Are Bug Zappers Bad for the Environment?

July 11th, 2006

Bug Zappers – I hate them!  Most people hate them, but since there are so many bugs flying around the lights in the summertime, there seems to be no other choice.

I don’t get it though – they make me nervous.  You are aware of every bug that is killed and you can hear it frying on the light, I HATE them.  I remember one year at my mom’s house in South Dakota there was an infestation of moths (it seems like there’s something new there every year, one time it was grasshoppers, then snakes, and now a drought and very bad sticker bushes), anyway, the moths were so bad, we decided to put up a bug zapper.  I’ll tell you, I never heard so much zapping and saw so many “feathers” flying!  We almost started a fire!

That’s not exactly a funny story, but it is true.  The problem with the zappers though is they can destroy the beneficial insects that keep the harmful insects away, and this makes the problem even worse.

The best thing to do is to try to get rid of any standing water you have around, and maybe even try the mosquito larva killer if you have a pond.  Fish in a pond will also eat mosquito larva, so that’s an even better option.

Entry Filed under: Pest Control