Can bug zappers help transmit diseases?
According to recent research, it is true that bug zappers can end up transmitting the diseases carried by the insects they zap. Two Kansas State University researchers, James Urban and Alberto Bruce, carried out a study of this effect. They contaminated house flies with bacteria or viruses either externally (by way of an aerosol spray) or internally (by feeding them sucrose solutions containing the bacteria or virus). They then released the flies into a chamber where a bug zapper was mounted and sampled the air at various distances from device. “); //–> Your browser does not support JavaScript or it is disabled. What they found was that the air around the bug zapper was contaminated with bacteria and virus particles from the electrocuted flies (externally-contaminated flies released more bacteria and virus particles than internally-contaminated flies). Other research has shown that bug zappers can spread a mist containing insect parts up to about 7 feet (2 m) from the device. Urban an
