As the weather begins to warm in spring and into summer, your mind should be on enjoying the outdoors and not on mosquitoes. There are several ways to control the mosquito population, but are bug zappers one of them?
Bug zappers can kill thousands of bugs throughout the summer, but how effective are they at killing mosquitoes?
Will a Bug Zapper Kill Mosquitoes?
Bug zappers are not great at killing mosquitoes. Sure, if one happens to fly into it, they will die, but mosquitoes won’t actively fly into the device purposefully. Why? Well, UV light doesn’t attract mosquitoes like it does flies and moths. Mosquitoes seek desirable locations based more on smell than sight.
Should You Use a Bug Zapper?
Ultimately, the decision is up to you, but there is strong evidence that bug zappers do more harm than good. Sure, it’s annoying to have bugs flying around you when you’re just trying to enjoy an early Summer evening on your porch or patio. However, bug zappers kill more insects that are harmless to humans than ones that bite or sting.
The University of Notre Dame found that a mere 0.22% of bugs killed in bug zappers of their 10-week study were of a biting or stinging nature. They found that many of the insects that fell victim to the bug zappers were moths, which play a much more significant role in pollination than we once thought.
Additionally, parasitic wasps make up the majority of insects killed by bug zappers during daytime hours. They are harmless to humans and most creatures larger than themselves, but they kill many pests that negatively impact agriculture. For example, they will lay their eggs inside of ticks, beetles, and aphids, ultimately killing them.
If Bug Zappers Don’t Work, How Do You Kill Mosquitoes?
The easiest and most effective way to kill mosquitoes is to do it before they can fly. The reason why this works so well is because, as eggs or larvae, they are all closely packed together and can’t fly away. You can do this by adding things like dish soap, cooking oil, apple cider vinegar, or coffee grounds to the water where the young mosquitoes live.
If you’re too late and have an adult infestation, you can kill them by getting a mosquito trap. There are many on the market, but one of the most effective designs involves CO2 emissions and certain colors and patterns to lure them in and trap them.
Keep Mosquitoes at Bay With Sprinkler Magician
Sprinkler Magician is our patented mosquito-repelling machine. It incorporates into your existing sprinkler system and is completely automated. Our system pumps one of our concentrates into the irrigation system and it catches a ride with the water to cover your grass.
It will kill mosquitoes on impact and repel others for up to two weeks. What’s more, the all-natural active ingredients will also act as larvicides and prevent maturing mosquitoes from ever leaving nearby water.
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