Bug zappers can be recycled into decorative and useful additions to the home or garden.
Bug zappers use an ultraviolet light to attract and capture insects such as mosquitoes. Bug zappers kill the bugs as they come into contact with the wire grid around the ultraviolet bulb, and can kill more than 10,000 insects a night. Broken bug zappers also can be valuable when recycled as decorative items for the home and garden. In particular, the exterior housing that gives bug zappers their rectangular cube, cylinder and lantern shapes is useful in providing shape to new and unique items. Does this Spark an idea?
Picture Lantern
A lantern-shaped bug zapper exterior housing and pictures or photographs printed on vellum sheets can be used to a personalized picture lantern to offer a unique option for patio lighting. After the housing has been removed from the other parts of the bug zapper, glass panels should be fitted along the sides. Vellum sheets cut to size and printed with the desired image can be glued to the glass with spray adhesive. Electric tea lights can be placed inside to provide illumination. The bug zapper's grid design that once prevented human injury allows for a unique visual effect where the picture would be intermittently visible along the surface of the lamp.
Floral Lights Centerpiece
Any bug zapper metal exterior housing can be used in creating a floral lights centerpiece. After removing the big zapper's other parts, the metal housing can be left its original color or painted white or cream to complement the colors of the floral lights. The floral lights are made using the bottoms of plastic soda bottles and a string of white Christmas lights. Once the soda bottle bottoms are cut and the edges curled, they are placed over the bulbs and the string of lights placed inside the bug zapper housing as the finishing touch. The display can be used as a centerpiece, outdoor or side lighting.
From Ultraviolet to Candlelight
A simple solution for a bug zapper in need of recycling is turning a metal exterior housing into a candle holder. Once the interior parts of the bug zapper have been removed, the housing is ready to hold a candle. For a different appearance, the metal housing can be painted a color that complements the interior or exterior decor of the designer. Another option is to recreate the candle holder into a different form of insect control by inserting a citronella candle to ward off mosquitoes.
Umbrella Holder
Large bug zapper can be transformed into umbrella holders, when the interior parts are removed from the exterior housing. Once the bulb, transformer and wire grid have been removed, the housing can be painted any color and sprayed with a water sealant to prevent future water damage. In addition, the bottom should be reinforced or the entire holder lined with waterproof material to avoid leaking.
Tags: exterior housing, been removed, floral lights, been removed housing, candle holder