Mosquitos in brownstone gardens

I would say mosquitos are getting worse every year (it's a global warming issue) - gardens are pretty unusable from about mid-July on - but before then you still have to use mosquito repellant. I have dealt with the issue by putting up one of those suburban blue light zappers - that has significantly reduced the problem in my garden, but repellant is still important. I dont' know about other areas, but I just moved to a street near the gowanus canal and the mosquitos over here are worse than my old garden apt in carroll gardens close to the bqe. The nicest time for the garden is may and june anyway, when it's not too hot and being in the garden feels like a huge novelty - in those months the mosquitos are generally tolerable.

Posted by: guest at February 5, 2008 11:32 AM

We do have a mosquito problem after mid-July in our Clinton Hill backyard. Friends of mine attribute it to mutant mosquitos from the spraying that was done during the West Nile fears of the Guiliani administration. Last summer we had success entertaining outside in the evenings by burning lots of citronella candles and torches -- it also made a festive atmosphere. I would also say some people are far more bothered by mosquitos than others -- my husband can be hounded by bites while I don't notice a thing.

Posted by: guest at February 5, 2008 12:12 PM

Use this and set up a bat house:

http://www.gardeners.com/Mosquito+Repelling+Granules/GardenPests_Mosquitoes,33-430,default,cp.html

Posted by: guest at February 5, 2008 12:22 PM

I've been interested in a bat house! But my husband insists our neighbors would hate us, and bat houses are suitable only on large properties. Does anyone know if bat houses are being widely used in Brooklyn yards yet?

Mosquitos do bite some and others not at all. I doubt so highly you don't have mosquitos, John Ife. You must be one of the lucky ones mosquitos don't eat.

I grew up in Minnesota, where as they say the state bird is the mosquito. These are things that worked for us there:

Eat lots of garlic and take garlic capsules. Get the capsules that DO make you smell! Not the ones that claim not to have an odor. Mosquitos hate garlic-smelling skin.

Citronella candles - they do work.

Citrus-based plant-based repellents - they do work. But use chemicals freely if need be; it's worse to get West Nile Virus.

I don't care what people say, unkept gardens do contribute to more mosquitos. Our yard when we bought it was overgrown and when I got in there with my shears to cut everything out, hordes of mosquitos came out. We kept our yard green, I hate cement yards, but we just keep it groomed. Offer to mow a neighbor's lawn and cut out vines and weeds if they're neglecting it. Also put those floater things that kill mosquitos in any standing water in a neighbor's yard like if they have old flower barrels sitting around or something. It's safe, not poisonous to animals or people. Also check your roof for standing puddles of water that don't dry within a few hours.

Posted by: guest at February 5, 2008 12:45 PM

Mosquitos are tyopically not that bad until the end of the summer i.e. Late July August and September, and even then they typically are more ferocious at dusk and evening time.

During the day is usually no problem and with a little repellant and citranella you should be fine.

PS - I am not sure how this is a global warming issue, but I think it is pretty to say that

Posted by: guest at February 5, 2008 1:19 PM

Put the bat house on the roof if you think the neighbors will hate you. I love that my neighbors have bats in their old chimney (I se them go in from my roof garden) because I have no mosquito problem.

Posted by: guest at February 5, 2008 1:35 PM

I am plagued by these over in Victorian Flatbush, where there are lots of unkempt yards and clogged gutters. I have tried those garlic sprays, which definitely make my yard smell like garlic but I'm not sure about the effect on the mosquitoes. I also went so far as to buy one of those carbon dioxide-emitting machines that are supposed to attract mosquitoes, which then get stuck on sticky paper. I caught mosquitoes, flies, and many other flying insects but I'm not sure if it made an appreciable impact on our ability to use the yard. What did, I am sad to report, was yard fogger which enabled me to have a party that lasted well into the twilight hours without getting a single bite.

Part of the problem of course is not being able to do anything about what the neighbors are doing with their properties. There's plenty of standing water, lots of tangled vines, and so on. Does anyone know if purple martins are willing to live in Brooklyn? I have been thinking about getting a purple martin house. I think they'd be better received than bats.

Posted by: guest at February 5, 2008 1:45 PM

It's a global warming issue because mosquitos used to be killed of in NYC's cold cold winters. The warmer the winters get, the more mosquitos we will have.

Posted by: guest at February 5, 2008 2:46 PM

I didn't try it last year...but someone told me to get an outdoor fan. The theory is that mosquitos are very weak fliers and can't battle the "wind" created by the fan.

Another trade off I noticed was the more sangria I drank, the less I cared about the bites. Maybe it was the lemons I used :)

Posted by: guest at February 5, 2008 3:38 PM

One thing nice thing about brooklyn mosquitoes is that their buzz is a lot worse than their bite. It never seems to itch for more than an hour or two. But when ever I go to my friends on Long Island I get these mosquito bites that itch all week.

Posted by: guest at February 5, 2008 4:50 PM

Re: Purple Martins

These birds, although lovely, have an ill deserved reputation for eating mosquitos. They in fact prefer dragonflies--which are the real mosquito killers.

Posted by: guest at February 5, 2008 5:36 PM

Yeh, our Prospect Heights backyard is pretty much unusable from July through early September. Standing water is always the biggest culprit and if any of your neighbors' yards are neglected, you can bet there will be plenty of standing water in them. The other issue is that PH has very deep lots and plenty of big trees so the general preponderance of greenery adds to the problem. I've noticed when I visit friends in nabes where the yards are much smaller and many are concreted over that there are far fewer mosquitoes. We are giving serious thought to screening in a portion of our deck so that we can at least sit out in the evenings after work and enjoy the breezes without being bitten to death.

Posted by: guest at February 5, 2008 5:39 PM

i think it varies block by block. One back deck on 9th st in the south slope I had few mozzie problems. But in a north slope garden it was moderately bad, cobble hill it was bad & in ft greene it was unbearable.

Posted by: guest at February 5, 2008 5:40 PM

Park Slope has zero mosquitoes and no projects.

Posted by: guest at February 5, 2008 5:58 PM

The biggest problem in our Prospect Heights backyard is the infestation of Asian Tiger Mosquitoes. They are much more vicious and even bite in the daytime. They can also breed in the water in a leaf after a rain, so even clean backyards can have a problem.

We use lots of tiki torches and keep bottles of repellent outside. Windier nights are more comfortable, since they bite less.

Posted by: guest at February 5, 2008 6:00 PM

Our Prospect Heights yard was intolerable last summer - day and night thanks to the Tiger mosquito. I'm thinking about getting the "Mosquito Magnet" this summer. Anyone tried it? It's expensive, but would be worth it if it works.

Posted by: guest at February 5, 2008 6:23 PM

Hey New Guy,
1:45 here -- you'll see from my post that I've tried both garlic and the mosquito machine (although I admit that I didn't spring for the vacuum model -- mine just relies on them throwing themselves against the paper, which is probably not as effective) and neither of them are a cure. However, I'm going to give both approaches another try this year, being forever optimistic.

Posted by: guest at February 5, 2008 9:23 PM

My father lives near a swamp -- lots of mosquitos. he got two mosquito magnets -- for two acres -- and for the first time ever, the backyard was pleasant. I am thinking of getting one for our back yard, which is nothing but a brownstone sliver.

Posted by: guest at February 5, 2008 9:40 PM

What is a mosquito magnet and where can I get one? I get eaten alive in our Clinton Hill backyard. Some people attract mosquitos more than others, something about their blood or scent. Known fact. I get eaten alive when others don't get one bite.

Posted by: guest at February 5, 2008 10:00 PM

We use a regular house fan outside, placing it on the ground near our legs as we eat dinner. That and a citronella candle seemed to help a lot last summer which was the worst in our nine years in PLG

Posted by: guest at February 5, 2008 10:21 PM

For those who have tried the mosquito magnet, did you try it with the special lure for the asian tiger mosquito?

They seem to get worse every year, but it is a big investment.

Posted by: guest at February 6, 2008 9:34 AM

I AM TELLING YOU - THE BLUE ZAPPER (is that what a mosquito magnet is?) works wonders - mosquitos are territorial and eventually you can reduce their numbers by keeping your blue zapper on at night regardless of whether you are sitting outside. At least it worked very well for me last summer in Carroll Gardens.

Posted by: guest at February 6, 2008 10:56 AM

I live in Boerum Hill. Over the past ten years, I think the mosquito problem has gotten worse. It starts earlier, and now we have them in the front of the house as well as the back.

To answer your specific question, we are able to use the backyard during the day without repellent through mid-July. During the evenings, especially at dusk, you need repellant starting in June. Starting in mid-July, repellant is needed for any outdoor activity. Since I hate repellant, I find the backyard basically unusable from August until we have a good freeze.

I think citronella candles are useless, but the fan is a good idea. There are definitely fewer mosquitoes when there's a good breeze.

Posted by: guest at February 6, 2008 12:02 PM

I have had suprisingly good success with a produce called Thermcell, which burns chemical pads and actually wards off the ravinous mosquitos. If is effective for about 15 ft around the device, which is adequate for our modest and narrow yard. Kmart sold the holder and refills for a while.
Good luck. EF

Posted by: guest at February 6, 2008 12:06 PM

Sorry, the correct spelling is THERMACELL. Regards, EF

Posted by: guest at February 6, 2008 12:07 PM