best way to use bug zapper

MrJimi · Jun 10, 2008

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 · Jun 10, 2008

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 · Jun 10, 2008

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 · Jun 10, 2008

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 · Jun 11, 2008

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 · Jun 11, 2008

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 · Jun 11, 2008

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 · Jun 11, 2008

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 · Jun 12, 2008

ampsucker said:
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