Collected together on this page are extracts of research articles published
about bug zappers including links to the original sources.
Your complete guide to why you shouldn't buy one!
Our Bug eater is not an insect zapper- it works on
a completely different principle.
Electrocution of House Flies in Bug Zappers Releases Bacteria and VirusesJames E. Urban, Department of Entomology, Kansas State University [Source]
Our studies show that when Bug Zappers kill insects they stimulate the release of large numbers of bacteria or viruses which may be on the insect surface. Further the zappers produce insect parts such as scales, hairs, and insect body parts. In aggregate, the results show that bug zappers not only pose an immediate threat because of the release of bacteria and viruses, but they also release insect particles which are potential allergens and/ or cause various respiratory conditions such as asthma, rhinitis, and conjunctivitis. |
Want something that actually works? The bugeater kills mosquitos by drowning, not zapping It controls mosquitoes without pesticides or insecticides, safe for organic pest control, because the only chemical it uses is household detergent. Unlike mosquito magnets, it requires no refills. It does not blast bits of bug bodies all over the place, so it is safe in food areas. No high voltage grid and no poisons, so it is safe to leave the bug eater in the backyard |
The Calliope Crier, newsletter of the Yakima Valley Audubon Society. [Source]
For instance,
a study by the University of Delaware [ published in Entomological News 107(2):
77-82] at Newark analyzed 13,789 insects zapped by electric traps and found
only 31 - fewer than 1/4 % - were biting bugs, "seeking blood meals at the expense
of homeowners." Nearly half were non-biting aquatic insects such as caddis flies
and midges that feed fish, frogs, birds and bats, the study found. And another
14% were insects that actually attack pests, such as wasps, ground beetles and
ladybugs. "The heavy toll on nontarget insects and the near absence of biting
flies in catches suggest that electric insect traps are worthless for biting
fly reduction," concluded Douglas W. Tallamy and Timothy B. Frick, who conducted
the study.
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Horticultural & Home pest news June 14, 1996 issue, p. 97. [Source] This study (referring to Frick & Tallamy 1996) would indicate they are worst than worthless because of the large number of harmless and beneficial insects they kill. Extrapolations calculated by the authors indicate that 4 million bug zappers (4 years worth of approximated sales in the U.S.) operating for 40 nights each summer, would destroy in excess of 71 billion nontarget insects each year. And the number of mosquitoes would still be the same as before. It is clear you should save your money! Dr Beetle [Source]
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What we are talking about here is a long term approach to mosquito control, not just a quick fix.
Although the female is the biting mozzie, the key to eliminating mozzies is to kill off the males (the ones that don't bite). Mozzies don't travel far, so if you kill off the males, you eliminate the population entirely. The bugeater has a specially formulated UV light that attracts the male and then drowns it. What we are talking about here is a long term approach to mosquito control, not just a quick fix. So while your immediate concern is the little devils that are biting you now, the solution is to target and eliminate the entire breeding population! After using the bug eater, there is a noticeable drop in the population after 2 weeks, and with in a month of using it there are virtually no more mozzies. |
The New York Times
By CAROL KAESUK YOON Published: March 18, 1997 [Source]
Bug-zappers,
those sizzling, glowing fixtures in many a suburban yard, kill billions of insects
each year -- but hardly any are mosquitoes or other biting pests, a study of
six of the devices has found. Dr. Douglas W. Tallamy, an entomologist at the
University of Delaware in Newark, recruited a high school student, Timothy B.
Frick, to collect all of the insects killed over the course of one summer by
zappers in six yards in Newark. They counted 13,789 dead bugs, but only 31 were
biting flies. Nearly all the neighborhoods' biting flies remained on the wing
to torment the zappers' owners.
The zapper, Dr. Tallamy concluded, "is a totally useless device" The bug-zappers' haul included nearly 2,000 potentially beneficial insects that prey on or parasitize other bugs. In addition, thousands of harmless species, including esthetically pleasing creatures like fireflies and scarab beetles, were grilled right along with the season's burgers and hot dogs.
The study, reported in a recent issue of Entomological News, confirms earlier research suggesting that the comfort people derive from zappers is almost totally psychological, heightened with every sizzle as another insect bites the dust.
The
Bugeater is an Australian design, tried and tested since 2001
Don't buy the cheap imitations that are being imported from China
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is an enterprise of J&W Carmichael ABN 48 750 611 700 53a High Street, Taree NSW Australia 2430 PO Box 525 Matraville NSW 2036 email: 
02 6552 4188 voice |
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| No zapping - kills by drowning |
Are you looking for something a bit cheaper? Have a look at these mosquito traps Australia
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It
has been shown that these devices are ineffective in reducing local pest
insects (Surgeoner & Helson 1977). In fact, it is now known that the probability
of being bitten by mosquitoes increases in the vicinity of these 
Don't
buy them. They don't work!! I have lost too many of my dear beetle cousins
to these monstrosities, all in the name of trying to control mosquitoes
in a way that scientific study and common sense will both tell you does
not work. The bug zappers, mozzy zappers, electrocuters, are fakes, and
the manufacturers are only interested in taking your money, and giving
your phobias and ignorance a ride. One study found that millions of live
bacteria and viruses were released when insects were disintegrated by
the zap. This effect is especially dangerous around food preparation areas.
Zappers will explode insects, spraying their body parts and a cloud of
bacteria into the atmosphere. Insect particles can be particularly allergenic
to some humans (I'm sure that clouds of any animal disintegrations would
be allergenic)