Every night, 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, Zap Zone Defender throng to their deaths in sizzling blasts of electricity. I’m talking about the bug zapper. Many people use the device to rid themselves of mosquitoes and other pests. "Kill flies, mosquitoes, gnats, and wasps," touts Black and Decker. Flowtron will help remove flying pests over up to "2 acres" for just $315. Another advertises itself as an "eco-friendly" strategy to "instantly kill" mosquitoes. The problem? None of these claims are true, scientists say. In fact, bug zappers make it extra seemingly you’ll be bitten by mosquitoes whereas sitting in your backyard. "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 the ones that chew you. Among the hundreds of insects these gadgets electrocute every night, nearly all are harmless.

One research estimated even a fraction of the bug zappers bought in the United States kill greater than 70 billion insects yearly - with no discernible impression on mosquitoes or Zap Zone Defender System different 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 extremely unhealthy thought to eliminate mosquitoes - and what works instead. Bug zappers purport to work by attracting mosquitoes, typically utilizing a lightbulb that emits ultraviolet light, or sometimes carbon dioxide or chemical bait. Yet research show virtually no mosquitoes or different biting insects ever enter a zapper. In 1997, the University of Florida’s medical entomological laboratory tallied the death toll from one bug zapper over a single night time: 10,000 insects. Just eight were mosquitoes. Similar research reflected these findings. Around the identical time, Zap Zone Defender System researchers on the University of Delaware used a bug zapper to lure 13,789 insects over a summer season.

Only 31 - 0.22 percent - have been biting insects corresponding to 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 meals in the aquatic food chain. Lots of the others had been parasitic wasps and Zap Zone Defender System beetles that naturally prey on mosquitoes. Mosquitoes aren't fooled by zappers because, together with different bloodsucking insects, they've evolved to residence in on animals’ exhaled carbon dioxide, not ultraviolet gentle, scientists say. Even when mosquitoes are drawn in by a bug zapper, they'll instantly redirect their attention to their favourite foods: warmblooded mammals, Zap Zone Defender Experience particularly humans. And Colorado State University’s extension service has reached the identical conclusion: "No controlled scientific examine has proven that these devices reduce mosquito biting charges outdoors," it states on its webpage. None responded with materials supporting their claims after a number of inquiries.

Black and Zap Zone Defender System Decker referred all inquiries to a contract producer, which also did not reply. These claims not only mislead consumers by ignoring scientific evidence, but they could create a false sense of security for people who use these units to guard against mosquito-borne diseases in the United States, Fordyce said. "If one would like to keep away from being bit, a repellent is the answer," he says. "Even if zappers labored … The FTC, while not commenting on the companies’ advertising and marketing statements, noted that it had investigated misleading statements and safety issues previously issuing warning letters and filing instances in opposition to manufacturers of different varieties of pest management, such as ultrasonic units. FTC officials really useful the public submit any complaints by way of their website. What does repel mosquitoes? Bug zappers are simply one in all many suspect merchandise promising to do away with biting insects: ultrasonic devices, propane-fired CO2 traps, and pesticide misters are amongst those that do not work, or do more hurt than good, in line with Texas A&M.