Mosquito control

[learthur]

I have had very good results using derivatives of permethrin. For quick results get the bottle that attaches to the garden hose. For long term treatment cover the yard with dry granular product.

Just like BBB you shouldn't use stuff you don't know what it is. For example the Thermocell and most foggers are just more expensive forms of permethrin products.

Permethrin is nontoxic to humans when it is dry. Be careful about wet exposure such as breahing in vapors from a fogger or thermacell.

On average I retreat every 3-6 weeks. It really depends on rain and weather and is highly variable. Essentially it is time to retreat when the bugs start coming back.

You don't have to spend big bugs for a yard misting system if your yard has a sprinkler system. Jusb buy a chemical/fertilizer injector system to add to your sprinkler system and fill it with a concentrated permethrin product.

For Mosquitos remove all sources of standing water on or near your property.

Lee

 

[CurtisT]

When I had the sprinkler re-connected after the pool build, he installed a chlorinator in the sprinkler system. I put either cedar extract (cedarcide) or garlic extract in and run the sprinkler system for about 2 minutes / zone. Seems to work well. Most of the time, the chlorinator stays in the off position other than when I want to spray on the extract.

http://www.cedarcidestore.com/cedarproducts.html

http://www.mosquitobarrier.com/ (lots of other people sell garlic extracts as well)

 

[estogo]

I also use the mosquito magnet (defender). Seems to work pretty well. It's very important to put it in the optimal place (prevailing winds, shrubs, etc) to get a good catch.

I have two propane tanks for it, when one is used up I have about three weeks to refill the empty.

That's really the only hassle, refilling propane tanks.

My neighbor one house over has a backyard misting system built in. Runs for 30 seconds in the morning and evening. Drawback...it's expensive (ongoing refill of the chemical required as well). He, however, doesn't have any mosquito problems.

 

[anonapersona]

I have had very good results using derivatives of permethrin. For quick results get the bottle that attaches to the garden hose. For long term treatment cover the yard with dry granular product.

Just like BBB you shouldn't use stuff you don't know what it is. For example the Thermocell and most foggers are just more expensive forms of permethrin products.

Permethrin is nontoxic to humans when it is dry. Be careful about wet exposure such as breahing in vapors from a fogger or thermacell.

On average I retreat every 3-6 weeks. It really depends on rain and weather and is highly variable. Essentially it is time to retreat when the bugs start coming back.

You don't have to spend big bugs for a yard misting system if your yard has a sprinkler system. Jusb buy a chemical/fertilizer injector system to add to your sprinkler system and fill it with a concentrated permethrin product.

For Mosquitos remove all sources of standing water on or near your property.

Lee

Does anyone know where one finds the injector for sprinkler systems that is mentioned here? We just bought a fogger, and while it works well, it also left an oily sheen on the pool and the tiny pond with fish. I was somewhat disturbed to notice that when we had the grandbaby in the pool a few days later.

 

[flyingvranch]

I just light up a a big ole cigar and get a good smoke barrier going around me and problem solved. Funny thing is my old dog pees on my foot when I do that and my friends don't invite me to their pool parties anymore. Coincidence maybe?

 

[gtojohn]

Propane mosquito magnet works great. I have mine set up in the middle of the yard next to a fountain bird bath that I keep dunks in it for the ones that do breed in the water. Poormans version is a box fan with mosquito net on it to catch them. works almost as good, I have one set up to blow on my dogs and there's no propane to buy. Cutter backyard hose sprayer works great, kills and repels mosquitos and fleas for a couple of weeks at a time.

Now my biggest problem is yellow jackets hovering the pool for water. I have a trap set up, been spraying them and catching them with a dip net. seems like more each day, maybe 6 today. They really arent very aggressive, they just want to be where me and my 3yr old are, especially at the stairs.

 

[4knights]

For those not wanting to spend a lot of money but willing to clean a cooler here is another suggestion that does work.
First get an old cooler, then go to the store and get a block of dry ice (wear gloves as it causes thermal burns) take the block home and put on safet glasses, break a chunk off and put it in the cooler (put the rest in your garage freezer for next time) now put the cooler about 30-50ft away from your pool or wherever you gather. Add a cup of water to the side of the cooler(not directly on it) have a great night. Next morning the cooler will be filled with tons of dead no see ums, mosquitoes and other bugs. Wash it out and do it again the next party.

 

[MeAndTheDog]

@4knights I am confused on the cup of water part "add a cup of water to the side of the cooler (not directly in it)." so just place a cup full of water into the cooler, not poured into cooler. I am assuming that the dry ice is going to give off CO2 (as it melts), which will attract them but what does the water do for the trap?

 

[4knights]

No I meant in the cooler but not on the ice - poured beside the ice in the cooler this helps to get the co2 moving faster and attract them critters better. The cooler itself will be full of dead Mosquitos.

 

[Yan]

This is a bit late in the year, but I'm new to TFP, and just saw your original message.

We had a mosquito misting system installed in the spring, and we love it! We also had a cooling mist installed at the same time and that's how we were able to eat dinner outside almost everyday since, and not be eaten ourselves by the mosquitoes.They run from two different sets of nozzles.

This is the company we used:
http://www.gulfstatesmosquito.com/index.html

Chris Foreman is the owner of the company. He came out and did the work himself with help from one other workman.

I think we have about 50 nozzles installed for the mosquito misting, all the way around the perimeter of the back fence and two sides of the property line. We also had him install just along the eaves on the front of the house so that when we go out to get the mail, or when visitors ring the doorbell and wait till we answer the door, none of us gets bitten to death.
Timers have the system come on at dusk, midnight, and just before dawn, when mosquitoes are at their worst. You want to have it spray only at these times because you don't want to kill the beneficial, or just pretty, insects that fly around in the day time. It sprays for about 30seconds each time.

Hope this helps.

 

[f3justusc]

Mosquitoes were eating us alive UNTIL I converted the pool to saltwater. Now, the only time a problem will arise is when the salt starts to get low.

 

[ComputerGuyInNOLA]

You go out to your indoor pool? Are you getting bit inside? I built these citronella torches for about 20 bucks each. Copper pipe and a bottle from Hobby Lobby. About six of these around the yard keeps them away. I would not use them indoors however.

 

[Safetybob]

I found if I added the green tiki citronella oil mixed with the yellow tiki oil that with 6 torches around the patio/pool area it worked well this past summer in Oklahoma City metro area. Yes, we have had a bad dry summer for the past couple of years, so mosquitos are having problems living......

I got a bottle of garlic extract and used a cheap hose end fertilizer mixer from Ortho I believe to spray it around grass and wood fencing, basically everywhere. Seemed to work. Smell wasn't really noticable much past application point. Something like a 1/4 cup to one gallon or so if using pump sprayer which seemed to not plug up like ortho hose end sprayer did/does. Even the ants didn't like the garlic which was amazing to me. Took a couple of applications, but the ants did leave.....

Went to non-chemical spraying as much as I can due to 5 year old girl out in the yard playing in and out of the pool. Between the torches and the garlic I was suprised at how liveable things were outside this past summer.

Bob E.

 

[chiefwej]

I love that I now live in a place where you might just hear a small child ask a parent "mommy, what's a mosquito?".

 

[Azmp1]

i picked up the bottle of mosquito barrier last summer, sprayed and sprayed everywhere and it seemingly had zero effect. Still eaten alive. I really need to figure something out as the pool being built this spring... may try mosquito magnet or the misting solution since we already have the sprinkler system. What are my Maryland neighbors using?

 

[jhalpinjr]

Thermocell!!!!! Nuff said

 

[kenandshari]

We use the citronella tiki torches around the pool and a Flowtron BK 80D zapper out in the yard upwind from the pool. Look it up on Amazon. The Flowtron works pretty good and we somehow find it "entertaining" -- guess that's a southern thing. We leave ours up about 8-9 months a year in whatever weather we get, so we only get about 2 years out of one before we need to replace parts. The instructions say to put it up in a dry place and all that, but we simply hang ours from a tree in the back yard. You are supposed to take it in when it rains - yeah right! So anyway, we go for convenience and get less useful life out of ours I guess. They are cheap enough that by the time you price bulbs it's about as cost effective to just buy a new one. (Currently $65 for the unit.) We typically buy a new a little less frequently than every other year because I Frankenstein engineer the old ones to make a good one that sometimes extends the time between purchasing another zapper. We've tried several other brands, but Flowtron seems to work best for us. I may try the garlic solution also suggested on this thread for additional repellent and for the ants. Sounds easy and cheap enough since I already have a miracle grow sprayer in the garage that can connect in the hose line to the sprinkler.

 

[troy1]

Mosquito control is a neverending battle. There are many little things you can do that help. Try to do as many as possible. The most obvious is to remove all stagnant water sources.

But if you can't remove the water sources maybe you can cover them up with mesh, fill holes in with gravel. If you have a meandering stream with lots of puddles and pools, maybe you can straighten it out so the water is always moving. Maybe a french drain can lower the water table in your yard enough to make it dry up.

Trim the hedges and underbrush, mow the lawn.

Mosquitos genrally won't fly more than 75 feet across an open expanse of lawn or sand. Usually you can't open up 75 feet all around, but do the best you can and then try the fogger in the areas where you can't trim, open, cut, or drain.

Good luck, it's a war and they breed really fast. The good news is that you have a brain and they don't.

 

[kjdiver]

Mosquitos around my house use to be amazingly awful! I hired a mosquito squad one year and they made a difference. Instead of paying them a recurring $600 per year I invested in the hardware they use...a stihl mister/blower and chemicals I buy online (biferin)... 15 minutes every couple weeks and problem is solved!

The blower is also great for the fall leaves and chemicals cost less than $40 for the season.

Thermocell and/or mosquito coil keeps the sole survivor away from my wife. They travel accross the country to bite her, with my method she can enjoy hanging outside bite free throughout spring summer and fall.

 

[Swampwoman]

So, we had majo floods this spring and overnight the mosquito population has literally tripled.

I don't know what kind of expense is involved in the mister systems, or what route to go.
Mosquito agent? Stills blower? Contacted service? Has anyone tried multiple approaches and found what they feel is a best solution!

By way of background, large river n front of house, forest behind house, and tons of terraced foliage above the pool. Last year was our first year in the house an an unusually low population due to dry spring...we relied on therma cell, tiki torches, and a zapper. I'm clear already after last night and this am that that's not going to cut it, and even last year, didn't really ail it. So this year will be triple trouble!.

The guy who delivered a face cord of wood last night commented he'd never seen so any Mosquitos in one place before hi ho! Thanks in advance for any suggestions!