Post date: May 10, 2015 1:01:37 PM
I don’t like window screens. In general they block the view — which is why I use windows. My experience in Seattle was completely without screens and insects were a small problem there. My experience in Taos last Fall and January was filled with flies and every window had screens. So I have no basis for judgement.
There seem to be more than one kind of insect screen to use. The likely maker of windows for my new house offers three: standard black fiberglass, ‘BetterVue’ with smaller fibers and finer mesh, ‘UltraVue’ that is also supposed to improve air flow and indoor air quality, and retractable screens. Phifer makes both BetterVue and UltraVue for the DIY market, along with many other screen products, but offer no technical specifications for any of their products.
I cannot find user ratings for the ‘Genius’ brand of retractable screens offered by my window maker. Two other brands (among a long list) do have good ratings: ODL and ‘Bug Off’ brands. The others have no user ratings that I can find. The local window vendor says that the roll-up screens look top-heavy because of the space the roll takes at the top of the window. I'll just store unused screens in the garage.
Since buildings here in Taos seem to have seasonal plagues of flies I have bought an electronic bug zapper. This one attracts insects with ultraviolet fluorescent lamps, then kills them with a high voltage spark. It uses about 3,000 Volts, so keeping your fingers out of the grid is helpful. There is no bleeder resistor on the high voltage capacitors (an 18-stage voltage doubler circuit), so it takes more than a day before a prodding user is safe from being jolted.