Working the bugs out of the system

Forget about the fly paper. Jeri at Seething in the Wilderness updates the concept and brings it into the new age with "The Bug Zapper theory." Unfortunately, it doesn't work any better than the old fashioned sticky stuff.

So what it comes down to is this: bug zappers (military invasions) do little to address mosquitos (terrorism) and in fact end up destroying populations that are not only innocent but are also one of the best weapons against the beasts themselves. Not only do zappers not solve the problem, they exacerbate it.

Yet people still buy these products because it makes them feel like they're taking action, like they're fighting them "over there" (near the clothesline) so they don't have to fight them "here" (on the picnic table).

They relish the sounds and sights of death, any death, because in their tiny little minds, all insects are bad. Who cares if a few moths (or a few hundred moths) bite the dust? Collateral damage! Who cares if the kids get sick from breathing fly guts? They knew the risks when they signed up! Who cares if more mosquitos thrive as a result? More mosquitos means more mosquitos to kill! Yeeeeeeeee-haaaaa!

Great post. Read it for yourself.