It looks like a toy. With a burst of air it shoots a pinch of table salt. But the Bug-A-Salt gun is no joke to flies.
Made to kill bugs in a less-messy manner than a fly swatter, the $35 shooter from Skell Inc. is marketed as an “insect eradication device.”
“Ordinary table salt is utilized as a lethal projectile,” the brand cites. In my test, the Bug-A-Salt gun was fun but only somewhat lethal.
(See a higher-res image of the salt gun on page 2 of this post)
You add table salt to a flip-open hatch. The pump-action gun loads a pinch of salt with each cock. Pull the trigger and a shotgun spray rockets out the end.
We tested the product over a month, including last weekend while outdoors in uber-buggy northern Minnesota. Mosquitos and black flies circled and came in to hassle and bite as we lounged around and swatted.
Dead flies are not guaranteed with the gun. You need to be pretty close, like 3 feet or less from your prey.
Many bugs we shot simply flew away, only to return again (perhaps for vengeance?) after hit with an annoying spray of salt.
But the salt blast can blow holes in plant leaves, showing its firepower. Get close and shoot and the bugs will die.
As a “cleaner” way to kill bugs the product works. Bugs don’t splat with a shot.
You can use it inside or out, though a lot of shooting indoors will result in noticeable salt on the floor.
(See a higher-res image of the salt gun on page 2 of this post)
The Bug-A-Salt gun is a good idea. It’s fun to shoot and effective enough against bugs if you get close and fire. We recommend it to fly hunters everywhere in need of a new solution to get rid of the nasty, buzzing little beasts.
—Stephen Regenold
