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July 16, 2008
Best way to deal with mosquitos?
My back yard is really loaded with them. There is no standing water. Does someone know a poison free way to keep them down?
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THERE IS A CANDLE THAT U CAN BUY FROM THE HARDWERE STORE ... I THANK, THAT KEEPS THEM AWAY.
HOPES THIS WORK GOOD LUCK
Posted by: THELWATK at July 16, 2008 7:42 PM
cover yourself in Off or something with Deet and hope for the best. Those things are a constant issue in the summer. Eliminating standing water, getting one of those mosquito traps, etc. will have only very limited if any results. The problem is the urban area is filled with perfect breeding and feeding conditions. Even if your yard is dry your neighbor down the block may have a puddle breeding hundreds of them every day.
I have learned to live with them, resistance is futile.
Posted by: newsouthsloper at July 16, 2008 7:46 PM
Citronella candles are only marginally useful against skeeters. The stuff I find works best is Cutter's Deet-free repellent with picaridin. It comes in a spray or wipes. Unlike conventional repellents it doesn't leave your skin feeling waxy.
A high end solution is a "mosquito magnet". They're effective over large areas but are pricey ($500+) and require a fresh propane tank every two or three weeks. A friend in the Catskills lives next to a mosquito-infested pond, uses one of these things and swears by them.
Posted by: Steve at July 16, 2008 8:49 PM
Yard Guard...its a spray...you spray the whole yard (not yourself)...works great...yes, the smell lingers for about 5-10 mins but in annhilates all of them.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at July 17, 2008 8:53 AM
I have a Mosquito Magnet. It takes a while to bring down the population - at least a month - but it does work. If you do get one, get the Lurex attractant - despite what the MM website says about them only being south of us, we do have Asian tiger mosquitos in Brooklyn. Even with the magnet, I still use repellent since nothing will eliminate 100% of the little beasts.
Tiki torches filled with citronella oil are also somewhat effective for short periods of time. The candles are pretty useless in my experience.
The other thing that does work is the foggers (aka Yard Guard). But they are highly toxic to good insects as well as bad - as well as people and pets. And don't get them near anything you might eat, or eat off of. You get the picture - they're nasty stuff.
Posted by: geekspice at July 17, 2008 9:10 AM
Bats. Frogs. Fish.
Mosquitoes can breed in a tablespoon of water -- clean your rain gutters. Here is a good list of common breeding sites that might not be obvious standing water. It is a little suburban (boat?), but it might give you some ideas:
http://www.co.jackson.ms.us/DS/MosquitoControl.html
Posted by: amanda at July 17, 2008 9:38 AM
From the Mosquito Trivia Dept:
Mosquitoes don't feed on blood. They feed on nectar, like bees, so standing water isn't the only attractant. So are flowering plants.
Only the females bite and then only when they're getting ready to lay eggs. They need the proteins in animal blood to fertilize the eggs. That's why biting mosquitoes also stay close to standing water.
Posted by: Steve at July 17, 2008 12:10 PM
Problem with the candles and smokers is that you are also breathing in the repellant that the mosquitoes are trying to avoid.
Mosquitoes are poor flyers, so wind or a fan can be used to repel or trap them. You can find cheap nets that attach the the common $20 square fans. You would be the bait for this trap.
Posted by: Karka at July 17, 2008 12:21 PM
bathouse/ batboxes? Anyone have those?
One thing that only serves to kill beneficial insects and not mosquitos is the Bug Zapper. Mosquitos are not attracted to light, but moths are.
Posted by: ohiise at July 17, 2008 4:01 PM
http://www.bestnest.com/bestnest/lc/lc_bat_benefits.asp
Posted by: ohiise at July 17, 2008 4:18 PM
I've heard that using an outdoor fan works. The word I received was that mosquitos can't land on you when there's more than a 3 mph wind. I have no idea if this is true, but it sounds cool. Of course, I realize that I might be a total moron for even thinking this is true.
Posted by: lapmax75 at July 19, 2008 10:36 PM
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