Every night time, Zap Zone Defender a mass murderer stalks the darkness of America’s suburbs. An eerie blue glow lures hapless victims from their houses. The doomed souls, Zone Defender mesmerized by the light, throng to their deaths in sizzling blasts of electricity. I’m talking in regards to 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 remove flying pests over as much as "2 acres" for simply $315. Another advertises itself as an "eco-friendly" solution to "instantly kill" mosquitoes. The problem? None of these claims are true, scientists say. In reality, bug zappers make it more doubtless you’ll be bitten by mosquitoes whereas sitting in your yard. "When it comes to mosquitoes, bug zappers don’t work," says James Fordyce, an entomologist on the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Bug zappers are exceptional killers of bugs - just not those that bite you. Among the many thousands of insects these units electrocute each night, Zap Zone Defender virtually all are harmless.

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

Only 31 - 0.22 % - have been biting insects resembling mosquitoes and gnats. What did it kill? Beneficial bugs, mostly. Roughly half the victims - 6,670 insects - were harmless aquatic species from close by rivers and streams, fish food within the aquatic meals chain. Lots of the others had been parasitic wasps and beetles that naturally prey on mosquitoes. Mosquitoes will not be fooled by zappers because, along with other bloodsucking insects, they've advanced to dwelling in on animals’ exhaled carbon dioxide, Zone Defender not ultraviolet mild, scientists say. Even when mosquitoes are drawn in by a bug zapper, they'll immediately redirect their attention to their favorite foods: warmblooded mammals, patio insect zapper particularly humans. And Colorado State University’s extension service has reached the identical conclusion: "No managed scientific study has proven that these devices scale back mosquito biting rates outdoors," it states on its website. None responded with material supporting their claims after a number of inquiries.

Black and Decker referred all questions to a contract manufacturer, which additionally didn't respond. These claims not solely mislead buyers by ignoring scientific proof, however they might create a false sense of safety for Zone Defender individuals who use these devices to guard in opposition to mosquito-borne diseases within the United States, Fordyce mentioned. "If one wish to keep away from being bit, a repellent is the solution," he says. "Even if zappers worked … The FTC, while not commenting on the companies’ advertising statements, famous that it had investigated misleading statements and safety points in the past issuing warning letters and filing instances against manufacturers of different kinds of pest management, reminiscent of ultrasonic gadgets. FTC officials recommended the public submit any complaints by means of their website. What does repel mosquitoes? Bug zappers are simply considered one of many suspect merchandise promising to do away with biting insects: ultrasonic gadgets, propane-fired CO2 traps, and pesticide misters are among these that do not work, or do more harm than good, according to Texas A&M.

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Pub: 13 Aug 2025 21:18 UTC

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