Mosquito Control ideas needed

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rphpool said:
I just spray my BiFen XTS with a 1 gallon pump sprayer. Dose is 10cc per gallon, takes about 3 gallons to do my patio, front, and back yard.
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Good to know. Do you spray the entire yard, trying to cover all of the grass? Or do you just do the permitter?

I ended up ordering the package from do your own pest control with the fog sprayer. My solo pump sprayer puts out a really fine mist, and if I'm trying to cover the yard, I was afraid it would take forever. I'll see how the fogger does.
 
camueller said:
I ended up ordering the package from do your own pest control with the fog sprayer. My solo pump sprayer puts out a really fine mist, and if I'm trying to cover the yard, I was afraid it would take forever. I'll see how the fogger does.
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I'm guessing that the fog sprayer you ordered will also take you a long time to get the job done and may not thoroughly wet the lawn and foliage properly. My 2 cents worth is that you would probably prefer the Chapin G362 hose end sprayer that I referenced in my previous post. I'll tell you why I like mine. No pumping is required, it emits a nice fan spray which wets everything down great and makes the application go very quickly. I like to spray up into the tree foliage and by removing the stream spreader, it will shoot quite high. I have a 0.4 acre lot and can do it all in about 20 minutes.

The G362 has a 16 oz container. To get the recommended 0.065% dilution, I fill the container to 10.7 oz with water, then add Bifen XTS (25.1 %) to the 16 oz mark, then set the sprayer to 2 tablespoons per gallon.

I spray every thing; lawn, shrubs, wife's potted plants, wood deck, up into the trees, etc. I even spray into the neighbors yard a bit for a better perimeter.

I hope you're happy with the fogger. Just wanted to say why I like the Chapin G362 sprayer. Works great and fast.
 
Honestly I probably shouldn't have bought the fogging thing. But it's already on the way to my house, so I guess I'll see how it sprays and go for there. I was thinking I could kind of direct the spray of the "fog" to the grass and spread it that way. Maybe not.

I would probably be better off with the hose end sprayer, and I could use it for other things. Perhaps I'll order it too. I'm not sure it's worth trying to return the other thing I got.

I should also ask, but I assume if I spray this and let it dry, it's safe for our toddler to play in the grass again, right?
 
A regular old bug zapper won't work, but I bought one that has a spot for a mosquito attractant (Octenol?) and it's killed a lot of mosquitoes. The dry weather that we've been having helps too, but it's at least helping some. Don't think there's going to be a single solution that works all the time, every time. Every little bit counts. I bought it at Rural king, but can't find a link for it anywhere.
 
epro05 said:
I'm guessing that the fog sprayer you ordered will also take you a long time to get the job done and may not thoroughly wet the lawn and foliage properly. My 2 cents worth is that you would probably prefer the Chapin G362 hose end sprayer that I referenced in my previous post. I'll tell you why I like mine. No pumping is required, it emits a nice fan spray which wets everything down great and makes the application go very quickly. I like to spray up into the tree foliage and by removing the stream spreader, it will shoot quite high. I have a 0.4 acre lot and can do it all in about 20 minutes.

The G362 has a 16 oz container. To get the recommended 0.065% dilution, I fill the container to 10.7 oz with water, then add Bifen XTS (25.1 %) to the 16 oz mark, then set the sprayer to 2 tablespoons per gallon.

I spray every thing; lawn, shrubs, wife's potted plants, wood deck, up into the trees, etc. I even spray into the neighbors yard a bit for a better perimeter.

I hope you're happy with the fogger. Just wanted to say why I like the Chapin G362 sprayer. Works great and fast.
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I got the Chapin G362 yesterday and gave it a test spray today just with the hose and nothing in the canister. I have to say, I like it a lot. I'm curious, why do you dilute the Bifen in the canister rather than dial your adjuster down into the teaspoon range?

I ask because I realize I ended up getting Bifen ITS rather than the higher strength stuff. This stuff says to mix 1oz per gallon to get the .065% dilution ratio. That works out to 2 Tablespoons, so I was thinking I'd just set my dial on 2 Tablespoons and fill the canister with straight bifen its. I have some pivot 10 also that I guess I'll spray out separately.

I haven't even tried this fog sprayer thing yet. I'd attempt to return it, but with return shipping and restocking fee it's not worth it.
 
Glad you like the G362. It really is fantastic. Mine is identical but is branded Gilmour 362. Chapin bought the sprayer product line from Gilmour.

I agree with you. Set it to 2 tablespoons with undiluted ITS.

Good question: Yes, I could have used the teaspoons, but I guess I didn't want to fiddle with inserting the teaspoon orifice into the tube.
 
epro05 said:
Glad you like the G362. It really is fantastic. Mine is identical but is branded Gilmour 362. Chapin bought the sprayer product line from Gilmour.

I agree with you. Set it to 2 tablespoons with undiluted ITS.

Good question: Yes, I could have used the teaspoons, but I guess I didn't want to fiddle with inserting the teaspoon orifice into the tube.
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First, I can understand why you wouldn't want to mess with turning it around to convert to teaspoons. I was worried that the Bifen was a real thick liquid and may not get picked up well by the siphon from the sprayer. But as soon as I poured it into the cup, I could tell it was plenty liquid enough on it's own.

So, I put some down tonight all around my house, front yard, back and both sides. I didn't spray the pool deck and made sure to keep the spray away from the pool. Anyway, after finishing, the sun was just going down. I wanted to end my day with a dip in the pool, as I often do on week nights. Every night in recent memory I get run out of the pool by bugs driving me insane. Tonight, 30 minutes after spraying the bifen its out, I was not touched by a single bug in the pool tonight. I stayed in longer and left my body more exposed than normal just to see if there were any out there. Nothing touched me.

I didn't expect it to work so quick, but it seems to have. I guess I'll see how long it stays like that. So far, I'm very happy. I guess I'll put the Pivot 10 stuff I have down this weekend, if only because I already have it.

Thanks so much for the suggestions on the sprayer and the bifen!
 

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If you are a diy type at all I highly recommend buying the Chapin G362 and some Bifen and spraying it yourself. You'll likely end up with enough supplies to treat your yard yourself several times for less than the $70 cost of one monthly visit.
 
camueller said:
First, I can understand why you wouldn't want to mess with turning it around to convert to teaspoons. I was worried that the Bifen was a real thick liquid and may not get picked up well by the siphon from the sprayer. But as soon as I poured it into the cup, I could tell it was plenty liquid enough on it's own.

So, I put some down tonight all around my house, front yard, back and both sides. I didn't spray the pool deck and made sure to keep the spray away from the pool. Anyway, after finishing, the sun was just going down. I wanted to end my day with a dip in the pool, as I often do on week nights. Every night in recent memory I get run out of the pool by bugs driving me insane. Tonight, 30 minutes after spraying the bifen its out, I was not touched by a single bug in the pool tonight. I stayed in longer and left my body more exposed than normal just to see if there were any out there. Nothing touched me.

I didn't expect it to work so quick, but it seems to have. I guess I'll see how long it stays like that. So far, I'm very happy. I guess I'll put the Pivot 10 stuff I have down this weekend, if only because I already have it.

Thanks so much for the suggestions on the sprayer and the bifen!
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So you are having exactly the wonderful experience I am having. I think you hit on why I might have chosen predilution (and tablespoon setting). I too was thinking that tiny hole in the teaspoon adapter might have a problem with viscous liquids, glad it works well with the Bifen which is not very viscous, as you mention.

One spraying lasts me at least a month, maybe 6 weeks. Let me know your experience next month.

Glad I could help with the suggestions.
 
epro05 said:
So you are having exactly the wonderful experience I am having. I think you hit on why I might have chosen predilution (and tablespoon setting). I too was thinking that tiny hole in the teaspoon adapter might have a problem with viscous liquids, glad it works well with the Bifen which is not very viscous, as you mention.

One spraying lasts me at least a month, maybe 6 weeks. Let me know your experience next month.

Glad I could help with the suggestions.
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Much appreciated! I was hoping to do the spray monthly, but I'll keep an eye on how many bug bites me and the family are seeing and go from there. Even if I had to do it every 3 weeks I'd be happy. It didn't take me much Bifen at all to cover my entire lot, so I ought to be set for a few summer's...especially considering I didn't even open this new bottle until August. I'll have to put down 1 or 2 more applications this season probably, then store it away. But my chapin sprayer should get plenty use with fertilizer and weed killer.

This thread was worth almost as much to me as the entire TFP site has been :) I'll definitely keep you updated.
 
Thanks for sharing. Definitely thinking about following suit with the spray. Just wondering if it kills/repels other biting insects. Like noseeums (little black vampire flea things)? If so I'm sold and willing to give it a try. I think I own my own citronella factory now as much as I've bought this season LOL.
 
Bifen IT is the less concentrated version compared to Bifen XTS. If your doing just mosquitoes use the IT.

Bifen works great for sure, but it's super harmful to honey bees. Use it responsibly, follow the directions and don't spray it on plants with flowers. Save the bees maaaan....
 
I thank all who replied to this thread. You saved me so much money and saved my kids from crying they were getting bitten by the mosquitos! So much cheaper than hiring someone to spray as well. [emoji16]


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I happened over to lawnsite.com earlier today and found a thread about the chapin sprayer I bought. They weren't so crazy about it, saying it wasn't reliable in the amount it output because the brass would corrode in the presence of the pesticide. I'm not sure if I believe that, especially if you keep the thing clean (I flush it with fresh water when done). That site seemed more geared towards professional lawn care people rather than homeowners taking care of their own yard. So it may have been like going to the pool store for advice.

All I know is my yard is much more pleasant to be in since I sprayed the Bifen IT
 
camueller said:
They weren't so crazy about it, saying it wasn't reliable in the amount it output because the brass would corrode in the presence of the pesticide. I'm not sure if I believe that
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I wouldn't worry about what they say. As I mentioned, the Chapin 362 is identical to the Gilmour 362 (no longer sold by Gilmore). As you can see on this Amazon page, it got 4.3 out of 5 stars (83% of the review were 4 or 5 stars). I personally gave it a 5 in my review.

Like you, I am meticulous about cleaning it after using. I rinse it thoroughly, then fill it will clean water and spray a few minutes to clean out the siphon tube. Then I leave it apart until everything is dry, then store it under cover where it is protected from dust and rain.

I've had it two years and it looks brand new and works the same as on day one.

I think you'll continue to like it.
 

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