Effectiveness of Mosquito Zappers

* That mosquito zapper hanging in your yard does not catch very many mosquitoes because it does not necessarily target them.

Female mosquitoes (the ones that bite) are attracted to mammals, not lights. When they are far distances away from potential prey, mosquitoes are drawn to carbon dioxide (because that generally means that a breathing mammal is nearby). As they get closer to the potential prey, they begin to sense body heat (more specifically blood near a skin surface) and they are lured to the source. Bug zappers emit neither carbon dioxide nor body heat. More modern devices for killing mosquitoes lure them by mimicking the cues female mosquitoes look for when searching for a blood meal--these are wiser purchases.