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Those dreaded mosquito's

tarheelforever
tarheelforever Posts: 139
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Before long warm weather and blue skies will be in full force. Not far behind will be those darn mosquito's.

I refuse to allow them to hinder my backyard fun this year and must do something more proactive than spraying my yard.

Has anyone used the mister's and if so how do they work?

My dealer carries the "Allclear Mosquito Mister" but know nothing about these machines.

Is there a better way? Comments are appreciated.

Comments

  • NU2BBQ
    NU2BBQ Posts: 98
    Have you considered a natural defense such as putting up bat houses? Bats eat a ton of mosquitoes nightly.

    I don't mind the mosquitoes it's the black flies I can't tolerate.
  • Spring Chicken
    Spring Chicken Posts: 10,255
    A few years ago I looked into installing a mosquito control misting system but we really didn't have enough of a problem with them to justify the expense (About $600 if I recall).

    I did some limited research and learned that the systems often kills beneficial insects as well. Also, there is a matter of neighbors not liking the idea of pesticides being constantly bombarded in the area.

    I just backed off and thought I would try the canned lawn foggers. If they worked I might get one of the larger foggers. I'm still using the canned type.

    Plus, our county has a mosquito control program. Every so often a truck will come down the street fogging the area but I suspect most of their intent is for the fog to drift down into the underground drain network.

    I also built some bat houses over ten years ago but all the bats in our area had moved on. I never got the first bat to take up residency.

    Sorry I can't offer any more useful information.

    Spring "No Bats In My Belfry" Chicken
    Spring Texas USA
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,674
    beat me to the bat boxes, love watching them fly over the water. i think they eat something like 2200 mosquitos a day. if you have long hair they stick to it pretty well :laugh: its not a myth, happened to a buddies girlfriend up near conway, all you can do is watch :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • I too have a mosquito farm in my backyard. It is all natural growth, dense, with english ivy. The mosquitos from my neighbors come to live at my resort. I have seen grown men walk out my back door, tear up in 60 seconds and then run screaming for their cars. I was hoping to move before spring. Now I will be looking for some form of insect control solution. What is the name of the fogger you guys are using?
  • okay, how do you build a "bat box?"
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,674
    its just a box made from rough cut pine and open on the bottom, bats like a narrow space so make it 12 inches tall by 12 inches wide with a 1 to 2 inch opening by 12 inches wide. up north it helps to paint the top half black for added heat but most places just leave them unpainted. i dont think it needs to be hung really high but thats where you see them, ive had them less than 6 feet off the ground living behind wall mounted carriage lights
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Cpt'n Cook
    Cpt'n Cook Posts: 1,917
    They love my Fiddlhead Ferns.
  • Lawn Ranger
    Lawn Ranger Posts: 5,467
    A few years ago I had a mosquito expert from Texas A&M speak at my Landscape Managers Conference. People are really wanting bats to be a cure all for mosquitos... Unfortunately, he said that was not the case. Neither are Purple Martins. He made the very good point that mosquitos bother us "on the ground", not 20 or more feet up in the air. He stated that while bats are indeed eating insects, not many of them are mosquitos. Mosquitos breed in low lying, moist areas, and tend to stay there; not high up in the air. Their flight paths are down low. The section in this article about bats seems to verify what he says. Interesting reading. Hope it helps.

    Mike

    http://www.mosquito.org/mosquito-information/faq.aspx

    Hope this helps.
  • Black fly solution.

    Hang zip lock bags here and there full of water. I haven't tried it because we don't have a problem with flies (yet). The theory is that the fly sees it's reflection magnified several times and it scares it away from the area. Some say to put a couple pennies in the bag as well.

    The guys here at work hang them around outside lunch areas and swear by them.
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,674
    what really helps is moving to the windy side of the lake, i get almost no mosquitos where as the next house back off from the pond is mosquito heaven
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,674
    is that for flys or the little noseeums that bite, we get a black fly season, the noseeum kind, that will cover you with a thousand little biters at a time and bug repelent is pretty worthless on the little buggers
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • NU2BBQ
    NU2BBQ Posts: 98
    That trick is for the common house fly, the black flies I was referring too are sometimes called "no see ums", tiny little buggers that get in your face and don't leave, bite like all get out and itch like heck. Trying to describe these without swearing is tough!
  • NU2BBQ
    NU2BBQ Posts: 98
    You got it, I did find a product that helps, it's called "White Mountain Insect Repellent". It's DEET free and costs a pretty penny. I bought a bottle last year and still have most of it. It's made in Merrimac, NH. I got it at a local hardware store.
  • Lawn Ranger
    Lawn Ranger Posts: 5,467
    Yep. I'll bet that's right! You know, it really does make sense that they stay down low. After all, they're looking for a blood meal, and there's not too much to snack on 30 feet up. ;)
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,674
    i will look for it. i have this little dropper bottle that just says black fly repellent, works great, just a drop or two does it. not sure whats in it but they took it off the market quickly, im sure its not good for you. i use it only when its really needed as i dont want to run out of it, cutters and all those other deet products they just laugh at. they really do a number on the dog in the spring
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,674
    the bats do fly low over the water though, the girl with the bat glued to her head was sitting in a canoe, my buddie had just got done telling her not to worry, that it was a wives tale about bats and long hair, then ....whapp, bat in her hair :laugh:
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Spring Chicken
    Spring Chicken Posts: 10,255
    You can get the fogger aerosol cans just about anywhere but this might be better.

    InsectFogger.jpg

    This one is from Cabela's but Sears, Lowe's and Home Depot, and most hardward stores sell them.

    I keep thinking I'll get one but haven't yet.

    Spring "Need Some Skeeter-Eaters" Chicken
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,674
    thanks, ill get some. camp in maine has alot of hemlocks, they really like hangigng out near those in spring
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Nature Boy
    Nature Boy Posts: 8,687
    Hey Mike
    Kinda bums me out to read your note, cuz I just ordered a bat house (a BCI approved one). As you mentioned, it's not a cure-all....but there is NO cure-all! Way I figger it is if I get a 100 plus bats at-the-ready, it will help the situation.

    Combined with a skeeter magnet, and ceiling fans around the pavillion if we ever build it, maybe....just maybe we can put a damper on them itchy critters.

    Guess what we really need is an extended drought to turn this place into a desert!
    Cheers
    Chris
    DizzyPigBBQ.com
    Twitter: @dizzypigbbq
    Facebook: Dizzy Pig Seasonings
    Instagram: @DizzyPigBBQ
  • Lawn Ranger
    Lawn Ranger Posts: 5,467
    Don't get me wrong; I love bats, and really like having them around. They are all over our neighborhood. It was kind of disappointing to hear the information that the expert shared with my group. However, it does really make sense if you stop and think about it. They're after blood, and there's not much to be had way up in the air. Not much water or breeding cover up there either. On top of that....there are bats to eat you if you're dumb enough to enter their airspace. :woohoo:
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,674
    good to house the little critters, bats are on the decline
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • TampaQ
    TampaQ Posts: 40
    http://www.skeeterdefeater.com/

    I use this. It does help.

    my brother in law has the expensive misting system around his pool and it does work. Nothing is perfect though
  • Spring Chicken
    Spring Chicken Posts: 10,255
    That's pretty cool. Kinda expensive but it has some nice features. Refills are probably a bit pricy too. But if it does the job as advertised it would be worth it.

    Some years ago I purchased one of those battery powered, auto pump-sprayer restroom odorizer things thinking I could refill one of the odorizer bottles with a mosquito spray and use it to keep my back porch free of mosquitoes. There was a problem with West Nile Virus at the time.

    We never got around to trying it with mosquito spray but we still use it to make the house smell good.

    I probably have almost as much money invested in the pump-sprayer as the Skeeter Defeater and all mine does is spray every 15 or 25 seconds. No remote and it sprays whether I'm home or not.

    I just might talk myself into buying a Skeeter Defeater.

    Thanks for telling us about it.

    Spring "Lock And Load, Skeeter Season Is Open" Chicken
    Spring Texas USA
  • Nature Boy
    Nature Boy Posts: 8,687
    Makes total sense Mike. Plus we never had much of a problem 'til those bastadges brought those evil Asian tiger mosquitoes over to the USA in some tires. What the hell we want someone elses' old tires for anyways?

    So, the tiger mosquitoes these days are our biggest problem, and they stay real close to the ground. Not only did I read that, but thousands of bites last year behind my knees and above my ankles.....I believe it.

    You try to swat them, and they dodge you and hide until they can get ya. My theory is they have evolved by practicing on karate-quick asian people for thousands of years.

    There's really no hope. Deet is my summertime cologne.

    We should get bright high-school kids everywhere to make controlling mosquitoes their science fair project :-)

    Dang, you got me all wound up, and not a mosquito to be found up here yet.
    Beers!
    Chris
    DizzyPigBBQ.com
    Twitter: @dizzypigbbq
    Facebook: Dizzy Pig Seasonings
    Instagram: @DizzyPigBBQ
  • Nature Boy
    Nature Boy Posts: 8,687
    See it sprays at dusk and dawn. Freakin tiger skeeters bite all day dangit. I'd need a refill every day!

    You got tiger skeeters down your way?
    Cheers!
    Chris
    DizzyPigBBQ.com
    Twitter: @dizzypigbbq
    Facebook: Dizzy Pig Seasonings
    Instagram: @DizzyPigBBQ
  • LoneStarEgg
    LoneStarEgg Posts: 287
    Use a sheet of Bounce It repels mosquitoes. Tie a Bounce Dryer Sheet through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season. It also repels yellow jackets.

    Another mosquito repellent.
    Vanilla home remedy for personal use:
    8 oz water
    2 tsp vanilla extract
    1 tsp. orange oil
    Spray on liberally.


    Additional non toxic methods of repelling mosquito's.
    http://www.dirtdoctor.com/organic/garden/view_question/id/1033/