The question of whether mosquito lamp and insect killer lamp work with the advent of the dacha season With the arrival of the summer season, as well as on vacation in the country house, in addition to the pleasant worries and cares, the issue of combating various insects and mosquitoes, which do not allow us to comfortably spend the evening, arises acutely.
Hearing their squeaks in the twilight of the night, there is only one desire - to kill. Because you clearly understand that because of these creatures you will not have a peaceful sleep from now on.
Methods of struggle against mosquitoes: mosquito repellents & mosquito zapper
Most of us do not have much desire to be covered with different kinds of ointments or sprayed with repellents. The more that in the heat, along with the sweat it all can get into the eyes. And when applied to the hands even in the food.
Always want inconspicuous, not causing any inconvenience, but at the same time an effective way to combat these pests.
Mosquito lamp against mosquitoes: principle of operation
Let's take a closer look at mosquito lamp types and all the nuances of operation. Do they actually work or is it a useless advertising lure that makes us waste money.
There are many reviews on the Internet for mosquito lamps, and they are all very contradictory.
What does the mosquito lamp consist of and what is its principle of operation?
Behind the beautiful lattice plastic body, which can be any shape and is designed to protect the man himself from accidental contact, there are metal plates.
High voltage is applied to these very plates. Although it is high, but in terms of human safety everything is normal here. Of course it will pull, but not fatally. Moreover, if the mosquitoes are killed instantly, but the flies or more specimens, such as butterflies or moths, they can not cope with the first time.
That's why they are most often seen crawling sluggishly at the bottom of such traps or on the floor next to them. What to say about humans.
Also keep in mind that even after unplugging, there is still a capacitor charge between the plates. To remove it, simply close the plates with the tip of a ballpoint pen or screwdriver.
Danger and effectiveness of ultraviolet light
Behind these plates are LEDs, which should emit ultraviolet light with a specific wavelength of 350-360nm, thereby attracting mosquitoes.
Many "experts" scare that such ultraviolet is harmful to vision and will burn your eyes. This means that such mosquito lamps are harmful not only to insects, but also to humans.
But this statement is true only for powerful quartz lamps. Therefore, under their radiation and wear glasses. For these same bulbs, the ultraviolet will be even less than from solar radiation on a clear day. If it were a laser beam aimed at a specific spot in the room and you were exposed to it, that's another matter.
But as it turns out, these anti-mosquito lamps are absolutely harmless to health.
Although I must admit that there have been attempts to introduce fully fledged laser guns which would knock out mosquitoes on the approach with their beams.
Bill Gates and his wife Melinda were in charge of the project and the drain on their money.
The ultimate noble goal was to help African countries fight malaria. But in the end, the project was expectedly scrapped as unrealistic. As if it wasn't clear at the outset that the Chinese, with their cheap and equally effective options, would win.
There is also an opinion in reviews that in fact ultraviolet does not attract insects at all, and simple bulbs with warm light are even more effective in this sense.
Varieties of anti-mosquito lamps
Also on the shelves you can find models that work in two light streams. They emit both neutral white, with a brightness of several hundred lumens, and ultraviolet light. The former is turned on for normal lighting and the latter at night. The size of the bulb depends on the area in which the insects will be baited.
Mosquitoes fly to this light, touch the plates and are killed by the click of high voltage. It is a kind of electric chair for them.
Such mosquito lamps can be used not only in the bedroom, but also outside or on farms, in cowsheds, rabbit houses.
Do not forget that mosquitoes can be active vectors of all sorts of infection. True, it will already be a little different kind of lamp, different in size and shape.
Places of mosquito lamp & insect killer lamp installation
For mosquito lamp & insect killer lamps to work effectively, you need to know how to place them correctly.
It is recommended to install them not in the center or at the end, but at the border of the room and the open air. That is, close to the door or window. Then they will work much better, detaining a bunch of critters still at the entrance. Some place them in street lights, on paths.
Thus they try to hold back the flight of bloodsuckers as much as possible, even at the approaches to the house. The truth is that the efficiency of this method is questionable. All the same, street posts and bollards are designed for other tasks.
Although in several cities in USA, this kind of traps are also set in the street, but for a slightly different purpose. There are even maps of their locations with georeferencing.
According to the number of insects caught in the traps over a certain period of time, they calculate the percentage of the norm. And if it exceeds the permissible values, on a certain night in the area cars that actively spray poisoning begin to drive around.
Or release a large number of pre-bred dragonflies in the area.
Do the mosquito lamp & insect killer lamps work
But let's find out after all, does this stuff really attract pesky insects?
The most recent research by scientists on mosquitoes says that these creatures have multi-sensory perception. This means that to find their prey, they use several senses simultaneously.
So, the main means of identifying the victim, is the smell, not light!
They capture the carbon dioxide emitted by breathing and the smell of perspiration. And they can do this at long distances and will pursue their goal for a long time. When approaching up to 15m away, the mosquito can already see the target. And even closer, at a distance of up to 1m, he picks up heat, identifying the most exposed areas of the skin and begins to strive for them.
So what about the mosquito lamp, does it work under these conditions? Of course it works, but with a few big BUTs.
- First of all, if you are not nearby.
When there is a man nearby, the mosquito is more likely to fly to him, and will react little to this thing.
You can for example turn it on in your bedroom before you go to sleep, and leave the room. It will collect most of the pests during this time and provide you with a peaceful night.
If installed outside, such traps will primarily attract those insects that actively respond to light. Mosquitoes don't really belong to them.
- Secondly, in your presence in the room, such a lamp will kill only random and curious beasts
The more intelligent critters, will definitely wait for their chance to taste your blood later.
Sometimes in a month of use, you can find no more than a couple of mosquito carcasses in it, although you'll see them in the surrounding area every night.
If they were 100% attracted to such a light, you could dig a small pond of carp in your dacha. And as an
How mosquito lamp & insect killer lamp works
But seriously, there is one interesting point here. Although you will notice flying insects in sufficient numbers, there is a high probability that their activity will be minimal.
They will just fly around the room like drunks, periodically landing on furniture, walls, ceiling, but what is interesting - not biting anyone.
What does this have to do with it? There are two opinions on this.
The first is that the stroboscopic effect of LEDs confuses their orientation in space. They of course smell it, but if the light blinks nearby, the mosquito cannot visually identify its prey.
To many, this explanation sounds like nonsense, since most people think that mosquitoes don't care at all whether the room is bright or not. Moreover, strobe blinking, is often caused by cheap manufacturing and poor quality LEDs.
At the same time, it is on the contrary bad for humans, but not for gnats. In suburban homes in this sense, a safer and more effective remedy against all bloodsuckers is room conditioning.They do not like the cold, but you will be provided with comfortable conditions for sleeping. When properly connected, mobile air conditioners cope well with this case.
There is another explanation for the effect of the drop in insect activity from these lamps. In their natural habitat, ultraviolet light directs mosquitoes toward water. They need it to lay their eggs.
The fact is that the UV passes through the clouds, is refracted in them and reaches the earth not as a continuous beam, but as a set of individual rays. They all have a different direction. Reaching the water surface, the light is reflected and polarized, aligning all these rays. You can say that the ultraviolet is somewhat modified. Mosquitoes, which are sensitive to this spectrum, see this perfectly, which helps them in their search for bodies of water.
Seeing such a glow from a light bulb, which reminds them of the reflected ultraviolet from the glaze, mosquitoes and all similar critters forget about humans and begin to actively seek the source of water. And there is none!
That's why they do not sit on you and fly around like drunkards, and do not understand what is happening. By the way, humans can also be easily tricked with the coloring, but few people think about it.
Insect killer lamps for large areas
As for the larger areas of the premises with animals, there are used insect killer lamps, a slightly different design and greater power.
These copies cost other money, but they can also easily be found in online stores. They resemble electric spiral heaters in size and shape. Besides being installed on a flat surface, they can also be hung up by the chain.
Inside their body are fluorescent lamps that emit light in the ultraviolet spectrum. Also present are high-voltage plates and a protective grid.
Similar insect killer lamps are widely used in the food industry, cafes and restaurants. Here their main task is the fight against flies, but not with mosquitoes.
What conclusion can be drawn from all of the above? Of course, the effect of such devices is.
And to the question of whether mosquito lamp & insect killer lamp helps to sleep peacefully, we can confidently say that yes, in most cases it does.
Even without plugging in different kinds of fumigators, it can provide you with a good night's sleep. But remember that this is not primarily a trap to attract mosquitoes, and it kills only accidentally flew in creatures.
Therefore, you should not be upset if in the morning you won't find a mountain of dead blood-sucking creatures in it. And constantly clean the grate from them.
The main thing is that they do not disturb you.