While the UV light in the electric bug zapper in
your yard may attract and kill a few mosquitoes, you (or rather the
carbon dioxide you exhale) will continue to be a much more powerful
attractant. Mosquitoes are extremely sensitive to low levels of
carbon dioxide and even if some are drawn to your yard by the
light, they will quickly zero in on you.
What the bug zappers do attract and kill are
thousands of beneficial insects. It is estimated that these devices
kill 71 billion non-target insects every year in the United States.
In a University of Florida study, of the 10,000 insects destroyed
by one bug zapper during a one-night test, only eight were
mosquitoes. It is much more cost effective to invest in protective
clothing or insect repellent for mosquitoes, horseflies, dogflies
or deerflies and leave the "good" bugs alone.
Persons with Disabilities