Conference 7.286::home_work

    To add to this, will these 'bug zappers' keep the bugs away from
    the outdoor lights for entrance?  For instance, The light by my
    kitchen door attracts thousands of the little buggers, and they're
    all over the siding too.  If a zapper was placed near that light,
    will it get rid of most of the bugs?
    
    John (never lived in the 'burbs')

    I tried a bug zapper one summer.  It was a rather large Sunbeam
    one from Spags.  I live in the woods.  There are (almost) an infinite number
    of bugs.  The zapper probably killed 100,000, and I liked hearing
    the sound of bugs snapping at the zapper on all the hot summer nights. 
    However, an infinite number minus 100,000 is still an infinite number,
    so I sold the zapper in the fall.  
    
    That's my theory.  I don't think they help much.
    

I'm told zappers don't help much the first year.  They work on the 
theory that each breeding pair that is killed reduces next years bug 
population by some number.  You'll never kill them all, but over the 
course of two years you bring them down to a reasonable concentration. 

So this year, all the bugs you see are from eggs laid last year.  The 
zapper kills some of them, but not enough to make much difference.  If 
you install the light before egg-laying season this year, you might see 
a small reduction next year and a larger reduction the year after that. 

Since you're going for the long-term solution, you want to keep the 
zapper on all the time, and not just when you're sitting on the porch.

						>>>==>PStJTT

    I think the main reason to turn it on and leave it on is that it
    saves wear and tear on the high voltage transformer (usually the
    first thing to go).
    
    My neighbor has one going from March through late October and it's
    almost constantly "buzzing" with fried flies.

    I also tried a Bug-Zapper one summer to no avail. It zapped bugs
    constantly, but did little to reduce the population around the house
    at night. I don't know about the long term effect, the zapper commited
    "suicide" after about six weeks. The feed wire for the grids shorted
    out. I brought it back to Spag's and got my money back.

    Charly

	How much of an effect does leaving it on all the time have on 
	your electric bill?  Hard to say if it would be worth it, but
	I have to admit to a morbid enjoyment of listening to exploding
	mosquitos.

    A couple of weeks ago, I put our "zapper" out for the 4th season.
    I leave it on all of the time, except when you get a really cold
    night (the bugs are keeping warm somewhere, just like you!!).
    After the first year, I was disappointed.  Sure, the Zapper attracted
    a lot of the bugs, but there were still a lot around.  With
    each subsequent year, the amount got less and less.  Once I
    installed ours this year, it attracted most all of the bugs to
    itself - and the rest of the area stayed pretty bug-free.  Of
    course, if you leave another light on, or have a warm grill or
    pool filter, you'll attract the bugs there.
    
    My primary reason for getting the zapper was to give my dog some
    peace of mind during the evening - some light to see by, and to
    attract the bugs to the far end of the fenced-in yard.  It seems
    to do that well.  As far as leaving it on all of the time, it doesn't
    seem to make much of a dent in the bill, especially if you aren't
    zapping anything.
    
    We have a Charmglow 40watt light (sold under Montgomery Wards name).
    Seems to have held up fine - just had to replace the light after
    3 years.
    
    If you wanna go the zapper route - here's what to do:
    
    1. Get one rated for an area much larger than you intend to do (you
       attract bugs from other yards, too)
    2. Place the zapper at the far end of the area you wanna control,
       at a level the bugs can see it (i.e. if u have a deck, put the
       light high enough to attract bugs at deck-level as well as ground
       level)
    3. Run the unit most all of the time
    4. Use the yellow "no bug" lights around your doors - will keep
       the bugs away from the house for the most part.
    5. keep the grid clean on the zapper - use a shop vac in "blow"
       mode instead of "suck" mode to clean off the old debris without
       taking zapper apart.
    
    
    Hope this helps,
    Andy
    

    I bought the Sears Best model 3 years ago and have been quite pleased.
    The model I have has a light sensor which turns the light bulbs
    on and off.  The electrified grid stays on all the time.  Only
    needed to replace one light bulb (available at Spags).
    
    It does a pretty good job of attracting the bugs to one side of
    the yard.  I agree with the idea that it takes 2 years to be effective.
    Also the sizzle and crackle of bugs is great... the taste of revenge!
    
    The best noise makers are the gypsy moths.
    
    -al

    
    I'd like to ask a question here; Do the bug zappers attract
    mosquito's??  
    
    From all I've heard of mosquito's they would not be attracted to
    a zapper, as they are attracted by smell and heat.
    
    What's the buzz?
    
    Ray

I wouldn't have thought that insects were that localized.  I imagine that even 
if the bug zapper were capable of killing all the bugs in your immediate area, 
then this would create a 'bug vacuum' which would suck in all the surrounding 
bugs.  I suppose if you had a whole neighborhood of bug zappers it could work,
but I really can't believe that the 'cumulative effect' over several years is 
anything other than either: 1) imagination, or 2) cooincidentally occurring 
fluctuations in the bug population due to environmental factors.

Of course I may be all wrong, but this cumulative effect doesn't make any sense 
to me.

Paul

    re: .10
    
    Paul - I think the key is the location of the zapper.  If you
    have it near a "breeding" zone, then you start to decrease
    the population going back to that area to breed again.  What
    I've found is the "over time" syndrome has started to reduce
    the number of mosquitoes in my back yard.  However, in the
    front yard, where the light isn't visible, the bugs are just
    the same.....
    
    re: a few back
    
    about attracting mosquitoes - I believe mosquitoes also are attracted
    to light - I know if I leave the light on over my front door that
    the thing is crawling with mosquitoes after a little while - where
    if I leave the light off, they're few and far between.  Take it
    from me - turning the zapper on attracts enough mosquitoes to keep
    the zapper busy.  Funny thing - if you walk by the zapper at night
    with a white shirt on - the "black light" on the zapper makes your
    shirt glow white, and the bugs start going to you instead of
    the zapper's light - so keep your distance!!
    
    andy
    

    
    	This is sort of off the subject - however -
    
    	There was a great commercial on TV for a bug zapper.
    
    	The commercial starred Vincent Price giving a sales pitch for
    some visa card, and he goes on about all the good stuuf you can
    buy with it.  THEN he turns his head saying, and heres what I bought
    
    - here he is looking at his bug zapper thats turned on and he says
      with very wide eyes  - ISN'T IT WONDERFUL - as a bug flys in.
    
    It was really funny
    
    						Tom
    
    

Having written .0, I want to thank everyone for the"Everything you 
ever wanted to know" feedback.  This is an excellent case of HOME_WORK 
at its best.
			Thanx again
				/j  (no longer 'bugged')

    My experience has been that zappers really do attract bugs,
    They even attract the bugs from everybody else's yard. The
    major drawback seems to be that these guys don't mind stopping
    off for a nip of draft in route to the light.  If you surround
    yourself with 3-4 zappers you have a better chance of not
    inviting the neighbors to have dinner on you.
    
    Some years ago, I was involved in a New York state mosquito
    study.  Each day I collected the contents of a trap and sent
    them off to be classified and counted.  The trap consisted
    of a light and a fan to bag the suckers.  So light does attract
    mosquitoes.  The traps were in operation for several years
    and the number of those suckers varied with the seasons,
    up and down.  My belief is that the trap didn't affect the
    number, the weather did.

    
    - gerry

    I used to own a bug splasher. It was the usual light, plus a
    fan to suck the buggers into a reservoir of water (with a little
    soap added to break the surface tension), where they drowned.
    
    If you didn't empty the thing out every morning it got so full
    that the dead insects would rot and stink. After a couple of
    days of ignoring it at the height of summer there was a layer
    of about 1/2 inch of soggy dead bugs at the top of it.
    
    Stopped using it after awhile - too much trouble. In Carlisle
    killing mosquitos is like removing sand from the beach a grain
    at a time, anyway.

    RE: .15
    
    Thanks.  I choked on my sandwich as I read your reply.
    
    
    
    Looks like another religion forming here (right Charly)!  The
    Bug-Zapper-Believers vs. the Bug-Zapper-Atheists...
    
    
    
    I think I'm an antheist.  Hard to believe one little zapper could
    take on all those bugs.
    

    I'm lucky enough to have a supply of natural bug zappers -
    dragonflies and frogs.  They seem to do an excellent job.

    Have you ever seen those bird apartment houses around the
    suburbs?  Those are intended to attract Purple Martins, a
    bird whose favorite diet is mosquitoes.  An adult will consume
    in excess of 1000 of those buggers a day.
    
    - gerry

    re: purple martins
    
    Sure, 1000 bugs/day, but do the pop and sizzle when they do it?
    Nah, just a few chirps now and then.
    
    Revenge, pure and simple, is my motivation for having two zappers.
    
    -joet

	Bats....

    I just recently saw an article about building a "bat house" for
    your home for the purpose of insect control.
    
    j
    

>    I just recently saw an article about building a "bat house" for
>    your home for the purpose of insect control.
    
Does it have a bat-pole and a bat-computer?  :-}
    

    
    re; -1 and -2
    
    Does it have a bat-room?   ;^)

    Ok, now that opinions, pros and cons are about 50-50, and I'm not
    convinced enough to buy one, I'd still like to know how to (if)
    reduce the amount of these buggers at the entrance-ways.
    
    I've replaced the light-bulbs with the yellow bug lights, and
    surprisingly, it made quite a difference, although the brightness
    (lumens) is much less.  I was wondering if there's anything that
    can be sprayed on the siding and doors to prevent bugs from hanging
    around, without discoloring or ruining the siding (cedar, oil base
    solid stain).  Thanks.

    About those Purple Martin bird apartment houses...  Why do they
    have to look like that?  Are the Purple Martins particular finicky
    about where they want to hang out?  Why don't other generic birds
    take up shelter there also?
    
    -al

>    Are the Purple Martins particular finicky
>    about where they want to hang out?  Why don't other generic birds
>    take up shelter there also?
 
    
    Purple Martins love apartment life and don't admit other birds
    to their tenants association unless they have purple feathers.
    It is rare to see a lone couple.
    
    In the common event that an apartment complex fails to attract
    Martins, other birds often take out a lease.
   

    - gerry

    I have been trying to paint my deck on my house in Mason, N.H.
    This is in the woods, the flying insects are unbelievable. So I
    finally got an 80 watt bug killer from sears, 69.00  The first night
    that I had it running, it was killing bugs solid for 4 hours. Then
    it started slowing down. The next night the same, for the next three
    days. Now after a week of doing its thing, when it gets dark enough,
    off it goes for about an hour then slows to a crawl. One nice thing
    it attracts a particular type of moth, I do not know why, it is
    a LUNA moth. it is green and has four spots on the wings, it is
    about 4" by 2 1/2, it is very beautiful.
    
    The zapper seems to be doing the job. I do not know if is making
    a dent in the mosquito population.
    
    Dave
    

    Follow on message to the last one.
    I purchased a zapper from Brookstones, all that one did was to attrack
    moths.the palstic grid on the outside of the unit, was too big,
    it let all the moths in.
    
    The sears one, has smaller palstic grid on the outside. 
    

    re: .9 ('Bout mosquitoes?)
    
    I've got a 40 Watt Flotec that I've been using for three seasons
    now (in the woods). It does a great job, but as others have said
    'An almost infinite number of bugs less a large number of them is
    still an almost infinite number' and hence 'the sound of the crackling
    suckers is where the satisfaction lies'. Anyway, when I got mine
    they included a brochure offering several accessories (hangers,
    etc.). One was a mosquito lure. They explained that mosquitoes tend
    to be drawn by warmth, moisture and carbon dioxide (not sure I buy
    that) so the obvious lure was - a propane burner!
    I didn't get one, but I have noticed (by observation of fried
    exoskelatons) that the thing DOES attract and kill MANY mosquitoes.
    
    -Jack
    

    I've seen a lot of opinions here, and have heard enough people say
    that they took their zappers back to the store or have stopped using
    them that I wonder if they are worth having.
    
    I'm NOT interested in revenge, but would like to be able to sit
    on my new deck without being eaten alive.  If I hang a zapper 15
    feet away from my ground level deck, will it help me a little, a 
    lot, or not at all?
    
          Andrew

    	The idea of of a bug zapper is to use the "black light" to attract
    the bugs, then kill them with the high voltage. Placing the zapper
    that close to you porch will attract bugs to where you'll be sitting.
    
    	I suggest that you place the zapper where you want to attract
    the bugs to, whcih would obviously be AWAY from you. I have mine
    set-up about 75 feet away. It works ! I get bitten here and there,
    but I can imagine how bad it would be if I didn't have a zapper!
    It's gotta help !
    

    15 feet is too close, 30-40 feet would be better.  You may not
    be interested in revenge for now... but just wait til the little
    buggers suck your blood and you itch all over!
    
    -al

    I've had one for six years. Had it on all the time the first two,
    haven't plugged it in for the last four. Near as I could tell, it
    didn't make a difference.
    
    My neighbor has one now, evidently to keep the bugs away from the
    new pool. A few nights ago I was out moving the sprinkler after
    dusk. Standing about 50' from the zapper, I could here it exacting
    revenge only intermittently, but I had so many mosquitos on me I
    could feel my heels leaving the ground.
    
    The other great thing about zappers is when they wake you up in
    the middle of the night, doing a 10-minute deep fry on a big juicy
    moth. I've had to turn on my whole-house fan to drown out the noise
    of zappers two and three houses away. (Whole-house fans - now there's
    a good project to throw your hard earned money into...)

    Just about everyone in my neighborhood (except me) has a bug zapper.
    All those black lights sure do keep the bugs away from my property!
    
    Ken
    
    

    
         Its a proven scientific fact that in a given one square mile
    of forest land, that there are more flying insects than there are
    human beings on the planet earth.
    
         Figure it this way; The U.S. starts a war with China and kills
    a million people every year for ten straight years......Well guess
    what? After ten years, the soldiers keep on comming!
    
    Do you people know how big a pile of ONE MILLION dead mosquitos
    would be?
    
    Buy a bug zapper?    HA HA HAHAHAHA     NO!
    
    People tell other people that bug zappers work so that they can
    justify the money they just wasted on a piece of junk!
    -john
    

    	RE .35:
    
    I suppose then that mouse traps are a waste of money. Same thing
    goes for ant traps, and bug sprays too. They still keep coming!
    
    Even deodorant. After one day...phew ! Doesn't anything work these
    days ? 
    
    Even umbrellas..keeps raining...
    Even .....
    

    Re. .36
    
    IF you've got a mice population similar to the bug population described
    in .35, then You're RIGHT, don't waste you money with mouse traps.

    Call a movie producer and tell them that you've got the perfect
    location for the making of "Willard II, Sons of Willard, The return of
    Willard, Willard goes to camp, First Cheese, Willbo, etc...". :-) 

    Charly

re: effectiveness...

Seems that it's somewhat futile, I'll agree, but the sound of a bug 
(skeeter, mainly) frying certainly is more appealing that the sound of 
hands slapping skin or spraying noxious fluids on one and other's 
bodies.

I also remember that mosquitos are attracted by scent and carbon
monoxide from your breath. A while back (couple of years), Sears sold a
'lure' that attached to the pole that supported your zapper. It burned
propane, creating both heat and C_O-two, simulating the presence of
fresh meat. 

I haven't seen it since and wondered if any of you either remember it or 
know of someone who can attest to its effectiveness....not that I'm 
gonna run out an' buy one, mind you...just curious...

Dontcha just love the sound of zapping bugs! ;-)

    Someone may want to (and probably will) correct me, but I think that
    the insect repellants you apply to your skin (i.e. deet) are not in
    and of themselves toxic. They simply are unpleasant to insects
    (among other creatures), who avoid them.
    
    My impression was that if you sprayed a mosquito with Cutters it
    wouldn't necessarily kill it, except possibly via suicide when the
    bug couldn't stand being near itself. 

	Hey!!  I don't know if the thing really works or
	not -- but, how else do you know it's summer?
	Around our place it's a yearly ritual to plug
	the beast in and then stand around and take
	in the wonderful blue glow (only briefly, tho,
	or the bugs'll getcha!)

	(BTW, if you're a bird lover and you have one
	of those zappers with an open bottom, you might
	want to consider some kind of screening across
	the bottom.  We fried an average of 3 birds
	a year before we enclosed the bottom of ours.
	Seems the birds would try and pick the little
	bug bodies off the element.)

    Re. Bug repellant.
    
    Someone explained it to me this way. The bugs find you via heat,
    moisture and carbon dioxide. The repellant some how diables the bugs
    senses such that they can't find you. I don't know if its true or
    not... but as long as it works. 
    
    Has anyone heard about or tried "Skin so Soft" from Avone? Supposedly
    this soap product has the added effect of being an insect repellant. 

    Charly    

    re: Skin so Soft.  A friend who lives in the sticks in NH swears
    by it!
    
    C

    I had some perc tests done on Wednesday and while talking to the
    engineer he mentioned "Skin So Soft" too. Guess it must work. Wonder
    if AVON feels as good about this as TANG does about being a great
    iron stain remover? :-)
    

My wife uses Skin so Soft on our kids.  It does appear to work, 
although I personally prefer the good old DEET smell of Cutters or Off. :-)

Alex

    Personally, I don't think those zappers even BEGIN to make a dent
    in the insect population. On the other hand, my neighbor used to
    leave one on all summer long, and she never even spent much time
    in the great outdoors. To me, there is nothing more disconcerting
    than trying to get to sleep with all the windows open and having
    to CRINGE every time another bug met its maker. Besides, I've also
    noticed video AND audio interference every time the thing ZZZZAPS!!!
    
    Dave Busch
    

    Does any know which bugs are and aren't attracted to UV?  Seems
    that gnats do the most.  Bees/wasps/hornets/etc don't seem to be
    bothered by it.  My main concern is if mosquitoes are attracted
    to it?  Gypsy moths?
    
    -al

    It would appear that most biting insects are not attracted to UV.
    Bees and wasps are not night fliers and therefore not attracted.
    UV seems to be a powerful lure to moths but most moths are night
    fliers and I seem to recall that gypsy moths come out in the daylight
    making UV ineffective.
    
    - Rich

    re 18.19.
    Do you know where I can get some plans or where I can get one of
    these blue martin bird houses?
    
    Thanks dave
    

    RE 1177.49
    
>Do you know where I can get some plans or where I can get one of
>these blue martin bird houses?
 
    I bought a set of plans from my local lumberyard. The plans are for a
    24 unit house bolted to a pole. I modified the plans to allow me to
    raise and lower the house on the pole. If you want my set, just send me
    mail (DSTAR::SMICK) and I'll forward same to you. 
    
    In case it hasn't occurred to you, putting up a purple martin house
    is no insurance that said birds will take up residence. In my case
    I built a lovely house for the sparrows, wrens, etc. Haven't seen
    a purple martin this year!!!!!
    
    VCS
    

Well, a new summer is about to begin.  I have the following
question.  It follows on theoretical grounds from 
Murphy's Law of the Perversity of Nature that a bug zapper 
will kill more of whatever insects eat mosquitos
than it will kill mosquitos.

Can anyone confirm or deny this either experimentally or
by reference to any published article on the subject?  Thanks.

P.S.  If it was a wash regarding mosquitos but killed lots of
gypsy moths I'd buy one anyway.  A dead tree falling on you
hurts even more than a mosquito bite!

    Mosquitos are attracted by infrared (heat) and carbon dioxide; a
    good way of telling that a warm blooded animal is available for
    a meal.  Bug zappers use ultraviolet light which is useless for
    mosquitos but effective on many kinds of larger bugs that make a
    great noise when they hit the electrified screen.  This gives the
    appearance of being effective.  Where I live (Concord), we have
    screened in porches or we don't go out at night.

                One of the recent editions of Mass Audubons magazine
        that members get had an article on the bug zappers that
        concluded that not only didn't they kill very many of the bugs
        that bother you, but that they attracted more than would be
        there in the first place and also killed many of the benificial
        bugs that you would rather have around.
                
                I guess from that, that they don't believe that they are
        worth the money to get.
                
                /s/     Bob

    I bought a bug zapper of poor design.  The reason it was a poor
    design is that after 2 weeks the grid clogged with fried bug bodies
    and had to be cleaned (can you say "YUCK, GROSS ME OUT!", I knew
    you could).  Anyway from close personal study I can state that there
    are mosquitos in there, as well as moths of many varieties, and
    many bugs of a truly ugly description.  I don't use a zapper anymore.
    Anybody want to buy a $50 zapper for $10?
    
    There is something truly satisfying about a zapper though.  Just
    hearing the little bastards frying gives me a feeling of "evening
    the score" by just a little.  And I love the CITIBANK card commercial
    with Vincent Price *enjoying* his new zapper!
    
    A more important question generated by working in the yard last
    weekend is:
    
    	"IS there ANYTHING you can do about blackflies?"
    
    I am afraid not but the season is just beginning.
    
    Stan

    Recap of last year's Bug Zapper notes so we don't have to start from 
    ground zero again:
    
    I think it was generally agreed last year that the purpose of a
    bug zapper isn't to decrease the bug population, but rather to give
    the owner some satisfaction in hearing the rhythmatic snapping sound
    and the little high pitched cries of pain during electrocution.
    

    

    re .54
    
    Anything we can do about blackflies ??
    
    I just heard a success story about one of those $20 electronic noise
    makers.  Gives off an iritating high pitched whine that the bugs
    don't like. Only drawback is that it's not above the pitch that
    a lot of humans can hear.  I probably wouldn't hear it.
    
    The black flies didn't bother this lady at all last weekend.  They
    were having a meal on me - of me.
    

    My father was trying out one of those in Virginia last week when I
    was visiting. He's old enough (77) that he doesn't hear it; I could
    hear it clearly from at least 20 feet away (if not loudly).
    
    He seemed to think it made a difference, but the bugs didn't
    seem thick enough yet to make for a valid test. The summer should
    tell more. 

 Why don't all you folks just buy Dragonfly larve, I don't know off hand where
you can buy it, but you can get it, I believe they use it up in the MT. ponds
in NH and Maine for bug control.  They are like f-15 from hell for the skeet's!
I not sure about the black flies or noseems.

	The mosquito is somewhat like a cross between "Alien" and "Predator".
They use a variety of techniques to hunt you down. The primary attractant seems
to be Carbon Dioxide (Dry Ice is the bait used by the Pros). Also heat and
moisture (breath) are attractants. U-V light does attract some species, but some
scientists think that the slight heat produced by the bulbs is doing the work.

	The Zappers do a fine job of killing Lacewings, a major predator of
nasties, and perhaps other beneficial insects (there are such things).

	I've taken the lights out of my zapper but left the grid energized. Now
I'm looking for a source of dry ice to use as bait. After 10 years of using the
thing with lights I can say that it DOES NOT make a major dent in the mosquito
population, DOES NOT kill blackflies or deerflies or horseflies or ticks or 
noseeums or leeches (we have all these in New Ipswich NH).

	About late July, I notice a significant decline in the mosquito 
population. Why?? not the Zapper but our friends the predators.

	1. Bats (up to 3000 a night/per bat)
	2. Dragonflies (I once saw one eat the head off a deerfly (satisfying!)
	3. birds (martins and flycatchers)
	4. toads and snakes and spiders oh my
	5. Viruses specific to blackfly larvae
	6. mosquitoes that eat other mosquitos (strange ain't it)
	7. a variety of fish (I don't recall the type) that LOVES the larvae

	I just built some bat houses (plans available from Bat Conservation
International). I also intend to build more birdhouses, soak myself in 
Skin-so-soft (which kinda works), eat vitamin B-1 which doesn't work, turn on
my ultrasonic-repellant (which cost me $9.95 and DIDN'T work) and enjoy
the summer.


		Bat Conservation International	Plans are $2.25
		P.O. Box 162603
		Austin Texas 78716

    
    I've just heard from reliable sources that if you want to get eaten
    alive by mosquitos, eat lots of peanuts and/or bannanas.
    
    Apparently the peanut and bannana oil react with most peoples chemistry
    to produce a scent that they just love.

    Re .59
    
    Bat Conservation International?  Am I in the Dave Barry file by
    mistake?
    
    pbm
    

    Folks,
    
    I put a similar note (#74) in the LDP::BIOLOGY conference.
    
    The arguements in favor of bug zappers appears to consist only
    of peoples' subjective perceptions, and the hard evidence of a
    relatively few 'fried' mosquitos.
    
    The arguments against are persuasive in my view:
    
    As noted in previous replies, light has little to do with attracting
    blood-sucking insects, which use the heat and carbon dioxide emanating
    from our skin pours to select a victim.
    
    The bug zapper indiscriminately kills whatever flies (or crawls)
    to it. The Mass. Audubon Society magazine SANCTUARY (cited in an
    earlier reply) reports that only about 5% of the recorded kills
    were biting insects. The report confirms the experience of many
    participants here that most of the victims were flying creatures
    that are harmless or even helpful to humans. 
    
    Putting such a device even 40 feet away lures more insects than it
    eliminates, and provides negligible security against insect entry into
    homes.  Just suppose Digital were to station a security guard remote
    from all the entrances to one of the company's facilities. Not much
    that guard could do to challenge someone rushing the entrance, but
    he/she sure would announce to the world that there was something
    worth getting to! 
    

    Lots of mosquito knowledge in this note...
    
    I too, notice the decline in mosquito population as the Summer
    progresses.  Before reading the previous replies about natural enemies,
    I always assumed that it was because all the standing water they
    breed in tends to dry up as the Summer progresses.  In fact one
    of the towns I lived in used to spray the standing water with oil
    to prevent the larvae from hatching.
    
    With all the recent rain I notice the Spring swamps have reappeared
    in some places.  Should I assume the mosquito count will go back
    up, or do they only breed in the Spring.  The "natural enemy" theory
    would suggest that the wetness of the Summer is not an issue.  Or
    is it a combination of both?
    

    
    
    What about the hi frequency sound that is advertising on Home Shopping
    station. Will that get rid of mosquitoes? Does anyone have one of these
    gadgets? Does it work?? Summer is comming again...HH
    

    I had the same question several months ago - check OCTAVE::GADGETS
    for several topics/answers.
    
    Bernie

    
     It was in Consumer Reports or Changing Times that I read an article on
    the Ultra -Sonic Bug repellents- flea collars and the like. Basically
    the articlew said they were useless, and were amazed that they were
    still being purchased. the general tone of the article was that these
    gadgets were proof of what ol' P.T. Barnum used to say:"there's a
    sucker born every minute".
    
    

    Does anyone have any experience with insect foggers (the propane
    powered devices that disperse a "fog" that supposedly kills
    mosquitoes)?  Will they noticeably reduce the number of misquitoes in
    the area where they are used (around a residential house in a heavily
    wooded area)?  Will the fog harm other insects besides mosquitoes?  How
    often will the area need to be fogged?  Any problems/cautions etc.
    about using them?
    
    Thanks for your replies.

  1173  ALIEN::PETROVIC      29-MAY-1987    66  Insecticides and their safe use

	within this topic replies 18, 19 & 48 reference fogging

    
    Put up a bat house.  Bats eat tons of bugs at night.
    
    Mary
    

No, they don't.  They eat a lot, but not enough so as to make a difference
you would notice.

				Steve

> No, they don't.  They eat a lot, but not enough so as to make a difference
> you would notice.

	Depends on how many bats.  You are correct that in residential
	areas you'll never get enough bats (if you did, you'd have a
	bat droppings problem instead :-).

	Start a spider farm instead :-)

    re: .4
    
    Nah, we have spiders out the ying yang, and more mosquitos
    than I'd care to count.
    
    Now I suppose if you had bats, purple martins, spiders,
    dragonflys and frogs, you might get some relief, unless of
    course you live where I do, where the mosquitos threaten to 
    carry us off at night ...... :-(
    
    Mary-Michael
    

    don't forget the Whippoorwills!
    
    and you know if you have them!  :-)
    
    ed

    Unfortunately, air shredders don't do much against mosquitoes.
    
    					Steve

    One problem with "natural" controls like bats is that they can't
    eliminate the mosquitoes without running out of food (and moving
    elsewhere). To support a population of predators you need a
    significant population of prey.

	    I put up a bat house, 3 or 4 years ago.  I think it is still 
	vacant.  Not that I've climbed up to take a close look.  But I
	couldn't see any signs of life on the ground below (guano).

					Tim