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What's the benefit for humans and why can't it be done any other way? I'm not a big fan of encountering insects. Very weird to see someone would actually want

What's the benefit for humans and why can't it be done any other way? I'm not a big fan of encountering insects. Very weird to see someone would actually want to protect them in cities. > Light traps for insects are to be banned outdoors So you won't be able to kill mosquitoes outside?

danparsonson 6y ago
Insects are a vital part of Earth's ecosystem, providing food for larger animals and (especially crucial for us) pollination. > So you won't be able to kill mosquitoes outside? There are plenty of other, more specific ways to do that, no? The problem with light traps is they are indiscriminate. Not to mention that if you apply some repellent, you don't need to kill them at all.
- auganov 6y ago
  > There are plenty of other, more specific ways to do that, no? The problem with light traps is they are indiscriminate. Well you do usually want to kill as many as possible. Bringing up mosquitoes because it's one of the most common. I cannot go out and sit down in my garden if I have insects flying around. Unless they keep an appropriate distance as to not be intimidating. > Not to mention that if you apply some repellent If you mean the skin applied kind it's totally unsatisfactory. There are chemical sprays/diffusers that work very well, but even though they are marketed as "repellent" they absolutely do kill mosquitoes and many others. That's what I usually use.
  - danparsonson 6y ago
    > Well you do usually want to kill as many as possible. Indiscriminate across species - those traps kill everything, not just mosquitoes. I'm sorry that you find insects intimidating but killing everything is not the answer to that and in the long run, unless you don't care about having food, ultimately counterproductive. > If you mean the skin applied kind it's totally unsatisfactory. Why? I've spent a lot of time in tropical countries and found it very effective. Even just a running fan keeps most mozzies away as they aren't generally strong fliers. The overarching issue is that we need to coexist with our many-legged brethren, however inconvenient it may be.
    - dependenttypes 6y ago
      > The overarching issue is that we need to coexist with our many-legged brethren Do we though? What is the point of having them in the cities specifically? Since you seem to know about that, which bugs should one avoid killing?
      - danparsonson 6y ago
        How would you stop them entering cities? It's not like an insect flies towards a city from a rural area then thinks "oh, no, shouldn't go there, I'll get zapped". If anything, we attract a lot of insect life with an abundance of light and free food. And then put out traps to kill them. > Since you seem to know about that, which bugs should one avoid killing? I'm not trying to hold myself up as an expert but on the other hand a lot of this stuff seems pretty obvious... Anything non-invasive? Anything not causing a serious public health risk? OK, mosquitoes are an obvious target here and I hate them with a passion but that doesn't mean we should kill everything just to get to them. Try reframing the question - which birds should you avoid killing? Which big cats are OK to shoot? Honest question - what is it about insects that feels like it's OK to wipe them out? Is it because they're so numerous? That simple extends the amount of time it's taking us to destroy them all, but we seem to be making good progress there.
        dependenttypes 6y ago
        > How would you stop them entering cities? I do not know but this is besides the point. I still do not see why we should protect the insects that are in the city as they do not bring us any benefit. > Anything non-invasive? Anything not causing a serious public health risk? Let me rephrase it, which bugs should one avoid killing because they benefit us directly or indirectly? Only bees come to my mind at this moment. > which birds should you avoid killing? The ones that benefit humans directly or indirectly. > Which big cats are OK to shoot? Big cats tend to not come to the cities so they do not really pose any danger to humans. > Is it because they're so numerous? In general they are gross, numerous, invasive, and they carry diseases.
tass 6y ago
One issue with these is that they kill many more moths and other insects than they kill mosquitoes
asutekku 6y ago
Insects are a pretty damn important part of the ecosystem that provides us our nutritions.

danparsonson 6y ago

Insects are a vital part of Earth's ecosystem, providing food for larger animals and (especially crucial for us) pollination. > So you won't be able to kill mosquitoes outside? There are plenty of other, more specific ways to do that, no? The problem with light traps is they are indiscriminate. Not to mention that if you apply some repellent, you don't need to kill them at all.

auganov 6y ago
> There are plenty of other, more specific ways to do that, no? The problem with light traps is they are indiscriminate. Well you do usually want to kill as many as possible. Bringing up mosquitoes because it's one of the most common. I cannot go out and sit down in my garden if I have insects flying around. Unless they keep an appropriate distance as to not be intimidating. > Not to mention that if you apply some repellent If you mean the skin applied kind it's totally unsatisfactory. There are chemical sprays/diffusers that work very well, but even though they are marketed as "repellent" they absolutely do kill mosquitoes and many others. That's what I usually use.
- danparsonson 6y ago
  > Well you do usually want to kill as many as possible. Indiscriminate across species - those traps kill everything, not just mosquitoes. I'm sorry that you find insects intimidating but killing everything is not the answer to that and in the long run, unless you don't care about having food, ultimately counterproductive. > If you mean the skin applied kind it's totally unsatisfactory. Why? I've spent a lot of time in tropical countries and found it very effective. Even just a running fan keeps most mozzies away as they aren't generally strong fliers. The overarching issue is that we need to coexist with our many-legged brethren, however inconvenient it may be.
  - dependenttypes 6y ago
    > The overarching issue is that we need to coexist with our many-legged brethren Do we though? What is the point of having them in the cities specifically? Since you seem to know about that, which bugs should one avoid killing?
    - danparsonson 6y ago
      How would you stop them entering cities? It's not like an insect flies towards a city from a rural area then thinks "oh, no, shouldn't go there, I'll get zapped". If anything, we attract a lot of insect life with an abundance of light and free food. And then put out traps to kill them. > Since you seem to know about that, which bugs should one avoid killing? I'm not trying to hold myself up as an expert but on the other hand a lot of this stuff seems pretty obvious... Anything non-invasive? Anything not causing a serious public health risk? OK, mosquitoes are an obvious target here and I hate them with a passion but that doesn't mean we should kill everything just to get to them. Try reframing the question - which birds should you avoid killing? Which big cats are OK to shoot? Honest question - what is it about insects that feels like it's OK to wipe them out? Is it because they're so numerous? That simple extends the amount of time it's taking us to destroy them all, but we seem to be making good progress there.
      - dependenttypes 6y ago
        > How would you stop them entering cities? I do not know but this is besides the point. I still do not see why we should protect the insects that are in the city as they do not bring us any benefit. > Anything non-invasive? Anything not causing a serious public health risk? Let me rephrase it, which bugs should one avoid killing because they benefit us directly or indirectly? Only bees come to my mind at this moment. > which birds should you avoid killing? The ones that benefit humans directly or indirectly. > Which big cats are OK to shoot? Big cats tend to not come to the cities so they do not really pose any danger to humans. > Is it because they're so numerous? In general they are gross, numerous, invasive, and they carry diseases.

tass 6y ago

One issue with these is that they kill many more moths and other insects than they kill mosquitoes

asutekku 6y ago

Insects are a pretty damn important part of the ecosystem that provides us our nutritions.