I’ve tracked my zapper’s catch for a month: 87% moths, 8% beetles, 3% flies, 2% mosquitoes. Hardly worth the electricity for pest control, though fascinating for insect watching!
Most zappers use 365-400nm UV light. Mosquitoes are actually more attracted to 500-550nm (green-blue). That’s why they largely ignore traditional zappers.
After wasting $200 on zappers, I switched to propane mosquito traps. They mimic human breath (CO2 + moisture) and catch 10x more mosquitoes than any zapper I’ve tried.
Zappers kill thousands of aquatic insects nightly. If near water, they can disrupt local ecosystems by eliminating important food sources for bats and birds.
@IHeartMice is right about the gimmick factor. My ‘mosquito zapper’ caught 300 insects last month - only 2 were mosquitoes. The rest were harmless or beneficial species.
Install bat houses! A single bat eats 1,000+ mosquitoes nightly. More effective than zappers and completely eco-friendly.