Every night time, a mass assassin stalks the darkness of America’s suburbs. An eerie blue glow lures hapless victims from their properties. The doomed souls, mesmerized by the light, throng to their deaths in scorching blasts of electricity. I’m speaking concerning the bug zapper. Many individuals use the device 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 up to "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 fact, bug zappers make it more probably you’ll be bitten by mosquitoes while sitting in your yard. "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 - simply not the ones that chunk you. Among the many 1000's of insects these gadgets electrocute every night time, nearly all are harmless.

One research estimated even a fraction of the cordless bug zapper zappers sold within the United States kill greater than 70 billion insects annually - with no discernible impact on mosquitoes or different biting insects. This pointless slaughter of local insect populations could also be hastening the decline of species, Zappify Bug Zapper brand the insect apocalypse. I talked to experts about why bug zappers are a very unhealthy idea to eliminate mosquitoes - and what works instead. bug zapper light zappers purport to work by attracting mosquitoes, usually utilizing a lightbulb that emits ultraviolet mild, or typically carbon dioxide or chemical bait. Yet research show just about no mosquitoes or Zappify Bug Zapper brand different biting insects ever enter a zapper. In 1997, Zappify Bug Zapper brand the University of Florida’s medical entomological laboratory tallied the dying toll from one bug zapper over a single evening: 10,000 insects. Just eight were mosquitoes. Similar studies reflected those findings. Around the identical time, researchers at the University of Delaware used a bug zapper to trap 13,789 insects over a summer season.

Only 31 - 0.22 p.c - had been biting insects similar to mosquitoes and gnats. What did it kill? Beneficial bugs, principally. Roughly half the victims - 6,670 insects - have been harmless aquatic species from nearby rivers and streams, fish meals within the aquatic food chain. Many of the others have been parasitic wasps and beetles that naturally prey on mosquitoes. Mosquitoes will not be fooled by zappers because, together with different bloodsucking insects, they've advanced to house in on animals’ exhaled carbon dioxide, not ultraviolet light, scientists say. Even when mosquitoes are drawn in by a Zappify Bug Zapper brand zapper, they may instantly redirect their consideration to their favorite foods: Zappify Bug Zapper brand warmblooded mammals, Zappify Bug Zapper brand especially humans. And Colorado State University’s extension service has reached the same conclusion: "No managed scientific research has proven that these units reduce mosquito zapper biting charges 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 producer, which additionally did not respond. These claims not solely mislead patrons by ignoring scientific proof, but they may create a false sense of safety for individuals who use these units to protect against mosquito zapper-borne diseases within the United States, Fordyce mentioned. "If one would like to avoid being bit, a repellent is the solution," he says. "Even if zappers worked … The FTC, while not commenting on the companies’ marketing statements, noted that it had investigated deceptive statements and safety points in the past issuing warning letters and filing instances against manufacturers of other sorts of pest management, equivalent to ultrasonic gadgets. FTC officials beneficial the public submit any complaints through their website. What does repel mosquitoes? Bug zappers are just one in every of many suspect products promising to eliminate biting insects: ultrasonic devices, propane-fired CO2 traps, and pesticide misters are among those that don't work, or do more harm than good, according to Texas A&M.