for a full one for around $9.00. We recommend that you get more than one to reduce refill trips. You can order from Lowe's online to make sure it is in stock and pick it up at the store nearest you.

If you do not have a Lowes nearby, look here for a paintball facility near you through PBNation.com.  If you are in the northern part of the country, try Dunhams.  They carry the tanks and refill them.

If you have many units or would like to fill your own, please call us for a solution.

MAKE SURE the fitting is not galvanized and does not have a recessed stem. The stem should be level with the sides, not shorter, or it will not open when attached to the NightWatch. Some tanks, including Pure Energy, have recessed stems.  Do not buy them.  They are sold by Walmart and Dick's Sporting Goods.  They will not work.  When you refill, change the O-ring. If you don't, it may leak.

The Dawn/Dusk sensor, the Status light and the Mode selection button. The Catch Tray is above.

There are 8 modes of operation.  You keep pushing the button to select.

The Status light indicates which mode you are in and whether you need to replace the CO2 tank or the lure.