News
Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor Talks Justice, Civic Engagement at Radcliffe Day
News
Church Says It Did Not Authorize ‘People’s Commencement’ Protest After Harvard Graduation Walkout
News
‘Welcome to the Battlefield’: Maria Ressa Talks Tech, Fascism in Harvard Commencement Address
Multimedia
In Photos: Harvard’s 373rd Commencement Exercises
News
Rabbi Zarchi Confronted Maria Ressa, Walked Off Stage Over Her Harvard Commencement Speech
The summer's last City Council meeting featured a debate less heated than most--for everyone except the mosquitoes.
An amendment to the Noise Ordinance, if passed, would require Cambridge residents who own "bug zappers" to shut them off between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. if their neighbors complain about the sound of frying arthropods.
The "zappers," whose pale blue lights brighten hot summer nights wherever vegetation attracts mosquitoes, work by luring insects towards an electrified wire screen that kills them on contact.
The one-sentence addition was suggested by Councillor Francis M. Duehay '55, who says his street is infested with the gadgets.
Councillor Alfred Vellucci has a better idea, though. He suggested that "what you need up in your neighborhood is a bug-squisher." He imagines a "bug brigade" that would quietly stomp on pesky fauna at night.
Councillor Alice K. Wolf favors a return to the old-fashioned fly-swatter, which allows the user to "use calories up while you're at it."
Want to keep up with breaking news? Subscribe to our email newsletter.