Avoid bug zappers, experts say. Instead, try these evidence-backed traps and other strategies to stay safe.
Mosquitoes can quickly make a pleasantly warm evening unbearable—so much so that you might decide to stay inside rather than deal with the annoying, biting pests.
You might think that a bug zapper is the solution to taking back your yard. But mosquito control experts don’t think highly of those devices, which rely on ultraviolet light to attract any sort of flying insect before giving them a deadly jolt.
Stopping mosquitoes is an important goal, these experts say. After all, they’re not only annoyances but also disease vectors that may carry viruses like West Nile, dengue, Zika, and chikungunya.
There are some mosquito lures and traps that work under the right circumstances, says Daniel Markowski, PhD, technical advisor to the American Mosquito Control Association. But bug-zapping devices aren’t on that list.
“When you’re hearing your bug zapper go all night, it’s killing moths and midges and beetles, beneficial good insects, and very few if any mosquitoes at all,” he says.
Article by Consumer Reports continues here: How to Find a Mosquito Trap That Actually Works