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Do Bug Zappers really work?

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Although bug zappers have been in used for decades, recent studies have questioned their effectiveness.

In 1994, Timothy Frick and Douglas Tallamy identified the kills from six bug zappers placed at various sites around suburban Newark, Delaware. Nearly 14,000 insects that were electrocuted and counted, 31 of them (0.22%) were mosquitoes and biting gnats. That majority (6,670 or 48%) were aquatic insects from nearby streams, rivers and midges that are completely harmless. In their 1996 report, Frick and Tallamy claimed that this mass killing of certain species harmless insects harm the ecosystems.

There is another report by researches at Kansas State that made a case that bug zappers do more harm than good.

According to this report, when bug zappers electrocute insects, a shower of microorganisms, including viruses and bacteria are showered into the surrounding area.

The researchers recommend not using bug zappers in areas where food is handled, around medical facilities or around daycares.

"The bug zapper is probably not the method of choice of killing insects because it might actually aggravate the situation, in terms of a microbial spread," said researcher James Urban, a K-State associate professor of biology.

Urban conducted the study along with Alberto Broce, a professor of entomology; Kim Huntzinger, a recent K-State microbiology graduate; and Kent Hampton, an entomology research assistant. The result of their findings were presented Wednesday at the American Society for Microbiology's conference in Chicago.

Sources
http://home.howstuffworks.com/bug-zapper.htm
http://www.mediarelations.ksu.edu/WEB/News/NewsReleases/bugs629.html
http://www.nextag.com/bug-zapper/search-html

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