Apalus

Intelligent LED Mosquito Trap
What a brilliant idea! Mosquitoes always know when I'm around, and I'm always the first one to get hit. Their angry buzzing can wake me from the deepest sleep, so I was very eager to give this device a try.

The principle is simple and ecological: a blue LED light attracts them, they approach the grille and get sucked in by the ventilator. Once inside, they are trapped and die of dehydration. Normally I would feel sorry even for an insect, but a mosquito bite once sent me to hospital, so I started using the trap (with a certain scepticism) and was surprised to find out that it actually works. The only maintenance required is to empty the collection drawer at the bottom, as needed. It pulls out completely so can be washed easily. The front grille can be unscrewed to clean the metal grid, when necessary. I can find only a couple of potential minuses: the device is very lightweight and not completely stable on its narrow base, and it needs to be plugged into an electrical outlet.
Apalus sent me a detailed set of instructions by email, in addition to the manual contained in the box. I was impressed by their customer service, and also appreciated the two bug-repelling bracelets included. It's worth repeating that mosquitoes will always prefer human blood to a blue light, so to eliminate competition, a few simple precautions will ensure the desired result:
  1. The trap should be placed on a table or shelf (60 cm to a metre from the floor) in the target room with space around it.
  2. Use it in a room empty of people.
  3. Leave it to work for a couple of hours in the dark (it does not work in the daylight).
We put it in the bedroom before going to sleep and turn it off for the night. It works so well that we have only used it minimally lately, but then we are not in an infested area. I can see that it would be invaluable in a camping situation or in a location near standing water, by a lake or similar.
I'm happy to say that I have no mosquito bites to complain about this year. The trap does not attract flies, as far as I can see, but we have solved that problem by installing the brilliant bug net by the same brand. Using these two in combination, our house has been blissfully bug-free all summer.

Magnetic Fly Screen
The idea is fantastic. It's a soft fabric bug screen that can be attached to a door frame with the enclosed Velcro tabs and thumbtacks. The brilliant part is that it is open in the middle to allow human and pet traffic after which the two magnetized borders close again by themselves. It didn't take very long for our cats to imitate our test-passes through the mesh, and the closure works pretty well in most conditions. It helps if the middle of the screen is mounted ever so slightly higher than the sides and if the bottom edges don't actually rest on the floor.

We tried it in the doorframe it was inteded for, where it looks perfect and performs well, and then we also tried mounting it outside a very long window where it is currently even more useful. Since it was a little too long for the window, I temporarily turned up the edges to make it fit. It still works!

The mesh is fine but fairly strong, it doesn't look like something that would ladder very easily. I really like the look of the black mesh, it's not obtrusive and, although very little light is blocked from inside, the screen gives a little privacy as you move away from it.
The Velcro provided is strong enough if you have a frame that can be cleaned well before attaching it. If your frame is wood, you can reinforce the hold with the long thumbtacks also included. I used some for the top edge and a couple for the sides. I am very happy with the appearance of the finished installation, and absolutely delighted with the functionality which allows us to keep the window or door open any time we want without those hideous bugs getting in.
Copyright © Angelica Bentley.  All rights reserved
“Hasty humility afloat uneasily”