Help With the Stupid Mosquitos

Hello,

I have a problem ...

We moved into a new home over the winter and it has a garden/patio in the back, about 20ft wide by 40ft long.

Mrs sdog and myself hate the stupid mosquitos, we're like spice to them. And DC, being built upon a swamp, the basterds are everywhere in the summer months.

So I was thinking of purchasing one of them electric/uv insect zappers. In fact I was going to buy an industrial strength one just to be sure.

But ... in my research I came upon this:

Electrocuting bug zappers that use ultraviolet light to attract insects kill beneficial insects, such as beetles and moths, not mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are not strongly attracted to UV light, but many pollinating insects are. A key study from some time ago lays it out pretty starkly:

Frick, T. B. and D. W. Tallamy. 1996. Density and diversity of nontarget insects killed by suburban electric insect traps. Ent. News 107(2): 77-82:

“Of the 13,789 insects counted, only 31 were biting flies. Nearly half of the insects collected were nonbiting aquatic insects such as caddisflies and midges. More importantly, 1,868 predators and parasites (13.5%) were destroyed within 27 families of predators and nine families of parasitoids.”

That’s 0.2% of the total insects fried that were actual biting species of flies. The rest were insects important in ecosystem functioning and pollination. Please. Do. Not. Use. These. Devices. membracid.wordpress.com...

(emphasis mine)

So on top of being karmically responsible for nightly insecticide, it doesn't seem like the zappers are the most effective way forward.

Then they suggest something like this:

www.mosquitomagnet.com...

Now I've actually heard good reviews for these things ... the problem however is that given the fact that I'm not really into "maintenance" these guys seem like a lot of work. Propane tanks to get, return, then they have the Octenol refills that have to be changed, the whole thing seems like its something I'll need to keep on top of, and I'm not that guy.

Plus it's not like they're giving them away, the cheapest one starts at almost $400.

Any suggestions?

Anyone have experience with the zappers?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Apparently it's only the females that bite and suck blood.

Typical w....moving on!

Maybe give this a try?

hubpages.com...

Cheap, easy and effective.



[edit on 29/3/10 by Chadwickus]

Explanation: Flagged!

Tips on reducing the mozzies!

www.health.vic.gov.au...

Several Australian Products I just found through google search that you might be interested in...

Very Expensive [$1k ]
MosquitoSlayer

Much Cheaper [$200 approx]

Enviro Bug Control

Note please click on the "How it Works" button for full details OK

Personal Disclosure: When are we going to learn to not build Cities on swamps? :shk:

P.S. I hope that helps!

Edited emoticon fail! Sigh.

[edit on 29-3-2010 by OmegaLogos]

Well,you could find Citronella plants and grow them in you planters and such.

I am not sure if they would grow in that area,but it is where they get the oil that is the main ingredient of mosquito repellent.

Do some investigation of your property and your neighbors.

Mosquitoes don't travel far to seek blood to suck,so they have to be nearby breeding.

There may be standing water nearby your house that you don't know about.

This needs to be done after every rain.It may even be a crotch in a tree where a branch comes off of a trunk and a pocket has formed there.

Even a small amount can allow the breeding of thousands of those nasty buggers.

If found, empty it out.You will need to investigate very good high and low.

A common place is those silly bowls people put under potted plants.If you or your neighbors have these and it rains and they fill up,mosquito maternity ward.

Eat more garlic! It will get in your system and when you sweat you will excrete through your skin.The females don't like it.

If somebody insists on having one of those "cute" water features put a small amount of vegetable oil in it to flow on the surface.

They cannot mature and die of lack of oxygen.

Don't wear perfume or cologne when you are outside,they like it.

Move from D.C.The mosquitoes are not the only "bloodsuckers"living and working there!

[edit on 30-3-2010 by Oneolddude]

I will tell you how to make a mosquito trap. We live in mosquito-ville (two, count 'em two, nasty varieties). ... the spotted-legged ones are the worst here.

I use empty drywall buckets. The container can certainly be something more attractive if one chooses.

There are two kinds of mosquito traps that we use: 1) For mosquitos seeking to drop eggs and 2) for those that are hunting to suck blood. We use more of #1 than #2 -- about 4:1

Trap #1:

Simple. Bucket about half-full of water, add 1 tsp. liquid soap per 2 gallons of water. Mix and allow the bubbles to pop. Set the bucket out in the mosquito zone. What happens is this: the liquid soap (I use apple-scented Joy 'cause it smells purty, but almost anything will do) acts as a surfactant, decreasing the surface tension of the water. Female mosquitos land on the water to drop eggs and fall in and drown. Regrettably, this will also trap moths and some small beetles, but not the pollinators. You don't even need to change the water very often -- they just keep comin'.

Trap #2: A tad more elaborate and expensive. Water/bucket as before, however with the lid on and a hole about 1 inch in diameter cut in it. Per gallon of water, add 1/4 cup of sugar. Add the liquid soap as before, and 1 tsp. baking yeast. What happens is this: The yeast consumes the sugar, releasing alcohol and CO2 as a by-product. Mosquitos are attracted to the CO2, as their hosts expell it. They land on the water as in #1 and drown.


Our third layer of mosquito defense: Bat Boxes. Now, these take a while for the bats to find them, and occupy them. They need to be up off the ground -- on a pole, somewhere where cats and such can't get to them, or they'll never become tenants.

Bats like a fairly snug harbor, and you're wanting to attract (for your area) fairly small bats, such as the Eastern small-footed bat, or the long-eared bat.. For us, it is the small Temperate bat. Good to have bats with good attitudes.

So, if you make vertical channels with wood inside the roost, say 1 1/4" that should give you a good opportunity for bat tenants. Many people don't like having bats around them. People will say "They're dive-bombing me!!!" No, they're after what is after you. Some bats will eat nearly their own weight in flying insects per night.

Good luck SDog. Oh, and for those of you like myself that are allergic to DEET, there is a good product that actually works better than Avon Skin-So-Soft (which sorta kinda worked)........Repel Lemon Eucalyptus. Good stuff.

U can actually buy citronella oil in health food stores. SSS, skin so soft, from avon works great.

Get a bunch of tikki torches, fill them with Citronella Oil, and light them up a little bit before you plan on spending time on the porch. You'll be fine. Works here in FL quite well.