Blue lights and raquet zappers – weapons against Mosquitoes and flies

Summer is a battle ground where I face off against mozzies and flies.  Some artillery has failed and some found success.  It doesn’t help me that I am iffy about poisons in my home.

One total failure was the ‘blue light’.  I did read up on their effectiveness before buying one.  I read that mosquitoes are drawn to body heat and scent.  Flies are attracted by scent.  Therefore the blue light would not work.  When I am on a mission, little things like facts don’t always get in my way.  The impression that mozzies were drawn to the light of my e-reader was enough for me to go shopping.  Needless to say, money was wasted.  The blue light lured and murdered every poor innocent insect in the same room, the very few mozzies which it killed must have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.  It didn’t get 1 fly.

The next purchase was a resounding success.  The Zapp Em Dead electric racquet, does what the name says.  Before bed time we clear the rooms of mozzies and with every satisfying sizzle as one fries, I know that I stand a better chance of a good night’s sleep.  Flies are a little more tricksy but they can be dealt with.  Flailing after them madly yields scant results and draws comments from 4 year olds along the lines of “Mummy, maybe you’re slow because you’re old”.  With stealth and technique flies do fall victim too.  One electric blast is not quite sufficient to kill flies.  You need to follow through and finish them off or they recover and fly off laughing, all geared up to breed a new race of indestructible mutant flies.

We have owned the Zapp Em Dead racquet for a year now and it is still going strong, a note in favour of this brand’s quality.  On the other hand, I think it’s time to bin the blue light which has been collecting dust.