Electronic mosquito repellers do little in the way of reducing mosquito annoyance. Bug Zappers Electrocuting devices, popularly known as Bug Zappers, are the most popular device on the market for reducing mosquitoes around the home. Most rely on ultraviolet light to draw insects through an electrified wire grid. A resounding pop followed by a series of sizzling sounds signals the homeowner that an insect has passed through the electrocuting device. Most homeowners keep the machine on a timer that turns the units off during the daylight hours, but some run the traps day and night during the summer season.
Bug zappers kill a lot of insects, but very few of the insects killed function as pests.
Most of the popping sounds are night-flying moths tricked into the trap while attempting to navigate by the moon. The long drawn-out sizzles are usually beetles, because they are heavier than most night flying insects and have considerably more bulk to fry. Scientific studies indicate that mosquitoes make up a very small percentage of bug zapper collections. Comparison trapping has also shown no significant difference in mosquito populations in yards with and without the traps. Biting insects, in general, make up less than 1 percent of the insects killed in zappers.