Sonata UV 1/4-Acre Black Insect and Mosquito Trap

The Dynatrap really works well. I hung the unit in my backyard under the eave of my house. Within 12 hours, it had captured many insects. I hadn't realized how may moths were in my yard. The Dynatrap runs quietly with a very low glow of a light. It does require an outdoor electrical outlet for power. You will also need an extension cord rated for outdoor use. A chain is supplied for hanging the unit and a brush for cleaning when you empty the trap basket.

We live in a rural area with a fairly large amount of flying insects. This year we’ve noticed that the number of mosquitos seems to have increased considerably. Since we love to sit outside during the warm weather, we thought we would try this Dynatrap Sonata UV 1/4-Acre Black Insect and Mosquito Trap to see if it would help prevent us from getting eaten alive when we are outside. This insect trap comes pre-assembled and ready to go. It comes with a chain to allow you to hang it up or you can place it on something 3-6 feet off the ground. When you plug it in, a fan and ultraviolet light come on. According to the product documentation, the trap generates carbon dioxide to attract mosquitos. When the fan is on, it opens up the dampers to allow the insects inside but they cannot get back out because of the fan blowing air inside. So far, we’ve had the trap working 24/7 for about one week and I have to say, I am disappointed with the results. The trap has caught several moths, a few mosquitos, and nothing else. Considering the number of insects we have flying around, I had hoped for more. The box of the trap says to try the trap for 42 days and if you’re not happy they will “refund your purchase”. I am assuming that maybe it takes awhile for the trap to be effective but I have not had it for 42 days yet. I will leave it plugged in to see if it becomes more effective but so far I am disappointed. Based on my experience so far, I cannot recommend this trap.

There is a very small brook that intersects my property from the neighbors, and on the other side, the neighbor has horses. The perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes and those nasty biting stable flies. So that’s where I hung my DynaTrap, close to the nearest power source. I own an older DynaTrap unit and both of THESE THINGS REALLY WORK !!! The first thing I noticed about this new unit was that it was much smaller and had a much smaller UV lamp than my older unit. Plus, it had a transformer on the end of the power cord, whereas the older unit had a typical polarized power cord, so this unit uses less electricity that the older unit. The old unit uses a CFL UV bulb rated for only 3000 hours, and you most likely need to replace the bulb every season. It still my turn on, but after a season the older UV bulb loses its effectiveness. This unit uses a high tech CCFL UV bulb that is rated for 20,000 hours. Almost as much as some LED bulbs. Its not near as bright as the older unit, so I couldn’t wait to test it out. I have a Quantadose Test Card, which is used to measure the intensity of UV light. It’s a dosimeter that will indicate the presents of UV-C light and its strength. During the pandemic, there are so many fake UV-C lights being sold, it will measure the intensity of UVC, UVB, UVA light, so I tested the new and old unit. The older unit puts out a healthy dose of UVA/UVB light. This new unit does put out a lower level of UV light, but it does operate on less power and has a longer lasting bulb. Emptying the catch chamber on these things can be interesting. When you open them up to empty, any nasty bugs that aren’t dead, fly out and get away. But what is nice about this DynaTrap, is the ingenious trap doors that make escape impossible until you dump it upside down in a trash bag. So how did it work? My non-scientific experiment says these new DynaTrap3 units don’t work as well as the older DynaTrap3 units. It my be cheaper to operate, but I don’t think the light is bright enough. I don’t know if it matters to a bug, but you can hardly see the tiny UV light at night as compared to the old style unit. Hence, the 4 stars. I ran both unit a few days in each location, then switched them around. I did catch nasty mosquitos and flies, but my old unit caught so many more bugs, that I was considering giving the new DynaTrap only 3 stars. I guess I have to give it more time, or move it to a better location like the instructions say. I know this is the companies smaller unit, at 1/4 acre, but I would say this is only “apartment” sized, or “condo” sized or maybe small back yard sized. If you have a bigger yard, get the biggest unit you can, with the biggest CFL UV light. I’ve been using these products for years, and for a bigger yard, you have to go big. I know DynaTrap make a new high tech LED 1/2 acre unit. I’d love to put that thing through my test. The company does offer a 42 day test “challenge” and they’ll refund your money if you don’t catch anything, but you must register. Overall, it works and catches nasty, biting, disease carrying bugs, just on a much smaller scale.

The Dynatrap Sonata UV 1/4-Acre Black Insect and Mosquito Trap is a 5 ½ inch diameter cylindrical device with an 8-inch diameter roof. The overall height including the hanger is 12 inches. A UV light up under the roof and a titanium dioxide coating under it generate CO2 and attracts the insects. A fan mid height draws the insects in and discharges them through a spring-loaded trap door into a collection chamber at the base where they dehydrate and die. The screened chamber disconnects from the fan with a simple twist and the flap valve is easily removed to allow emptying the residuals. A cleaning brush is included. The concept is pretty simple and rational and the device is well constructed. The fan is nearly silent and the expected bulb life is 20,000 hours. After years of listening to zaps and then going to chemical attractant and propane use this trap is very attractive. I am located in Massachusetts and the mosquitoes are not out yet so I cannot attest to performance.

We live in a damp environment with lots of rain, so mosquitoes and other flying nasties are always a bother during the warmer months. So, I was excited to give this Dynatrap Sonata UV 1/4 Acre Insect and Mosquito Trap in Black a try. As others have noted, this is a big improvement over the old school bug zappers that made obnoxious sizzling sounds and smells and always left a mess of insect carcasses beneath. This device uses UV light and an additional titanium dioxide coated lure to draw bugs to the trap, where a quiet fan sucks them into the screened collector where they dehydrate and die. Set up is as simple as hanging or sitting the unit 20-30 feet from the patio or other activity area and plugging it in. I am fortunate to have an outdoor outlet almost precisely 20 feet from my patio, so that part was easy. The unit is designed to run 24/7, so occasional emptying of the screened collection trap is all the maintenance necessary. A brush is provided to help with this task. In operation, the fan is extremely quiet, really not even noticeable outdoors. I put ours out 3 days ago and, despite having a stretch of cooler weather, the trap has caught 6-8 mosquitoes and a handful of flies. I anticipate an even better capture rate when things warm up. There is some inconsistent messaging regarding the lifespan of the UV bulb (up to 20,000 hours vs. replacement every 4 months) but I suppose the correct interval will become obvious when the catch rate drops off. Overall, I'm happy with this product and recommend it.

Very easy to set up, just find a corner of the yard and plug it in, it runs continuously all summer. The range is very large and it's recommended to keep it away from common areas. We chose to put it near the corner of the house rather than closer to our patio. After letting it run for a few hours, it was already beginning to accumulate some small gnats and other flying insects. It's early in the season so we haven't seen many mosquitoes, but the guarantee is that mosquito populations will be reduced after 42 days by interrupting the breeding cycle.

I am disappointed in this Dynatrap only because when it traps bugs it doesn't kill them. I live deep in the woods and have oodles of biting gnats. I have had my Dynatrap set up for over a week and even though I have trapped gnats, I seem to catch mostly little moths. They flap around and eventually die, but the gnats just keep on living. I'm sure at some point they will die but in the meantime the trap has a bunch of live bugs that I really would prefer to be dead.

Dynatrap is quiet and attracts and kills flying insects, mosquitoes, biting flies, beetles, wasps, bees, moths, stink bugs, and others. All-weather construction of black metal. This compact unit provides ¼ acre coverage radiating outward from the unit. Can use both outdoor and indoor, although competing light sources reduce its effectiveness. Unit offers three-way protection – first the UV lamp attracts insects. Second, a Titanium Dioxide coating on the bulb produces CO2 which attracts mosquitoes. Next the fan produces a vacuum that sucks into bugs into the trap, where they die from lack of moisture. A flapper system lets bugs in but not out. You need to clean the screen and trap regularly; a small brush is included. The trap unit separates from the top by turning it. I like this unit as it produces very little noise, a soft fan noise. No zapping sound like typical bug “zappers”. It doesn’t use any pesticides and has no odor. It is a compact design, about 11 inches high and 7 inches wide, and works best if about 6 feet off ground. Base allow unit to stand, and a top hook can be used for hanging. Unit works best if placed about six feet off the ground. Unit has a six and a half-foot cord. So far, the Dynatron has been effective, trapping several insects as “proof”. I did not get bit once after a three-day test. You can see a faint blue glow from top of unit, but it doesn’t create a distraction and the unit is barely noticeable from a distant at night. Perfect for urban setting where your neighbors won’t know its there. I’m calling it the silent defender. Dynatrap Sonota UV Trap has a one-year warranty.

This is a fine product with a few kinks. It is unique in that concept of catching bugs alive. At this time of spring, I don't have too many mosquitoes, but we had a school project involving fireflies and this trap caught so many. Giving them 4 stars for the description stating UV light works with the coating to emit CO and thus attract mosquitoes. To me this is a misleading statement, as mosquitoes have evolved to very ingenuous mechanisms for recognizing live tissue, e.g. certain temperature, CO2 emission, some pheromones emitted by humans. One thing that they can't resist are one of the DynaTrap Atrakta mosquito lures that come in sachet refills and I would've rather have the manufacturer stated that, as this lure makes this product the perfect mosquito solution. Without the sachet I caught nothing, with one in the trap basket I caught about 2 tbs of mosquitoes when you don't even see mosquitoes outside. With the sachets, mosquitos get attracted by the scent directed by the UV light and then caught by the airflow and trapped. Just with the light you'll get more insects that are nocturnal and hyper sensitive to UV light. Fan is really inaudible and the trap door closes fast after it is turned off. Cable is 10ft long and transformer seems well insulated from water ingress during rains and general outdoors exposure. I did not see a replacement bulb on the manufacturer's website, but given that there are replacement bulbs for every other type of traps, I believe they will launch them some time soon, given that this is a relatively new product. It is a great and inexpensive way to get the ownership back on your back yard in those humid summer evenings and enjoy life outside again. This product does not emit any noise or ultrasound, so it is very pet friendly.

Simple set up. No sticky paper or chemicals. Place on a table or hang up and wait. The bugs come right in. We do a lot of camping and spend time on our deck almost everyday and evening. I have even used it in my workshop to keep the flies from being bothersome as I work into the evening hours. The DYNATRAP lures the insects with its light and the internal fan pulls them right into the trap. We have caught everything from mosquitoes to the big barn horse flies. Cleaning out of the trap takes less than a minute. Be careful when cleaning out the trap if there is a Bee. They won’t be happy when you let them go... great quality and easy to use.