Every night, a mass assassin stalks the darkness of America’s suburbs. An eerie blue glow lures hapless victims from their houses. The doomed souls, mesmerized by the light, throng to their deaths in sizzling blasts of electricity. I’m talking about 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 eliminate flying pests over as much as "2 acres" for just $315. Another advertises itself as an "eco-friendly" technique to "instantly kill" mosquitoes. The issue? None of those claims are true, scientists say. In fact, bug zappers make it extra doubtless you’ll be bitten by mosquitoes while sitting in your backyard. "When it involves 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 those that bite you. Among the 1000's of insects these devices electrocute every night, Zap Zone Defender virtually all are harmless.

One research estimated even a fraction of the bug zappers bought in the United States kill more than 70 billion insects yearly - with no discernible impression 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 consultants about why bug zappers are a very bad concept to do away with mosquitoes - and what works as an alternative. Bug zappers purport to work by attracting mosquitoes, typically using 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, the University of Florida’s medical entomological laboratory tallied the demise toll from one bug zapper over a single evening: Zap Zone Defender 10,000 insects. Just eight were mosquitoes. Similar research reflected those findings. Around the identical time, Zap Zone Defender researchers on the University of Delaware used a bug zapper to entice 13,789 insects over a summer season.

Only 31 - 0.22 % - have been biting insects such as mosquitoes and gnats. What did it kill? Beneficial bugs, principally. Roughly half the victims - 6,670 insects - had been harmless aquatic species from nearby rivers and streams, fish meals in the aquatic meals chain. Lots of the others were parasitic wasps and beetles that naturally prey on mosquitoes. Mosquitoes usually are not fooled by zappers because, together with other bloodsucking insects, they've advanced to dwelling in on animals’ exhaled carbon dioxide, not ultraviolet gentle, scientists say. Even when mosquitoes are drawn in by a bug zapper, they may immediately redirect their consideration to their favourite foods: warmblooded mammals, particularly people. And Zap Zone Defender Colorado State University’s extension service has reached the identical conclusion: "No managed scientific examine has proven that these units scale back mosquito biting charges outdoors," it states on its webpage. None responded with materials 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 only mislead buyers by ignoring scientific evidence, however they could create a false sense of safety for individuals who use these gadgets to guard against mosquito-borne diseases within the United States, Fordyce said. "If one wish to avoid being bit, a repellent is the solution," he says. "Even if zappers labored … The FTC, while not commenting on the companies’ marketing statements, famous that it had investigated misleading statements and safety issues up to now issuing warning letters and filing instances towards manufacturers of different kinds of pest control, akin to ultrasonic units. FTC officials really useful the general public submit any complaints by way of their webpage. What does repel mosquitoes? Bug zappers are just one of many suspect merchandise promising to eliminate biting insects: ultrasonic units, propane-fired CO2 traps, and pesticide misters are among those that don't work, or do extra harm than good, in accordance with Texas A&M.