I read in USA Today about a scientific study that shows a housefly zapped by one of those backyard bug-zappers emits a six-foot diameter explosion of bacterial and viral debris. The article went on to state “a common housefly carries with it more microbes than 100 cockroaches” and “the cloud has not been shown to be harmful to humans.” Ugh. I didn’t mean to spoil that picnic, but this sounds eerily similar to the toilet-flush aerosol… anyone have the straight dope on these “facts”?
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- I recall reading that some researcher had shown that electric bug zappers were practically useless. Most people polled who bought them did so to control mosquitoes, but the devices usually kill moths, beetles and other benign insects. Mosquitoes aren’t particularly attracted to them. One study he did found that out of 4000+ insects killed, only three of them were mosquitoes and it wasn’t possible to detirmine if they were even female. One of the bugzapper companies threatened (or tried?) to sue him for slander. I dunno what happened next.
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- I do know that I don’t like the things. Or the retard people that leave them on all the time every night in the summer time whether the people are actually outside or not. I suppose that they think that they will be able to kill all the bugs in the entire state, but the noise is annoying and the smell of fried Japanese beetle is not pleasant. - MC
I heard that report on the radio news this morning, then read it in the local newspaper. The newspaper went so far as to say the researchers recommend not useing bug zappers in the vicinity of “children, the elderly, or food preparation areas” due to the debris. Apparently the zappers make an inhalable mist out of the bugs and any germs that it may carrying, externally and/or internally. Makes that ZZZT! sound much less appealing, IMHO.
The overwhelming majority of people have more than the average (mean) number of legs. – E. Grebenik