<![CDATA[If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down.]]>If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down.

A University of Delaware study analyzed nearly 14,000 insects killed by zappers over one summer. Mosquitoes accounted for less than 1%. The other 99%? Moths, beetles, midges, fireflies, and other beneficial insects.

It's even worse than it sounds: mosquitoes find you by carbon dioxide, body heat, and skin chemistry. Your zapper is completely invisible to them.

Meanwhile it's running all night massacring the pollination night shift.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/topic/46920a2c-5bd3-4dcb-a570-26c7463979fc/if-you-have-a-bug-zapper-up-it-s-time-to-take-it-down.RSS for NodeFri, 01 May 2026 17:57:42 GMTTue, 14 Apr 2026 01:37:31 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:50:23 GMT]]>@dbattistella I've never had a zapper, but can you provide a link to the study?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://fediscience.org/users/Steve_Lindsay/statuses/116404087882518779https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://fediscience.org/users/Steve_Lindsay/statuses/116404087882518779Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:50:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:05:49 GMT]]>@dbattistella Use BTI instead.
https://www.epa.gov/mosquitocontrol/bti-mosquito-control

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://dotnet.social/users/bizcad/statuses/116403912658638205https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://dotnet.social/users/bizcad/statuses/116403912658638205Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:05:49 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:41:51 GMT]]>@dbattistella

SOFORT verbieten und raus aus dem Handel.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://norden.social/users/IngridAusOL/statuses/116403818439843267https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://norden.social/users/IngridAusOL/statuses/116403818439843267Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:41:51 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:09:03 GMT]]>@bovaz @dbattistella @ramkay Thank you, this makes much more sense

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/jawnsy/statuses/116403689452650403https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/jawnsy/statuses/116403689452650403Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:09:03 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:51:33 GMT]]>@dbattistella we have four in the house. They'll stay. No goddamn place for moths.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.sdf.org/users/the_turtle/statuses/116403620648157380https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.sdf.org/users/the_turtle/statuses/116403620648157380Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:51:33 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:46:31 GMT]]>@jawnsy@mastodon.social @ramkay@mastodon.social @dbattistella@mstdn.ca I think they meant decaliters. "1996 was three decaliters ago", as in they drank 30 liters of, presumably, water since them. So it's less than a month ago, which sounds about right.]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://misskey.social/notes/al2atun51chttps://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://misskey.social/notes/al2atun51cTue, 14 Apr 2026 14:46:31 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:44:04 GMT]]>@dbattistella If life gives you standing water, pour it out, and dig or set a BIGGER pool of standing water. ADD TADPOLES AND FISH. Enjoy the nightly frog music and fish with healthy mosquito-larvae-boosted fish fat.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://discuss.systems/users/RustedComputing/statuses/116403591243672207https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://discuss.systems/users/RustedComputing/statuses/116403591243672207Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:44:04 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:36:45 GMT]]>@jawnsy @bovaz @dbattistella

😂

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/ap/users/115888180927607750/statuses/116403562427073084https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/ap/users/115888180927607750/statuses/116403562427073084Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:36:45 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:33:39 GMT]]>@ramkay @bovaz @dbattistella 1996 cannot have been three decades ago 😭

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/jawnsy/statuses/116403550264142427https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/jawnsy/statuses/116403550264142427Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:33:39 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:20:35 GMT]]>@dbattistella oh, man, you were never at the barracks of Oggau, Burgenland, Austria ....

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://wien.rocks/users/ovrim/statuses/116403498848958442https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://wien.rocks/users/ovrim/statuses/116403498848958442Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:20:35 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:12:16 GMT]]>@dasgrueneblatt @dbattistella They seem to do an excellent job of wiping out mosquitos indoors.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/kittylyst/statuses/116403466188846505https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/kittylyst/statuses/116403466188846505Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:12:16 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:30:55 GMT]]>@dbattistella They also are killing pollinators.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://kzoo.to/users/Sckenai/statuses/116403303590351791https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://kzoo.to/users/Sckenai/statuses/116403303590351791Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:30:55 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:57:43 GMT]]>@kittylyst It's definitely true that those traps don't differentiate between species, and that they are rather bad at catching mosquitos. So why kill many more of the animals that would kill mosquitos if you want fewer mosquitos? Just for the satisfying sound of the kill?
@dbattistella

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://wien.rocks/users/dasgrueneblatt/statuses/116403173061372822https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://wien.rocks/users/dasgrueneblatt/statuses/116403173061372822Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:57:43 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:06:12 GMT]]>@dbattistella now I'm imagining a couple of bats saying to each other, "let's pop over to Bob's, he always serves those crispy fried moths".

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/womble/statuses/116402970441244008https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/womble/statuses/116402970441244008Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:06:12 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:50:52 GMT]]>@dbattistella was this post written by mosquitoes? I don't trust anyone any more

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://hear-me.social/ap/users/116256576622745527/statuses/116402910139655782https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://hear-me.social/ap/users/116256576622745527/statuses/116402910139655782Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:50:52 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:48:31 GMT]]>@dbattistella Anecdotal evidence or not, anyone who spends more than 10 minutes observing a zapper will notice that mosquitos are not the only insects it affects.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://fosstodon.org/users/cleantext/statuses/116402900895965699https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://fosstodon.org/users/cleantext/statuses/116402900895965699Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:48:31 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:32:00 GMT]]>@dbattistella mosquitoes are also pollinators

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://defcon.social/users/manchicken/statuses/116402835987464536https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://defcon.social/users/manchicken/statuses/116402835987464536Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:32:00 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:23:11 GMT]]>@dbattistella One 30-year old study that implies (but does not state) that they were looking at outdoor zappers, in one small, marshy area of Delaware, with a very small sample size is not much of a data point that can be universally applied.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/kittylyst/statuses/116402801321700571https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/kittylyst/statuses/116402801321700571Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:23:11 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:20:16 GMT]]>@dbattistella@mstdn.ca Admittedly it's different for indoor use. If I already have mosquitoes inside, running a small zapper with light and closing the door did wonders.

But of course, indoors almost no insects are beneficial to begin with.]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://misskey.de/notes/al23glzjmkhttps://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://misskey.de/notes/al23glzjmkTue, 14 Apr 2026 11:20:16 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:13:18 GMT]]>@bovaz @dbattistella

There is a low cost variation of a zapper in use

A light is in some kind of inverted covered lampside

Bugs get close and slip down or fall into a "trap bucket" . They dont die immediately, they are just trapped and eventually die of "being inescapably" trapped.

The trap buckets are cleaned once in a while, while the light also functions as a regular outdoor light.

Dried Dung has been used forever as a smoke based repellent, chemical ones are both lethal & non lethal

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/ap/users/115888180927607750/statuses/116402526513318890https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/ap/users/115888180927607750/statuses/116402526513318890Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:13:18 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:03:18 GMT]]>@ramkay@mastodon.social @dbattistella@mstdn.ca those zappers are cheap, and I still see them a lot.
Anecdotally, over the past few years I've seen a lot more "repellents": chemical or natural things you spray around, or those coils you burn. Hopefully those aren't as bad.]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://misskey.social/notes/al20pmsymnhttps://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://misskey.social/notes/al20pmsymnTue, 14 Apr 2026 10:03:18 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:33:44 GMT]]>@bovaz @dbattistella

Thanks for the news, and the article.

I too searched and found the same link, but what stood out , amongst other things is that this study is published in 1996. 3 decades ago. While this method has not changed there are likely newer methods, to kill insects, being used.

Wonder if anything has changed ( presence of insects, population of insects, other (ans alternative) methods and their effectiveness.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/ap/users/115888180927607750/statuses/116402370907571283https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/ap/users/115888180927607750/statuses/116402370907571283Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:33:44 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 07:27:29 GMT]]>@dbattistella@mstdn.ca It's anecdotal, I know, but when I clean out my small zappers it is 90% mosquitoes. I suppose it also heavily depends on where you are. I live near a creek and the mosquitoes are very much a problem. I have to clean out the zapper about twice a week and it is entirely mosquitoes. I have a healthy honey bee, wasp, and firefly population here.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://transfem.social/notes/al1v58z3bkls01chhttps://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://transfem.social/notes/al1v58z3bkls01chTue, 14 Apr 2026 07:27:29 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to If you have a bug zapper up, it's time to take it down. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 07:17:07 GMT]]>@dbattistella@mstdn.ca https://archive.org/details/biostor-76681
I think this is the study, for reference.]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://misskey.social/notes/al1urx16hrhttps://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://misskey.social/notes/al1urx16hrTue, 14 Apr 2026 07:17:07 GMT