Does Electrifying Mosquitoes Protect People From Disease?
I spent my childhood in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where I was tormented by mosquitoes day and night. I happen to be one of those people whom the bugs find very attractive. My legs and ankles were perennially so bitten that sometimes I was asked if I had a skin disorder. Now I live in Jamaica, and the mosquito torment continues. Last year, I contracted Zika. For these reasons and others, I must reluctantly admit: I’m a mosquito killer. And I’ve sought methods for revenge.
The bug-zapping racket is a fantasy come true. It is a tennis racket-like device with electrified wires instead of strings. Its wielder waves it through mosquito airspace. Then: a satisfying sizzle. Goodbye pest.
Although invented as an efficient way to snuff out winged enemies, the popularity of these zappers might service human nature (and its dark side) more than human health.
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I first acquired a Chinese-made insect zapper at a grocery store in Kingston, Jamaica. I had already lived
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