It’s Time to Put Away the Bug Zappers

They work, all right — but probably not on the bugs you want to see dead.

Look him in the cute widdle face and tell him that you want him dead. Photo by Henry Lai on Unsplash

Growing up in the Midwest region of the United States, we didn’t just have to coat ourselves in sunscreen — we also needed bug spray.

And I’m talking about the serious stuff, with nasty, neurotoxic DEET in them. It turns out that the “land of ten thousand lakes” offers a lot of stagnant water for mosquitos to breed in, and they emerged in swarms as the sun dropped below the horizon each night. Sometimes, swarms felt so thick that you were practically choking, mosquitoes eagerly flying towards any source of carbon dioxide — including your mouth.

There’s a whole host of bug-killing methods marketed to help humans enjoy their Midwestern picnics and outdoor time beyond around 5:00 PM. Along with bug sprays, there are:

• lanterns,
• candles,
• various products derived from the Citronella (lemongrass) plant,
• sonic noise emitters,
• wearable gadgets,
• heating coil diffusers,
• and the classic bug zapper.

I’ve seen most of these in action. They’ve been reviewed.