best way to use bug zapper

[ampsucker]

Ok, I've read all the articles about how bug zappers are not effective technology, they don't kill that many target (read, biting) insects, and they don't work worth a darn on mosquitoes at all.

Well, we have had unseasonable amounts of rain and a good amount of standing water I won't be able to drain this year. That means a banner insect population of all types. I don't have a lot of money to spend, I don't mind killing a few million non-target species of moth, beetle, gnat, midge, no-see-um, tick, fly, horsefly, fruit fly, deer fly, wasp, hornet, etc., I don't have close neighbors the incessant zapping will bother, and I don't want to spray a bunch of chemicals my 7 month old can toddle into and stick in his mouth in a couple of months. What I do have is two bug zappers in perfect working condition.

Anybody care to share tips and tricks on getting the most out of these apparently worthless pieces of chinese engineering? I gather you are supposed to keep them at least 30 feet away from areas you regularly use they don't attract insects that then divert their headings toward you and your innocent yard guests. I have two large security lights that burn all night. They attract a lot of moths and other night flyers. I was thinking locating the zappers close to them might be a good idea to kill off the ones that are lured in by these large, bright lights. On the other hand, putting the zappers out in the yard where its dark may lure a lot of bugs away from the buildings and their dimmer, UV colored bulbs might be more effective further away from the larger, bright lights.

Any thoughts or experience using these things?

Thanks,

amp

 

[jinman]

I would put the bug zappers about 50-75 feet from the house and let them be my floodlights. I think I'd turn off all other outside lights when they are in use except for a yellow buglight or similar non-attracting light. I know you want to keep your bright floodlights, but for the bug zappers to be effective, they need to be the only bug attractant and to also be some distance from where you are. The only way you can use them effectively is if they are only source of bug attracting light around. Turn off all other blue or white lights.

 

[teg]

Bug Zapper Lies

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[ampsucker]

thanks for the replies.

at 120 watts total consumption (only on at night) and assuming 10 hours max of darkness per night during the summer months for three months gives:

120 watts x10 hours/day x 90 days = 10800 watt hours

divided by 1000 watts per kwh gives 10.8 kwh hours. at our price of 9 cents per kwh, those bug zappers would have to be pretty useless to not be worth a dollar to run all summer.

Jim, thanks for the reply. I will try what you suggest.

What are you doing with your tractor in your avatar photo? Looks like maybe digging a pond, or possibly plowing to China! Looks dangerous!

amp

 

[swedish-fish]

I don't see many bug zappers around anymore. Have you ever seen the propane powered mosquito traps? I've never used one, but they market themselves as being much more effective. Still, that ZAP is so satisfying to hear knowing you got another one.

Howstuffworks "How Mosquito Magnets Work"

 

[patrick_g]

Mosquitoes are programed to associate a trail of warm carbon dioxide and water vapor with respiring warm blooded animals, the reproducing female's source of a blood meal. Devices using these properly as attractants (with or without octenol) can, in fact, trap and kill mosquitoes.

Lights and high voltages kills plenty bugs, just not necessarily the ones of interest. All the garden catalogs and ag stores tout purple martin houses to maintain a population of purple martins to reduce mosquito populations. There have been university studies that used video cameras to check what the purple martins are catching. It wasn't mosquitoes. The bird's favorite food seemed to be dragon flies. So the birds kill off the dragon flies which in fact do eat large numbers of mosquitoes and the net effect is that purple martins increase mosquito populations.

Mosquitoes do not migrate over large distances. The mosquitoes that are bugging you are likely hatched out quite close to you. Whatever you can do to reduce the local population takes natural diffusion of the mosquito population a while to replace. You can make a local dent in the population, a significant reduction in the population, if you employ the right methods. (lighted zappers aren't the answer)

When I was in high school I recall a drive in burger joint that had a bug getter. It was a circuline fluorescent bulb around the entrance to a large bag being filled with air by a fan. There was a circular ring shaped propane burner with the jets directed inwards. Bugs attracted to the light were drawn in by the air flow and went though the burner on the way to the bag. No poison involved. I think the bugs were dumped in with the guy's chickens who ate the singed bugs.

Sorry, There is probably no use for the zappers you have to kill mosquitoes short of smacking them with the zapper but a fly swatter would be better for that.

Do you think your toddler will drink from standing water in puddles and such? Probably not. There are chemicals to put in the water that are safe to put in watering troughs for meat animals and lactating cows. They prevent mosquitoes from breeding in watering troughs.

There is no magic bullet. You have to take a proactive stance. If you always do what you always did you will always get what you always got. To keep doing the same thing and expecting a change in results is not logical.

Pat

 

[wushaw]

I use bug zappers and feel they work on mosquitoes since I had one zapper go out once for a few weeks before getting another and mosquitoes showed up in force inside the shop till I replaced the zapper.

I run mine off a timer and run them for only 3hrs a night. I have one hanging off the far end of the shop and the other is placed on the dam of my ft. pond. I do not have any flood lights that are not on a switch since I like it dark.

Dragon flies are great mosquito eaters.

 

[dieselalles]

Bug zappers may not be too effective, but they sure make for some quality entertainment! All you need is a zapper, a lawn chair and a six pack of beer!

 

[jinman]

Jim, thanks for the reply. I will try what you suggest.

What are you doing with your tractor in your avatar photo? Looks like maybe digging a pond, or possibly plowing to China! Looks dangerous!

amp

I'm cleaning up after a dozer in the avatar photo...long story...not too dangerous...lots of fun.

BTW: I agree with everyone about bug zappers not working on mosquitos. I meant to be telling you how to get the bug zapper to attract the most bugs, not how to make it attract more mosquitos. I wish they were big enough to kill June bugs. That would be good entertainment to watch. I don't think anyone would care if we killed a few thousand June bugs every night. Our lawns would probably have less grubs and armadillos going after them too.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Another "Green" method is to put in bat houses to lure bats into your area. The bats would have a picnic instead of the bugs having you folks as a picnic. I think it was Patrick that mentioned they are attracted to the Carbon dioxide exhaled as we breath. Find a source of that to run near the zapper. Sit down in lawn chair far enough away and listen to the music (zap). I had a bucket full of them mosquito larvae. I wanted to see if bleach would kill them. Even with a high concentration of bleach them little buggers kept living.

 

[MrJimi]

My zapper use is a little different. Last week we had a wasp,mud dobber enter our home and we have 5 cockatiels in the same place, I went and plugged in the zapper and a few minutes later he/she got zapped 4 times and still living, I squashed it with a pair of pliers and problem solved.
Something to remember if this ever happens to you

 

[tallyho8]

I have a bug zapper on a timer outside my dog yard. The worst part is that when it comes on it always zapping lizards that get in it to eat the fried bugs.

 

[meadowlarkponds]

Amp,

There is a natural alternative although may or may not apply in your case. I have several ponds but no mosquitos...natural control via fish. Bluegill eat tremendous amounts of mos. larva. The mosquitos are attracted to the ponds to lay their eggs and they are consumed. I also have a lot of Gambusia, aka mosquito fish which eat them as well. Mosquitos simply are not a problem at my place.

The only use I can see for a bug zapper is to feed the fish.

 

[ray66v]

The placebo effect even works on bug zappers?

Countless tests have been conducted physically studying, and counting the actual dead bugs that the zapper has killed. Each one I have seen, has concluded that they are not an effective way to control biting mosquitoes. And are actually harmful by reducing beneficial insects, and driving off things that actually would have eaten the mosquitoes, and yet , some swear that they work???

 

[ampsucker]

thanks for all the responses!

yes, there are definitely reasons not to use the bug zapper and not to place it close to your night time outdoor gathering spots. when insects are zapped, the mini explosion can release bacteria and virii into the air. they may draw unwanted pests into the area. they may kill beneficial insects, etc.

in my situation i cannot drain the wet areas and cannot add fish, although if (and when) i have a pond, it will definitely be stocked with larvae eating fish species. there is a 40 acre field about a 1/4 mile away and it has flooded 3 times this spring. it looks like a lake right now. outside my control. there is a berm that directs water through our land. right now it is a small river. flowing water doesn't breed mosquitoes, but it has not been totally dry all spring and water pools in the low spots. i cannot regrade it and drain it this year. other parts of a the lawn hold water when it rains. little puddles all over. i cannot even get in to mow, it is so wet. nothing i can do this year.

all this water breeds millions of insects. i actually am interested in killing not only the skeeters but also "beneficial" insects as well. moths for example do not bite or sting, but they hover around the windows and doors just waiting to get in. i don't want them inside laying eggs in the clothes in the closets, etc. the other lights from the house attract bugs which attract spider, frogs, lizards that prey on the dying carcasess just outside the house. last week a spider fell on my wife, bounced off and landed on the 7 month old baby. she squased it. it was harmless, but none the less, scary for her and trauma for her equals trauma for me ;-)

i have tried shutting off the other outside lights and hanging the zappers a about 25-30 feet away from the porch. it has been only two nights. we'll see how it goes. i was just hoping for some good advice on any other novel techniques for using the zappers. it definitely is cheaper and safer than spraying, etc. we use repellants to keep the ticks and skeeters off us when we go outside away from the house and keep the pets treated monthly so they don't bring the little suckers around the house. so far, so good!

amp

 

[ikymojoe]

One thing I have tried here in Florida is trolling for deer flies. It works. Before a party or while mowing the yard, you could troll for deer flies to give your family relief for a while. The big balls are amusing for the family and work 24/7. It is humbling wearing the blue cup hat but you feel better know you have trapped the little ########.

Here is the scientific research:

Trolling Deer Fly Trap


Also, I have to change my outdoor bulbs to bug bulbs (cpf) to attract less bugs. I have also recently installed a bat box but no bats so far. Finally, our mosquito control people have been most helpful. They can give very good tips and even contact owners of adjacent lands to make corrective actions if necessary.

Sincerely,

Ikymojoe

 

[Treemonkey1000]

I have a small pond that was full of mosquito larvae. So I went to Wally world and bought some of the 28 cent goldfish.. They had a picnic eating them larvae.

 

[ampsucker]

hmmmm.... forgot about bats. that is very interesting and i have just the perfect open lean-to for a nice bat nesting area.

have to say i've never heard of trolling for deer flys. that is very novel. i (thankfully) haven't had much of a problem with them yet, but usually around here they show up in the hotter summer months like august.

during my earlier rant, i forgot to mention i can't count the number of times i've cleaned our light shades on the ceiling. they seem to catch every little insect that comes in the house and sets up rotation around the bulbs. another argument for not being selective in genocidally knocking off all flying insect species without remorse. it's not like we'll ever win the battle, anyway, nor are any on the endangered species list i'm aware of. (except the honey bee is having trouble these past few years. i don't think it's been linked to bug zapper use, though.)

amp

 

[patrick_g]

hmmmm.... forgot about bats. that is very interesting and i have just the perfect open lean-to for a nice bat nesting area.

amp

It is not always easy to get bats to nest in your bat houses but the houses are simple and cheap to build from plans on the internet so it is worth a try. Bats will eat mosquitoes. Purple martins eat more dragon flies which would have eaten mosquitoes.

Ickymojoe, That "trolling trap" is interesting.

There is another way to avoid mosquito bites and their danger of serious disease when outdoors. It simultaneously confers protection from chiggers and ticks. PERMETHRIN

Permethrin is the active ingredient in the shampoo used on kids with lice. It is also the treatment developed by the DoD for use by the troops who go where insect bites can be life threatening, not just inconvenient. There used to be Tech Orders giving instructions for treating your BDU's (Fatigues/cammies) but now the cloth is treated before it is made into uniforms. Permethrin binds strongly to the cotton fibers and lasts through 50 hot detergent washings and or a year of field use.

Mosquitoes will not bite you through treated cloth. Chiggers will not crawl across it. It jams the ticks sensors and they wander aimlessly, virtually never making it over a foot across treated cloth and then they fall off and many die.

Permethrin is used in cattle rubs for tick and fly control. It is sold in aerosol spray cans along side insect repellent at Wally World and other outlets. The spray cans are 0.5% Permethrin and will treat one outfit. You can buy Permethrin at an ag store in 10% concentration for $50-$70 a gallon (also in quarts and pints) A gallon will treat all my cotton outdoor long sleeved shirts, pants, and socks (you don't treat your undershorts or T shirts.) A gallon will treat my clothes and my wifes for 3 years for say $60. This is the equivalent of buying $1800 worth of spray cans at Wally World.

The 10% solution is diluted to 0.5% for application. That is one part 10% concentrate to 19 parts water. This gives a year of protection or 50 hot detergent washings. You can use less if you only need a few weeks protection.

This is one of the CDC Atlanta methods and is recommended my many health agencies.

When we first moved back to Oklahoma in 2001 mosquitoes, chiggers, and ticks really bummed us out. I did the research found the DoD/CDC method and used it. We do not get ticks and we don't get chiggers, and mosquitoes do not bite us through our clothes.

To protect the exposed areas of skin it is recommended that you use a 3M product called Ultrathion (also available at Wally World and other sellers.) It is a cream based time release DEET product. The DEET is microencapsulated in microscopic protein balls. The DEET lasts longer but you absorb less of it and it can be washed off when you come indoors. it is used on exposed flesh like wrists, back of your hands, neck, and face. Used with the Permethrin treated clothes you get around 99% protection from biting insects.

I treat my hats with Permethrin and it keeps lots of nuisance bugs away from my ears.

Don't spray yourself with Permethrin as your body chemistry breaks it down and it is ineffectual. It is used to treat cotton and cotton blend cloth. Once well dampened (not enough to run off) with 0.5% Permethrin solution and let dry, the cotton or high cotton content blend cloth confers protection for a year or 50 hot detergent washings.

Pat

 

[Charlie175]

The stuff I used in the Army would melt plastic...like my watches...wonder what it did to my skin?