robb wrote:

My limited experience with the controversy stems from the
many factors that influence the effectiveness of the traps
(prevailing wind, landscaping, etc.)

When i purchased my traps the hardware guy offered me an
annecdote about how one year there was a run on their mosquito
trap inventory. The traps were returned in droves with the
primary complaint being they made the mosquito problem worse.
When he asked about the location of the mosquito traps it was
mostly placed on the deck or patio. So, the traps were just
attracting the mosquitos to the areas where people did not want
them.

The location of the trap in the yard should make no difference - and I
would say that you want the trap to be located where you or other people
usually are in the yard - not in some distant, isolated corner.

The idea that wind is an issue is bogus. If it's too windy for the trap
to work then it's also too windy for a mosquito to find and land on me
as well.

It seems that these devices are good at attracting mosquitoes, but not
catching them.

If they attract more mosquitoes to their immediate area than would
ordinarily be there, and if they don't vacuum up 100% of those excess
mosquites AS WELL AS capture some of the ones that were already there,
then the devices are clearly not beneficial to have.