Mosquitos in brownstone gardens
Can any brownstone owners (or renters) let me know whether your gardens are actually usable in the summer months, or whether the mosquitos render them pretty unusable. I know this last summer was bad b/c we were house hunting and would get bitten like crazy just standing out there for a few mins. But is…
Can any brownstone owners (or renters) let me know whether your gardens are actually usable in the summer months, or whether the mosquitos render them pretty unusable. I know this last summer was bad b/c we were house hunting and would get bitten like crazy just standing out there for a few mins. But is that a perpetual situation? Or is it cyclical depending more on the mosquito population for the year?
I guess I’m just wondering how much brownstone gardens/patios/decks actually get used.
Additionally, does the location matter in terms of mosquito population? In other words, if you are surrounded by other gardens which are overgrown and not well cared for, does that dramatically increase the chance of a mosquito issue?
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.
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
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.
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.
Long story short: mosquitos don’t travel far from where they breed. If you, or anyone who’s on your block, have stagnant water anywhere: old buckets, clogged gutters, an old tire laying around for example, you will ALL have a problem. It takes neighborhood eradication. One of my neighbors drained standing water on his neighbor’s flat roof and, you guessed, no mosquitos until the drain clogged and the roof refilled in September.
And bats are great at eating mosquitos! The only problem is that you have to install a bat house 5 years before you want the bats to move in. They don’t take to anything new in their neighborhood so you have to wait until it’s been there at least one bat-generation.
Good luck this coming summer! More than one summer has been ruined for me by these satanic beings.
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.
I feel it is my duty to introduce anyone who cares to the best mosquito bite remedy ever: make a paste with meat tenderizer, and rub it into the bite as soon as you know it is there. Miraculous and weird. It does tend to get a bit gritty in bed on those hot summer nights, though….
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.
Is anyone familiar with the garlic spray products? Or alternatively the machines that suck in the mosquitoes with carbon dioxide? Does either work?