Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm not saying I didn't believe the reviewers that described swarms of beetles drawn towards their traps. I just thought, maybe, they were being funny? Or being dramatic? Or maybe I just didn't think these would work that well for me? Here is my beetle war story: I began assembling the trap at my table just inside my patio doors. For such a completely no-tech item, I seemed to struggle disproportionately with the instructions. Once it's together it's very simple, but at first I didn't get that the cute little "bar of soap" scented thing stays IN the plastic bubble card thing. It popped out, but was easy to pop back in. But remember this event - it becomes significant later. Once assembled, I carried the contraption into the back yard and hung it about halfway between the beetle-damaged flower bed and the house. This was, in fact, at least 30' away and downwind from the target plants, as instructed. I smugly stood there and began to count, waiting for the swarms. At about 20 seconds, I was surprised to notice a couple of bugs flying nearby. Within 5 more seconds, I found myself running towards the patio door for safety, my childhood fear of flying insects fully recalled. I stood inside, watching as they not only gathered in the yard and began dropping into the trap, but also seemed to be gathering at my door! It was then that I realized that I could still smell the "attractant"; that it had transferred to my hands while assembling the trap, and that I had then transferred it to my doorknob! They REALLY like that stuff! After cleaning the doorknob and calming my fears, I watched in amazement as the bugs continued to gather and dive into the bag. At about an hour, the bag was filled to the narrowed center "fill line". I ran out, moved the trap further from the house, and stuck a bucket with soapy water (previous reviewer recommendation) under the trap. By the time my husband arrived home, after about 4 hours, the 5 gallon bucket had at 4-5 inches of beetles, plus those we dumped from the bag. The next morning, he hauled the bucket of dead beetles out to the country where he works and dumped them. This has become a daily task. Bye! Don't forget your bucket-o-bugs! We reuse the bag. I probably will rig the trap to go directly into a bucket, like another reviewer recommended. I was pretty freaked out about the bugs flying around. But they did subside over a couple of days, and tend to be seen mostly close to the trap. They also do have a daily schedule, so mornings and evenings are typically no-fly zones. All in all, this provided effective beetle control. My rose bushes and fruit trees are looking much better. This was also provided some good cheap entertainment, and a lesson in overcoming fear. The down side: It's pretty gross. If you have a lot, like I do, the bag fills quickly and they need to be discarded - and a lot of the bugs are still alive. And crawling on the bag, the stake, the bucket, etc. And if you don't remove them, they smell. So, in summary, effective, inexpensive, educational, and gross.