Mosquito Eradication by Laser

[Benm]

why does every bug zapper on the market have a UV light bulb in it?

Because it works, at least, it makes people think that it does.

The light attracts all kinds of insects, and they surely get zapped and leave a nice collection of carcasses around the device.

If you were to examine these, you'd find that the vast majority of them are insects that will not bite, sting or otherwise harm you - apart from being a nuisance.

I don't have a pool but I do have a bunch of bats around my yard, and some of them have taken up residence under one of the shutters beside my living room window. Our cleaning lady freaked when she heard them because she thought they would fly into her hair, which is of course a myth.

Bats sure gobble up a lot of mosquitos and other insects (if they are the right kind of bat). The part about flying into womens hair is not a total myth though: A big head of hear with curls sticking out wouldn't be all that visible to their sonar, and they can get snagged when they fly over believing they will safely miss your head.

Anectodal evidence seems to confirm this. The 'victims' however mistake this navigational error for an attack, and some believe the bats are out to get and bite them.

 

[Meatball]

Frying bugs with lasers might be fun sometimes but it doesn't seem like a very efficient way of destroying large populations of certain insects. Compared to most pesticides it would certainly be better for people and the environment, but it still seems like a lot of effort and complexity is needed.

If such a system is set up outdoors, what about dirt, dust, rain? Sounds like something that would need constant maintenance in an outdoor environment, as we all know that lasers don't go together well with dirt and moisture.

IMO natural predators of mosquitos would be best. One of my neighbors somehow let his inground swimming pool become a frog pond (don't ask me why - I think he's too lazy to bother taking care of it, as his house and property are often a mess) and he probably doesn't have any biting bugs around his place. The frogs and toads are so loud in the springtime it sounds like a pond in the wilderness!

I don't have a pool but I do have a bunch of bats around my yard, and some of them have taken up residence under one of the shutters beside my living room window. Our cleaning lady freaked when she heard them because she thought they would fly into her hair, which is of course a myth. I try to attract animals that eat mosquitos and other biting bugs. I did use a bug zapper a few times last summer but not to kill mosquitos. I have moths, crane flies and other harmless but annoying bugs that get into my garage but it didn't do much good because they were more interested in the overhead florescent lights than the bug zapper.

Well I think the mosquito laser is cool...

 

[photonaholic]

Well I think the mosquito laser is cool...

Yes meatball I do too, sorry your thread got hijacked.

 

[rangedunits]

That is cruel, it makes me remind of the ''laze a bird'' thread with pigeon and all. But yes, i understand they may be annoying. They are a important part of the life. dont kill them.

 

[ossumguywill]

That is cruel, it makes me remind of the ''laze a bird'' thread with pigeon and all. But yes, i understand they may be annoying. They are a important part of the life. dont kill them.

what the hell do mosquitos accomplish besides spread disease and feed small animals? If the mosquito population goes down, the frog population goes down, it will all balance out. The world can do with less mosquitos.

will

 

[photonaholic]

I was wondering how long before insects had rights too......

Careful ranged, you may step on an ant.

Will, frogs are happy to eat crickets, moths, and other bugs, so even if the mosquito population was eradicated completely, frogs won't starve.

the third world will be rid of malaria and that is a good thing.

 

[ossumguywill]

I was wondering how long before insects had rights too......

Careful ranged, you may step on an ant.

Will, frogs are happy to eat crickets, moths, and other bugs, so even if the mosquito population was eradicated completely, frogs won't starve.

the third world will be rid of malaria and that is a good thing.

exactly- The only reason I've heard of to NOT kill mosquitos is that it might damage the food chain, but most if not all animals that eat mosquitos are not dependent on them.

will

 

[Schrecken_Licht]

That is cruel, it makes me remind of the ''laze a bird'' thread with pigeon and all. But yes, i understand they may be annoying. They are a important part of the life. dont kill them.

I'd be very happy if all the mosquitos would just disappear - by whatever method of eradication! My neighbor got lyme disease from a mosquito bite (he was way out in the woods somewhere chopping up firewood, not around here) and he has been suffering from the aftereffects for years! If not for that and worse diseases, mosquitos would only be a nuisance and not worth trying to eradicate. IMO they are like a virus that does basically nothing but wreak destruction. There are plenty of other insects that insectivorous animals could feast on if mosquitos were gone.

 

[Cyparagon]

[mosquitoes] are a important part of the life.

Why, because they feed small animals? Like Schrecken pointed out, OTHER INSECTS CAN AS WELL. Mosquitoes would not be missed.

Bacteria, on the other hand, are an important part of life, but you kill billions of them every day.

 

[lasersbee]

That is cruel, it makes me remind of the ''laze a bird'' thread with pigeon and all. But yes, i understand they may be annoying. They are a important part of the life. dont kill them.

I'll collect all the Female mosquitos in the drainage ditch behind my house
and send them to you in a box... so you can feed them...:crackup:

BTW... I think that tracking system is awesome...


Jerry

 

[Arayan]

Bacteria, on the other hand, are an important part of life, but you kill billions of them every day.

the very important thing is to try to avoid the extinction of any kind of organism (excluded many pathogens)

 

[Benm]

I could do without mosquitos as well. If it were possible to instantly kill all mosquitos and make species extinct, i'd say that would be desirable to actually do. As far as threath to human life goes, mosquitos kill more people than any other kind of animal, by far.

Malaria alone kills over a million people a year, gets over 200 million ill, and is spread only by mosquitos. Add Dengue fever to that, infecting tens of millions a year and killing a good few 100.000, and it should be very clear we should rid ourselves of the mosquitos carrying these diseases whenever possible.

For the home enviroment this mosquito zapping laser would be very cool to have. I'm sure that for its costs you could get a lifetime supply of bug spray too, but it would be the coolest thing ever to have a laser turret zapping them all day long

 

[Cyparagon]

the very important thing is to try to avoid the extinction of any kind of organism (excluded many pathogens)

Mosquito is a pathogen as far as I'm concerned. See Ben's numbers.

 

[Benm]

And its not that they are that vital to many organisms that feed on them either.

There are tons of animals that eat mosquitos, but i doubt that there are any for which they are the sole food source. Plenty of other bugs to eat in the tropics, believe me

 

[photonaholic]

The world could do without snake mites too.

Worthless organism, it's only purpose in this world is to suck the blood from reptiles.

Bastards killed several of my pets, death to all of them.

And it's not pretty either, they get up in the eye sockets, nostrils, and ear canals of lizards.

 

[Meatball]

Yikes.. I bet that's the sight to see...

I think that domestic cats could also stand to not be in existence. Too independent of a creature for my domesticated liking.