Frequently Asked Questions

Female mosquitoes require protein found in blood to produce eggs and most are not fussy about the source of the blood.  The receptors in mosquito antennae are very sensitive and mosquitoes use these to identify their prey. Prey is identified from any carbon dioxide, body odour, lactic acid, blood type as well as secretions.

Carbon Dioxide is what we exhale. Our body odour is the result of bacteria on our skin that mixes with sweat. Lactic acid passes through our skin after eating certain foods or when we’ve been active. Mosquitoes are mostly attracted to blood type O and least attracted to blood type A.  We “advertise” our blood type by secreting compounds through our skin.

Other attractants include body heat and dark clothing.

While flies are attracted to UV light, they are generally more active during the daytime. If operated indoors and away from windows and competing light sources, units will attract and kill flies. Used outdoors during the daytime, a zapper is less than ideal where flies are a problem.

Warm weather with intermittent rain will often lead to higher mosquito populations.  Look around your yard to ensure there are no buckets, old tyres or other receptacles collecting water where mosquitoes can breed. Ensure any fruit trees are well away from the house. Ripening fruit gives off  CO², that attracts mosquitoes.  Also, consider supplementing your zapper or trapper with mosquito repelling plants:

• Citronella or Horsemint will repel mosquitoes.
• Marigolds – contain pyrethrum, a compound that’s used in many insect repellents
• Catnip – reported to be 10x more effective than DEET.  You can also use this in cooking.
• Ageratum – emits a smell that is offensive to mosquitoes.

Here’s a handy link to some plant options.

Yes, depending on which model, the majority of Gecko models are weatherproof.  Ensure any power connections are weatherproof.

Mosquitoes are most active from dusk and become less active again after sunrise. For best effect, switch on the unit an hour or two before sunset.  Leaving the unit on overnight may help reduce any surrounding mosquito populations.

The Gecko range includes models suited to virtually all situations.  To make product selection easy, we’ve devised a simple product selector.

 zapper is best placed away from human activity and also competing light sources. Preferably out of windy locations also.  Ideally, hang at a height of around 2.5 metres. Check out our How to Guide for more information.

Gecko zappers and trappers are designed to require minimal maintenance. Before commencing any maintenance, ensure units are disconnected from any power.

Zapper catcher trays or the trapper basket should be emptied from time to time.  It’s important to ensure a Zapper’s high voltage grid is cleared of any larger “stuck” bugs, as these will affect the unit’s performance. Check out our How to Guide for more information.

Edison screw and tubular Gecko lamps should generally last around 5,000 hours. For optimum life, we recommend switching on your unit for at least 4 hours at a time.  Shorter durations or frequent switching on and off will shorten the lamp life. Other factors include excessive heat or cold.  LED lamps have a general life of up to 50,000 hours. 

Yes, Edison screw and tubular Gecko lamps are readily available at Bunnings. The silver coloured rating label on your zapper shows the model number of the replacement lamp. LED lamps are not replaceable.

The majority of Gecko Zappers enable tool free lamp replacement.  Detailed instructions are included in the instruction manual supplied in the pack.  LED lamps are not replaceable.

Units with conventional lamps start at 7W and go up to 50W, depending on the model.  The 50W model costs less than a couple of cents per hour to run.  Models using LED lamps are significantly cheaper to run.

When bugs hit the high voltage grid, a cracking noise will be heard.  The noise level will generally depend on the size of the bug and also grid voltage of the zapper.  If the cracking noise is an issue, consider the near silent Gecko Triple Lure Insect Trapper model IT560.

Your zapper’s grids may be clogged with dead bugs or debris, resulting in a reduced ability to generate high voltage.

Switch off, unplug the unit and clean the metal grid and horizontal bands thoroughly with the supplied brush.

There may be an obstruction preventing the fan blades from turning. Ensure unit is off and unplugged.

Then remove the capture basket and look inside the trapper. Examine the fan blades to ensure there is no obstruction. Then plug in unit and switch on power.

Ensure the Trapper’s switch is set to “on” (not auto). The light and fan should now be working. Please note the light is a black UV lamp and appears dim in daylight.

Using the USB cable supplied, insert cable into Zapper USB port. Then insert other end of cable into a suitable USB power adaptor.

Connect to a suitable power supply. A red or green light should appear on the zapper, adjacent to the USB port. Red means charging, Green means charged.

Test the unit:

• Move 4-way switch to light. White Lights should come on.
• Move 4-way switch to Zap. Blue Lights should come on.

This may be due to the lamp screw being dirty or that the lamp needs replacing.

Firstly remove lamp from unit and check if lamp screw is dirty. If dirty, clean with a clean dry cloth. Then reinstall lamp into unit and plug in. The unit should now be functioning.

If the lamp is still not working, remove the lamp from unit. Then check the lamp for dark spots on the glass near the base. If there are dark spots, the lamp needs to be replaced.