Frequently asked questions
On the committee
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Not at all. The most effective first step — tossing standing water — costs nothing and takes about 10 minutes a week. Treating with BTi dunks costs roughly $2 a month.
Traps are one tool among several, not a requirement for participation. The most important thing is getting as many neighbors involved as possible, at whatever level works for them.
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Block captains help make sure their street is plugged in — neighbors are informed, catch basins are treated, and trap participation is as high as possible on the block. It’s a light lift with an outsized effect, and it’s completely fine — actually great — for a block to have multiple captains.
Learn more in Block Captains → and if you want to volunteer Sign up here →
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DC Health does treat catch basins and responds to disease outbreaks, and we encourage residents to request treatment for catch basins near their homes. But neighborhood-level prevention — source reduction, community trapping, coordinating block by block — is largely up to residents. We’re filling that gap, and we’re in active conversation with DC Health about how community efforts like ours can complement their work.
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No. We’re an independent grassroots neighborhood group. Biogents is a vendor we’ve negotiated community discounts with because we believe their traps are the best available tool for our situation. We’ll be honest about what works and what doesn’t — if the results don’t bear out, we’ll say so.
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Short answer — yes!
Shoot us a note and let us know where you’re located. The trap discounts work for everyone as long as you order through our link. And if you want to organize your neighbors, let’s talk about the most effective way we can help support you! -
We want to hear it. This is a community resource and we’re actively improving it. Email us at ittybittymosquitocommittee@gmail.com.
On traps
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Honest answer: we don’t know yet from firsthand experience. The evidence we’ve read is encouraging — communities with high participation rates have seen meaningful reductions — and Biogents has been remarkably willing to invest in and engage directly with our community rather than just sell us traps. If it works, we’ll be the first to say so loudly. If it doesn’t, we’ll say that too.
It’s also worth being upfront that GAT traps are only one piece of the puzzle. Mosquitoes need to be tackled across their lifecycle for real results. Standing water elimination and BTi treatment knock out larvae, while the Mosquitaire targets host-seeking adults.
The GAT is a great, affordable starting point — which is why we’re pairing it with catch basin treatment, native planting, and broader community coordination.
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The GAT and the Mosquitaire are two different types of traps produced by Biogents. They target different stages of the mosquito lifecycle and work best together.
The GAT mimics a breeding site to lure egg-laying females — mosquitoes that have already bitten and are looking for water to lay eggs.
The Mosquitaire mimics a person, using a fan and scent lure to attract host-seeking adults that are actively looking to bite. One catches mosquitoes before they reproduce, the other catches them before they reach you.
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We get this question a lot, which makes sense. They’re cheap, easy to make, and pesticide-free.
The Bucket of Doom works on a similar principle to the GAT, attracting egg-laying females with standing water, but uses larvicide (BTi dunks) to kill larvae after eggs hatch rather than catching adult mosquitoes on a sticky card. This means buckets of doom only target the larval stage, while GAT traps catch adult females before they lay eggs at all. In principle they are all complementary tools, not competitors. So if you already have a bucket of doom going, keep it! And consider adding a GAT alongside it.
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BG-GAT traps are about the size of a small bucket, roughly 10” x 10” x 8”, weighing just under 3 lbs. They're lightweight and easy to move around.
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For a typical DC row house, start with two GAT traps — one front, one back. The GAT covers roughly 33 feet in diameter, which fits a standard row house footprint well.
To level up, pair one Mosquitaire with one or two GATs. The Mosquitaire catches host-seeking adults while the GATs intercept egg-laying females — together they're targeting the same mosquito at two different points in her lifecycle.
That said, placement matters as much as quantity. Even on your own property, moving a trap a few feet can make a meaningful difference in catch rates. Start with the recommended spots and adjust based on what you're catching.
Once you've dialed in placement, the next lever is neighbors. Mosquitoes don't respect property lines — the more households on your block running traps and reducing breeding sites, the more the whole street benefits. A trap near a property line can effectively serve two households at once.
For townhouses or HOAs with shared alleys and common spaces, the calculus is a bit different. Biogents has offered to work directly with HOAs to figure out the right setup for your situation — flag it in your response and we'll connect you.
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For the GAT: replacement sticky cards. You need to replace sticky cards every 2 weeks (1 week if you’re catching a ton).
For the Mosquitaire: replacement Sweetscent lures. You replace the Sweetscent sachets every 6-8 weeks.
Adding CO2 — via canister or a DIY yeast setup — significantly boosts catch rates and broadens coverage to other mosquito species beyond Aedes.
Note that all packages available for order via our landing page will include the supplies to run the traps for a few months but you will likely need to order additional sticky cards and/or sweetscent packs to last you the whole season.
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GAT traps: replace sticky cards every two weeks and top up water and organic material as needed.
Mosquitaire: empty and replace the catch bag at least every 8 weeks, replace the Sweetscent lure every 8 weeks, and check the catch bag more frequently during peak mosquito season.
All replacement supplies are available as refills from Biogents.
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Yes. The traps contain no chemicals or pesticides, just water and a sticky card inside a closed chamber that pets can’t access. Mosquito dunks (BTi) can optionally be added to the water to knock out any larvae, but they’re not required and are harmless to mammals regardless.
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This is a fair and important question. The trap is designed to mimic a mosquito breeding site, attracting gravid female mosquitoes specifically: those that have already fed and are looking for standing water to lay eggs. The funnel entry is sized and designed for that purpose, not for foraging pollinators like bees or butterflies.
Occasional bycatch is possible but minimal. If you’re concerned about larger critters getting stuck, you can secure larger mesh wire over the top which mosquitoes can easily navigate around but would prevent animals from falling in.
For those who remain uncomfortable with the sticky card, a DIY Bucket of Doom is a good alternative.
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Honestly, the GAT trap smells a little like a stagnant puddle. The water is infused with organic material to mimic a natural breeding site, which is exactly what attracts mosquitoes.
The Mosquitaire includes a “sweet scent” card that you replace every 8 weeks — this card only smells sweet to a mosquito. It’s stinky.
However, the smell for both traps is subtle enough outdoors that you won’t notice it from a normal distance. You should also consider placing your trap away from where people hang out because you don’t want to attract mosquitoes right where you’re sitting.
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Click here to access our exclusive ordering site.
The itty bitty community discounted prices are:
GAT 2-Trap Set: $50 GAT ($100 retail)
Neighborhood Pack (12 traps): $250 ($399 retail)
Mosquitaire Bundle: $150 ($197 retail)
Double Mosquitaire Bundle: $250 ($370 retail)
Discounted accessories available as add-ons.
We’re also exploring options to sponsor traps for neighbors for whom cost is a barrier — more on that soon. If that’s you, feel free to reach out privately at ittybittymosquitocommittee@gmail.com.