I was at Aldi yesterday and they had a bug zapper racquet for under $5. I've not tried it on smaller critters, but I have some weird swarming insects that look like smallish wasps. I don't know what they are, and I don't believe they have stingers...I should post a pic. I took this out of its package, installed the batteries, and went outside to lay waste test its functionality. I was on the hunt as a little kid with a magnifying glass on a sunny day. If you weren't against the electric chair already, this product will make you a convert. When you make contact with insects, they immediately stick to the racquet. I don't know what mechanism causes this...it could be muscle contraction making them grab and not be able to let go, or there may be other things at work I shall not discuss here. Then there's the smell. It can best be described as burning hair. And the arcing. Every time you push the button, you see the blue arc of electricity surround the bug. But it doesn't die. No matter how many times you give it the juice, no matter how long you smell it cook, no matter how continuous the arc of electricity, it doesn't die. The first one I caught was on the racquet for at least several minutes as I chased the rest of his crew. I finally dislodged two of them, and they fell to the ground, both still writhing. These were not postmortem spasms. They had not been kilt. Perhaps it will actually be lethal (and more humane) on smaller things with less robust exoskeletons, like flies and mosquitoes. And I certainly have no qualms over subjecting wasps and hornets to this treatment for their crimes against humanity. But my first experience with this device on bugs of questionable culpability was rather off-putting.
One of our kids gave my husband one of those things as a gag gift; I don't think it's ever been out of the package. They also gave him a Bug- A-Salt Rifle.
We have several of the "flyswatters" and use them all the time. When we had livestock, flies were a constant issue. Wife bought an "Executioner" swatter from the UK thinking it wasn't made in Chine...but it still was. The thing with the UK paddle is it doesn't have the protective grid that is required in the U.S., as we are the stupidest people on the planet and have to be constantly protected form our stupidity by the government. The Executioner does an excellent job of killing flies and larger insects, but sometimes the mosquitoes slip between the wires. @Beth Gallagher I have always wanted to try the "salt gun", especially for occupying the grandchildren, but have not wanted to spend the kind of money it requires to get one. I think I could give the gun to the grandsons and tell them to "go hunting" and occupy them for hours.
I saw one of those for the first time last week at Lowes. I'd rather deal with the flies that have my house look like the aftereffects of a tequila party.
Not only is mine made in China, it tells you that in English and in Spanish ("Hecho en China.") As a strange aside, when I looked this manufacturer up on the web (Gardenline Insect Zapper #47168), the only source I can find is Aldi. I find Gardenline racquets and Gardenline zapping lanterns, both only available at Aldi. I gotta research some more to see if Aldi "finds deals" or if they have them manufactured. [sarc] I'm surprised the UK zapper does not have the protective cover. Have they a shortage of barristers??? I can't imagine living under such conditions. [/sarc] Lowe's carries a Black & Decker model that is .09 watts versus the .08 watts mine is (both at 2,750 volts.) The rechargeable ones at Walmart do not have power specs that I can find. One B&D model review said "Works properly. But not strong enough to kill a fly in one shot," even though the description says it kills wasps,as does one review. A review of a Walmart AA battery-powered zapper said it can either kill or stun a housefly, depending on whether it gets caught flying into the zapper or it gets caught from behind. The guy also said that model will stun wasps but not kill them. I See The Executioner on Walmart's site @ $37.64, but there are no reviews for it. It says the UK model comes with AA batteries while the US model does not. I wonder if they ship from England, and that prices is due to postage. I'm kinda surprised these are not stronger. A while ago I somehow ended up going down a You Tube rabbit hole of electric rat traps, nearly all of them from impoverished areas in Asian countries. Many of those traps used the guts of these paddles as grid power (some used the paddles themselves) to urge rats up and off a gangplank and to a watery demise. If it can prod a rat, why don't it kill a bug?
The strongest one was one that had rechargeable batteries and plugged directly in the wall and had a flashlight on it as well. I don't recall the name, but the ni-cad (I think) batteries eventually went bad. That sucker would fry a large hornet, wasp or beetle without a problem. I don't know if it had power specs printed on it. I suspect there is a voltage limit on U.S. ones in case one of us decides to taste what a fried bug tastes like. I haven't seen any warnings that directly stated "Do not try to taste bugs on this device while pressing the power button" but I suspect they may need such a warning in order to sell in the American market."
I am deadly with a swatter and any flying bugs! One swat they be gone.I pride myself in this ,as it is one of the few things in life I am good at