juicy: Do you remember where you read that bug zappers kill more beneficials than harmful insects?

Hi marylandmojo,

Here is one article, older but interesting nonetheless (well I found it interesting anyhow :)-

Here is a link that might be useful: Bug Zappers are Harmful, Not Helpful

I didn't even know people still had bug zappers...I haven't seen (or heard) one in years and don't remember seeing them for sale anywhere anymore...

juicylucy: What an extraordinary article...in a number of ways. Done in Delaware, which borders my state, of all things, but completely opposed to anything I've ever seen. In 1984, my next-door neighbor installed two bug zappers, and used to catch (in a muslin or cheesecloth bag beneath the zappers), and count the insects caught nightly. The Delaware article quoted 13,789 insects caught in an entire summer. My neighbor used to count in the neighborhood of 500 insects a night, per zapper, on an average night. At that rate, he would catch in the neighborhood of 60,000 in a summer--June, July, August, September. The Delaware study indicated narly half were aquatic insects (although it fails to mention any types or varieties); I don't remember seeing what I would consider an aquatic insect in his catches, although, I must say, that we're not near water. The Delaware article mentioned 13.5% being beneficial--mostly ground beetles and parasitic wasps. I don't remember ever seeing a wasp in his catches--but he caught them at night, of course; the zapper had a photovoltaic cell that turned it on at dark and off at daylight. His catches were almost exclusively night-flying moths and mosquitoes (though no determination of sex, on the mosquitoes). Interesting that my observations and the Delaware article are night and day opposed to one another. Thanks for the link to the article. If I'm unable to find results from such a study in my area (Baltimore-Washington suburbs), I believe I'll start my own mini-study.

"aquatic insects"...mosquitoes start off in water, wonder if they meant them?
Someone on the fruits forum uses zappers in his orchard to zap coddling moths which lay eggs on fruit at night. I'm thinking about the same and also to zap corn borers & earworm moths at nite. Need to do more research first.