Every night time, a mass assassin stalks the darkness of America’s suburbs. An eerie blue glow lures hapless victims from their homes. The doomed souls, mesmerized by the light, throng to their deaths in sizzling blasts of electricity. I’m talking about the bug zapper. Many people use the machine to rid themselves of mosquitoes and different pests. "Kill flies, mosquitoes, gnats, and wasps," touts Black and Decker. Flowtron will help get rid of flying pests over as much as "2 acres" for just $315. Another advertises itself as an "eco-friendly" option to "instantly kill" mosquitoes. The problem? None of these claims are true, scientists say. In truth, bug zappers make it extra doubtless you’ll be bitten by mosquitoes while sitting in your backyard. "When it comes to mosquitoes, bug zappers don’t work," says James Fordyce, an entomologist at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Bug zappers are exceptional killers of bugs - just not the ones that chew you. Among the many 1000's of insects these units electrocute each night, Zap Zone Defender USA nearly all are harmless.

One research estimated even a fraction of the bug zappers sold within the United States kill more than 70 billion insects yearly - with no discernible affect on mosquitoes or different biting insects. This pointless slaughter of native insect populations could also be hastening the decline of species, the insect apocalypse. I talked to consultants about why bug zappers are a really dangerous concept to eliminate mosquitoes - and what works instead. Bug zappers purport to work by attracting mosquitoes, Zap Zone Defender USA sometimes utilizing a lightbulb that emits ultraviolet light, or typically carbon dioxide or chemical bait. Yet studies present just about no mosquitoes or different biting insects ever enter a zapper. In 1997, Zap Zone Defender USA the University of Florida’s medical entomological laboratory tallied the loss of life toll from one bug zapper over a single night time: 10,000 insects. Just eight were mosquitoes. Similar research mirrored these findings. Around the same time, researchers on the University of Delaware used a bug zapper to trap 13,789 insects over a summer.

Only 31 - 0.22 p.c - were biting insects resembling mosquitoes and gnats. What did it kill? Beneficial bugs, principally. Roughly half the victims - 6,670 insects - were harmless aquatic species from nearby rivers and streams, fish food within the aquatic meals chain. Lots of the others have been parasitic wasps and beetles that naturally prey on mosquitoes. Mosquitoes will not be fooled by zappers as a result of, together with different bloodsucking insects, they've developed to home in on animals’ exhaled carbon dioxide, Zap Zone Defender not ultraviolet gentle, scientists say. Even if mosquitoes are drawn in by a bug zapper, they are going to instantly redirect their consideration to their favorite foods: warmblooded mammals, particularly people. And Colorado State University’s extension service has reached the identical conclusion: "No controlled scientific research has shown that these devices scale back mosquito biting rates outdoors," it states on its web site. None responded with material supporting their claims after a number of inquiries.

Black and Decker referred all inquiries to a contract producer, which also didn't respond. These claims not solely mislead patrons by ignoring scientific evidence, Zap Zone Defender however they could create a false sense of security for individuals who use these devices to guard towards mosquito-borne diseases within the United States, Fordyce mentioned. "If one want to avoid being bit, a repellent is the answer," he says. "Even if zappers labored … The FTC, whereas not commenting on the companies’ advertising and marketing statements, noted that it had investigated misleading statements and security points previously issuing warning letters and filing circumstances against manufacturers of different sorts of pest control, resembling ultrasonic units. FTC officials beneficial the general public submit any complaints by way of their website. What does repel mosquitoes? Bug zappers are just one in every of many suspect merchandise promising to eliminate biting insects: ultrasonic units, propane-fired CO2 traps, and pesticide misters are amongst those that don't work, or do extra hurt than good, in response to Texas A&M.

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Pub: 09 Aug 2025 22:06 UTC

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