I recently moved to a very wooded 4 acres, and am expecting lots of flying fiends when the weather gets better. I have been thinking about getting one of those electronic insect killers, the ones with the blue glow. Home Depot has one, 40 watts @$35. Doe they really work, or does the glow just attract more bugs? I like to sit on the deck in the evening, and don't feel like bathing myself with deet.
Thanks,
Frank
------------------------------- Yes, they do work for phototrophic insects. The idea, however, is to set it up some distance from where you'll be sitting so the buggers go to the light instead of you.
I've got one. It doesn't do much good. Citronella candles are the best but even they don't eliminate the problem. ds
With 4 acres of woods, it will work just great. You will have more bugs around that you ever thought possible. It will bring them from all over the area.
I had one hanging on the garage, away from the house. It attracted lots of bugs and of course we still had some near the house also. It burned out and I found I had less bugs everywhere, including the door to the house.
Keep the lights low and it will do more than any zapper. They don't work for the mosquitoes anyway and that is the most problematic bug when sitting out, IMO. Ed
Keep one thing in mind. To kill the bugs it has to attract the bugs and it will never kill all of them. Now with that large a lot, you _may_ get some relief if you place several as far away from the area you want to protect as possible.
It is hard to predict as there are different kinds of the critters and some systems work better with some than others.
The best bet is to eliminate breading areas on your lot and get everyone around you to do the same.
Hi Frank! I have a problem sitting out on my deck at dusk, the mosquitos! I was reading in Consumer Reports about a product I have seen for sale at the Home Depot called "Mosquito Magnet Liberty" which creates carbon dioxide in the air simulating human breathing which attracts mosquitos! I was unsure of investing nearly $500 in one of these devices but Consumer Reports says they work and one of my wife's friends at work has bought one and she claims it is keeping the mosquitos away from her in her yard.
Regards, Bill
Yes, Consumer Reports did say they work, but they did have some reservations about them.
" .. test were conducted in a lab, not outdoors. Sill, they indicate that IF (my emphasis) traps are continuously operated under the right conditions, they can reduce... After paying hundreds of dollars for the device itself, you'll pay $20 - $25 a month ... therefore consider low-tech approaches first..."
Think bats.
Keep in mind that not all bugs are atracted to those things, and the ones attracted to bugzappers are probably ones you would rather spare.
Bugzappers don't attract mosquitoes much. They do attract lacewings, which are a natural enemy of aphids and scale insects. But most of the year, aphids do not have wings and scale insects never have wings, so bugzappers can increase the populations of those. And killing flying insects off can decrease the food supply for enemies of mosquitoes such as bats. Bugzappers may give you much fewer bats while not killing many mosquitoes. The result can be more mosquitoes.
Bugzappers appear to be good at attracting moths and leafhoppers. Although moth larvae eat plants/tree leaves and leafhoppers suck sap out of them, I would recommend against trying to kill them off unless you have plants/trees actually being noticeably harmed by them. I think you are beter off keeping those insects around to keep bats, dragonflies, and flying-insect-eating birds around so that they eat your mosquitoes.
- Don Klipstein ( snipped-for-privacy@misty.com)
Frank:
FD> I recently moved to a very wooded 4 acres, and am expecting lots of FD> flying fiends when the weather gets better. FD> I have been thinking about getting one of those electronic insect FD> killers, the ones with the blue glow. FD> Home Depot has one, 40 watts @$35. FD> Doe they really work, or does the glow just attract more bugs? FD> I like to sit on the deck in the evening, and don't feel like bathing mysel
FD> with deet.
While not having four acres we do have a line of trees along the back boundary and trees in the middle of our yard and the neighbours. We have had a couple of 'bug zappers', of different types. My experience is they don't work. Have also read they attract and therefore kill beneficial insects while the ones we desire to rid ourselves of generally ignore the electronic bait.
An outdoor ceiling fan might be more beneficial than the zapper.
- ¯ barry.martinþATþthesafebbs.zeppole.com ®
A screen house is a better investment.
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