The bug killing tool preferred by mosquito researchers

Meet The Executioner.

Earlier today, I got a tour of the mosquito breeding facility at North Carolina State University. Basically, it's a small room — about the size of my bathroom at home — where scientists breed and grow the mosquitoes they use in scientific research. The downside: Mosquito enclosures are somewhat less than foolproof. Which means the mosquito breeding facility has a significant number of loose mosquitoes. That's where The Executioner comes in. There were multiple Executioners in that one small room. Then entire time I was talking with the scientists, they were simultaneously swinging around these electrified tennis racquets to zap any mosquito that blundered into their personal space.

Personally, I consider this a hell of an endorsement for any bug killing tool.

Maggie Koerth-Baker is the science editor at BoingBoing.net. She writes a monthly column for The New York Times Magazine and is the author of Before the Lights Go Out, a book about electricity, infrastructure, and the future of energy. You can find Maggie on Twitter and Facebook.

Maggie goes places and talks to people. Find out where she'll be speaking next.

MORE: insects • mosquitoes • recommendations • Science • tools

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jimkirk

I got some similar ones years ago from American Science and Surplus

http://www.sciplus.com/singleItem.cfm/terms/14155

They’re not toys, kids! (wink, wink)
- http://www.facebook.com/dhosek Don Hosek
  
  What really freaks me out is that I was just looking at this on the American Science and Surplus website today. It’s one thing when stuff I see on blogs shows up at BB. But my random browsing? You guys need to stop spying on me.
  - wysinwyg
    
    Perhaps you are subliminally submiterrating.
  - i_am_at_work
    
    As a sometimes AmSci employee, I love seeing the store mentioned on BB posts or comments.
MrWednesday7

I have one of these, they are way cool.
- http://profiles.google.com/jpersonna John Personna
  
  Would it work as well with no batteries?
  - TheOven
    
    No.
    
    But with batteries it explodes small insects like skeeters. So, y’know, if you’re a vegetarian, you might not want to use one near the picnic table.
    
    Large bugs like flies and bees tend to get stunned and (sometimes) wake up later and fly away. Leaving time to deposit a still living gaffer outside.
  - MrWednesday7
    
    Only on really big bugs.
http://twitter.com/meanidea len

Good god. He wields the Chaos Grid!
http://twitter.com/kpkpkp Kevin Pierce

The bug killing tool, preferred by me: http://www.bugasalt.com/
- http://profiles.google.com/jpersonna John Personna
  
  That’s the tool that made me wish I had files.
  - http://twitter.com/kpkpkp Kevin Pierce
    
    Unfortunately, they shipped late in the year and the flies had already gone underground for the winter. Next summer, buddy….
PathogenAntifreeze

Harbor Freight carries a same-design racket and has it on sale under $3 pretty often. Also makes an excellent toy for consenting adults who are wired with a certain polarity.
- jennybean42
  
  Strangely, I came here to say the same thing… erm, about the adults. :-0
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=688945082 Joe Seatter

We used to have something similar at work. We spent more time shocking unsuspecting coworkers than we did killing bugs though.
edgore

Stormy Leather used to have those in their catalog. For some reason.
- Antinous / Moderator
  
  Extreme Restraints carries it.
NrdyGrl

My parents have a large wasp problem at their house. They own two of these things and my kids LOVE zapping insects with them. Even my father gets an amusing look of enjoyment on his face when the snapping/zapping noise of a wasp dying happens. (Yes, we’re sure they’re wasps. Honeybees are gently escorted outside when they find their way in.)
http://twitter.com/DirtJeans Ken Spencer Brown

These are very popular in Brazil. My wife brought one back from her last trip to her hometown. I love it.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Doug-Porter/1278677024 Doug Porter

Lived in the Caribbean for a decade. This was the best gadget ever. Hated the ones that were ‘child proofed’ with a extra layer of mesh.
http://twitter.com/digitalArtform Joseph Francis

What a racket.
Robert Cruickshank

I took a swing at a cloud of fruit flies with one of these once. It was like a little fireworks show. I felt a little bad for them actually, it was sort of the fruit-fly atom bomb.
http://www.facebook.com/dejancoric Dejan Coric

Have this one, runs on two AA batteries. Also good against other bugs. Bigger bug louder zapp ;)
Antinous / Moderator

I must have a different type of mosquito, because mine stick to the twelve foot ceiling until the lights go out.
- Sparg
  
  Yes, brother, like those bastards that stay on the walls of your tent until you’re comfy in your fartsack!
http://twitter.com/fightlinker ☠FIGHTLINKER☠

I’ve been watching a bunch of videos on people in Africa and they’re all using these things. That’s all the endorsement I need
msound

These are hugely popular in India too. Though the model we have has two protective mesh on either side of the “LIVE” mesh to prevent zapping family members.
- rick stanley
  
  I want one so bad. Not just for bugs. I got kids, so no protective mesh please.
http://www.facebook.com/Kai911 Jun-Kai Teoh

Loved playing with these back when I was a kid. No shortage of mosquitoes in Malaysia after all. The sizzle, pop and burnt smell was fun even though i realize it makes me sound sadistic.

As a kid I’d even touch it to feel the shock. Haha.
Paul Renault

I got a Fly Gun, on a lark, many years ago. Poor range, poor targeting, inaccurate. But I could see myself sitting on the porch with some buddies, drinking beer and seeing you would be the first to kill a fly.
http://www.amazingflygun.com/

/yes, the thing is screaming for a laser sight.
entireleaves

What a horrific sounding place to work. I am so attractive to mosquitos (probably get ten times the amount of bites as people standing right next to me) and have such bad allergic reactions to their bites that I purposely moved somewhere that barely has any mosquitoes.
Gulliver

I’m disappointed. No one has concern trolled teh poor little mosquitoz. What, they’re less deserving of compassion than ants?
- http://cobramcgiantballs.tumblr.com/ Xploder
  
  Yes. WAY less compassion.
  - Gulliver
    
    Perhaps troll was an unfair assessment.
    
    I do, however, think most people base their compassion on empathy rather than rationality. It seems common that people are more permissive of suffering they know about but don’t personally witness, such the electric shocks in the infamous Milgram experiment.
    
    So if mosquitoes are deserving of electrocution because they fly and bite, does that mean it’s okay to zap ants during their nuptial flight when they might bite someone? Are ant traps immoral but mosquito traps perfectly acceptable? If I emulate a neural net on a computer with the same complexity as an ant’s ventral nerve cord, is it immoral to run behavioral experiments that cause it to suffer? Is it moral to switch it off?
    
    Justice requires the consistent application of moral judgment. Inconsistent application therefore logically leads to injustice.
    - rick stanley
      
      Moral my ass. They feed on us, therefore there is no moral problem whatsoever in taking glee over their demise. That’s like feeling sorry for the smallpox virus when it’s eradicated. Do you think if a chicken knew any better about it’s purpose to us, it would have any moral issues over pecking your eyes out?
tacochuck

I use one of the cheap, protective mesh covered knock offs for fly control.

Much more sanitary than smashing flies with a fly swatter and smearing their guts on whatever they were sitting on. The flies get a little dessicated when they get zapped so they are easy to dispose of.
http://profiles.google.com/westcarleton Ray Perkins

I have several, they put out around 1200 volts. For more amusement, replace the capacitor with a (much) larger one, keeping the breakdown voltage in mind. The shock-wave I can sometimes get from it will make your ears ring.
http://www.facebook.com/clesoine Charlie Lesoine

I’m sorry. “Mosquito enclosures are somewhat less than foolproof”??? I mean if they can’t even handle mosquitos, How do they handle smaller organisms? These are real scientists right?
GawainLavers

…the mosquito breeding facility at North Carolina State University…

Also known as “North Carolina”.
farkface

I picked one of these up at Harbor Freight last year for like $3,
http://am0.co.uk/ Alex Moyler

This thing works a treat, I can tell you. Have occasionally taken it with me down to the river on walks to hold in front of me if it’s particularly buggy. Very satisfying crackling sound of death.