Posted: 4/2/2007 9:43:17 AM EDT
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Our backyard has 3 ponds (2 acre, 1/4 acre, and 1/2 acre large) about 100 yards behind our house. Mosquitoes galore. What is the best way to keep them at bay from a survival standpoint as well as a comfort. I know if we didn't have power at the house we'd spend most cool evenings out on the deck. I could screen it in but that's $$$. Any natural plants to grow that repel them? Lemons or citrus plants? I'm in MO so don't know how well they'd grow. What about a propane powered trap. I've seen one from coleman but don't know how well it works or if I want to drop 100 on it. I've never had luck with the citronella stuff, just a smelly waste of $. Bug sprays work, but then I have to get cleaned up again. Any commercial sprays I could hit the whole yard with? |
| Mosquitos are a most of the year thing here, and I don't know of anything but spraying yourself with 100% DEET that keeps them at bay for any length of time. Even with that, they'll still buzz around just off your head. Screening may be expensive, but it is the best (and cleanest) option. |
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there is alway the cheap way... fish certain fish will eat them before they have a chance to grow in to adults. things like bass i know are not surface feeders but guppies are and they breed like crazy. yes guppies are small but a few hundred of them might do the job. in the winter you can catch a few and put them in a tank and breed them all winter. i would just go to your local fish store and ask what fish might work. i saw this on dirty jobs, its what they do in New Orleans in swimming pools at abandoned houses |
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Last year I asked the Arfcom hive mind about mosquito control, because my back yard is pretty buggy. I got mixed reports on the propane powered skeeter eaters. A few guys liked them while about an equal number said they weren't worthwhile. I would go with fish in the ponds to eat the larva and keep them under control. Also citronella buckets/torches, and you can also get foggers which will clear out the yard for a day or so. |
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Stay away from the CO2 traps. They will likely attact more than were there before. 1. clean up pond edges and stock pond with fish, any fish will do but there is a particular species that primarily eats larvae. Gambusia (?spelling?) 2. eliminate any containers around your house and yard. larvae can breed and develop in something as small as a bottle cap 3. Check your gutters and ground pipes. they will develop larvae in clogged areas and areas where the ribbed ground pipe is close to horizontal. 4. drain or fill in any areas that unneccessarily hold water 5. They rest in plants and heavy foliage during the day. So think about your landscape around the house. Are you creating a refuge? 6. Fogging is a good tool to eliminate the adults in a small area but barrier treatments are most effective with prolonged residuals. 7. I can't imagine living in FL and being able to use a deck without a good screan. Screen in your deck but don't forget about the floor. If you have spaces between the floor they will live under your deck during the day and come up to feed when they detect CO2(you or your kids) out enjoying your deck. Screen the bottom if possible. 8. you will never kill or control all mosquitos in an area. Wear a good deet based repellent and appropriate clothing. 9. larvicide products will help to control larvae in breeding sites that you can't eliminate. Check out Altosid, Agnique MMF G, they are biorational larvides that address the source of the problem and not just the symptoms (adults) 10. Forget about the misting systems, they are expensive, marginally effective, and lend to resistance in mosquitos >>>>>super mosquitoes that you can't kill 11. Depending on where you are in FL, your county or district will likely have an organized mosquito control program. learn about what they do and call in when you have a problem in the area(don't be an ass, they are generally great people doing very tough jobs) They often use citizen calls as indicators of problem areas and will investigate the source and try to treat accordingly. During SHTF depending on the circumstances mosquito control will be one of the agencies trying to protect you from mosquito transmitted diseases. I have seen them camping out at their offices to get their jobs done because their own homes were flooded or destroyed. One of our pilots went up to spray in South MS after Kartrina. He sprayed his mission and came back to ask, "Why are we spraying, there is nothing but concrete squares (formerly houses) and sticks(trees) down there", the response from my MS counterpart was "Those little squares were houses, there are people living on those squares under tarps and pup tents drinking the tainted water bubbling up from their water pipes". I have made a point to be prepared and have my supplies prepped, secure, and ready. I have seen many people first hand that had were left with nothing and desperate. Come to think of it, mosquito netting might be a good addition to a BOB or Bug in kit. You and your children will want some relief when it is time to sleep. |
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Do those ponds belong to the county or do you own them? If the county owns them, shouldn't they be responsible for Mosquito control? Here in FL, about every quarter of the year (since I live in BFE), the county has a pickup truck with a fogging machine... and we live in a cloud of fog starting around 2200-2300, clears up in the morning. It does a fair job of reducing the population. We are reminded to make sure we don't have anything that will create standing water: Birdbaths, empty flower pots, toys, buckets, tarps, clogged gutters... etc. But since you're near a pond, I would stock it with fish. Easy method and the fish will love the free food. |
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Do what you can on your own and show the county you are trying to take care of your own property and they will be more helpful. Take personal responsibility for yourself and your family. They are typically very supportive of citizens who have viable mosquito control issues and have taken the proper precautions. If the ponds are large enough to have ripples when the wind blows it is unlikely that it is the primary breeding site in the area. You may have some adult emergence from the edges if it is weedy but open water is not prime habitat for mosquitoes. Cleaning your property and the pond edges will have a large impact on broods emerging from your property. Remember in storm/hurricane SHTF situations there will be debris everywhere. There will probably be very few mosquitoes for the first couple of days and 5-7 days afterward there will be massive broods coming off. |
Then what are all the dead mosquitos carcases doing in and around my bug zapper? ETA: I live in Florida not far from a river and I don't have any problems out of my DEAD mosquitos. 
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Good ideas all.... Moving water, both running or ponds with ripples, dont do well for mosquitos. They drown. When I was a kid we had a swamp next to the house and my father used to spray it with biodegradable soap. The idea is that the soap breaks up the surface tension of the water and the larvae cant hang there with their snorkels so they drown. It seemed to work, but the swamp was pretty small. |
I've never been there, but from my reading, at times certain areas there have CLOUDS of skeeters. |
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Next to a damp forest, we have a pretty bad mosquito problem here. Over the years, I have given up trying to kill them all opting instead to keep as many at bay as I can. I call this my rules of 3s for mosquitoes. 1. Fight the breeding The first thing I do is eliminate any standing water close to the house. Adjust your gutters and cover all open containers that collect water when it rains. Fill in any holes in your yard that will collect water. Though typically not a breeding ground after a few straight days of rain, they an be. The next thing I do is use pesticides. I do this sparingly since pesticides are indiscriminate killers and kill both good and bad insects as well as earth worms etc. Though mosquitoes can travel up to a mile from thier breeding grounds, they typically do not fly far without sitting down. What I do is use a liquid based pump type dispensor and put a 6'-10' barrier around my yard at the edges. Though I suspect this actually does not kill that many mosquitoes it does keep many at bay. This will not stop them all. A mosquito can fly up to 15 minutes at around 1 mph usually not in a straight line so it's kind of like playing the odds. The other thing I do is be aware of what attracts mosquitos. There are three major attractions to mosquitoes in this order, light, movement, and CO2. CO2 is definately the major attractor but I put it last due to the proximity factor to be able to detect CO2. To put this plainly, I have found it best to hide from the little blood suckers rather than dare them. A little bit of interesting mosquito trivia is mosquitoes will typically not land on white clothing. Sounds great at first but when you consider they are attracted to movement and can see the white in dark, not a good idea. They may not bite you through that white but they will find any exposed skin the can. The first hiding method is don't use any light after dark and if you do then use color bands that do not attract them. Red would be fantastic but then everyone will think you are running a bordello so we opt instead for the classic yellow lights when we have to use light. We do use red LEDs on headlamps while camping which is a world of difference improvement. We use our porch light to gage our mosquito problem by leaving the light on for periods of times (mainly when away at night but often when home (don't want the other two legged blood suckers to know when you are home or not)). When then pay attention to how many are around. Bad night, well we don't go out. The second thing we do when enjoying our porch at night is to limit our movement or at least visibility of movement. That means either limit the movement or wear dark clothing so it isn't so visible. This is a combat zone and the mosquito is the sniper. The third thing is to be aware of the wind. Being a boater over the years, I have found it amazing how the little demons can since a CO2 increase and then follow it like a fish follows stink bait in the water. Since when you exhale CO2, the wind will carry it downwind, that's the direction the majority of them will come for you from. If the wind is blowing towards our forest, we know it's going to be a bad night. The last thing we do is fight them. There are three things we do to fight them. 1. A pump bottle of DEET or Citrus based repellant lives on our porch. DEET has the longest life after application but for short periods the Citrus based stuff does pretty well and isn't as messy or hazardous to both your clothing and health. 2. The second thing we do is use citronella. Using citronella is more of an art from than it is an answer to all needs. It will repell the mosquito but keep in mind light attracts them and the mosquito is only repelled from the smell. Unless you want to surround yourself with citronella smell, then you have to be a little tactful on it's use. There are three things to keep in mind for using citronella. The first is reduce the light. Mosquitos are attracted to light and movement in front of the light is like a neon sign that says dinner is served. The second thing we do is be aware of the wind and strategically place the citronella emitter so it throws it's smell downwind along the path of our CO2 from breathing. The third thing is volume of smell directly impacts the effetiveness. Higher the output the more effective the citronella is. Our favorite citronella devices are the three wick candle bucket (high out put limits light out put) and a fullsize railroad lantern with citronella oil blocking the light from the lantern. 3. The last thing we do is what I think of as the sacraficial lamb. That's your bug zappers or for that matter light skinned inlaw you don't like. You put these downwind. Anyway, here's my 3s on fighting mosquitos. I may complain a little now but not near as much as I did when I lived on the Gulf coast when they were as big as birds and flew in "V" formation. Tj |
let me explain better, skeeters are not attracted to lights, like most bugs, they are attracted to co2 from animals breath, thats why co2 based skeeter killers are the preferd metod of killing the little blood suckers. as to your dead skeeters around your bug zapper, even blind squierrls find a nut once in a while. best method to kill skeeters is natual predators, nature is the best as for keeping them off you, take qarlic either in capsule form or eat some. thats where the old myth of keeping vampires( also blood suckers) away from you |
Let me explain better... With all do respect and mind you I'm no mosquito expert, but that being said, my zapper is full of mosquitoes and it is in the corner of my yard by my privacy fence. Either these are some really dumb bugs flying into the light out by my pool or the light attracts them because it is full and I have to clean it out once a month in the summer... and yes they are mosquitoes and they are dead and plentiful!
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Bug Zapper Controversies Although bug zappers have been in use for decades, a recent study has questioned their effectiveness. In 1996, University of Delaware researchers Timothy Frick and Douglas Tallamy published a study in the journal Entomological News. They had collected and identified the kills from six bug zappers at various sites throughout suburban Newark, Delaware, during the summer of 1994. Of the nearly 14,000 insects that were electrocuted and counted, only 31 (0.22 percent) were mosquitoes and biting gnats. The largest number (6,670, or 48 percent) were harmless, aquatic insects from nearby streams, rivers and midges. The researchers claimed that killing this many harmless insects would disturb nearby ecosystems. According to Tallamy, most species of mosquitoes are not attracted to ultraviolet light, and certain species only bite during the day. Tallamy claims that bug zappers are worthless for reducing biting flies, exact a heavy toll on non-target insects and are counter-productive to consumers and the ecosystem. Other Bug-zapping Strategies There are lots of alternative means to control insects, particularly mosquitoes. In fact, traditional electronic bug zappers may be ineffective against mosquitoes, which, as we learned in the last section, are not necessarily attracted to the ultraviolet light. Some electronic bug zappers compensate for this by emitting Octenol, a non-toxic, pesticide-free pheromone mosquito attractant. Mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide emitted by humans in our breath and sweat, so several types of mosquito zappers try to take advantage of this. One such product emits a steady stream of carbon dioxide, Octenol attractant and moisture. Mosquitoes are attracted to this mixture, get sucked into a net, dehydrate and die. The device is powered by a propane tank, so no electricity is required. One manufacturer claims that entire mosquito populations collapse in six to eight weeks as egg-laying females are destroyed. Another device uses a chemical that the manufacturer claims blocks the mosquito's olfactory receptors. The makers of this product say that blocking the insect's ability to "smell" carbon dioxide reduces the number of mosquito landings and bites. Eradicating the female mosquitoes and their eggs is essential to mosquito control. Since mosquitoes lay eggs in water, you should eliminate all sources of standing water, such as watering cans or old tires. Cover any rain barrels, and if you have a pond, stock it with fish that will eat the mosquito larvae. Commercial pesticides are available that kill mosquito larvae and adults. Municipalities often spray pesticides, particularly malathion, on a large scale in the spring and summer to eliminate mosquito populations. For personal protection, you can use a broad-spectrum insect repellant that contains N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET). DEET repels most ticks, mosquitoes and other biting pests. Be sure to read product labels for usage directions. Consumers may still find advertisements for small ultrasonic electronic devices that are meant to be carried on the body and purportedly emit sounds that repel mosquitoes. Many studies conducted in the field and laboratory show that these devices do not work against mosquitoes [109-111]. Encouraging natural predation of insects by setting up bird or bat houses in the backyard has also been unsuccessful in reducing local mosquito populations [112]. Likewise, backyard bug "zappers," which lure and electrocute insects, are ineffective [113]. Mosquitoes continue to be more attracted to humans than to the devices. One study conducted in homeowners' backyards showed that of the insects killed by these devices, only 0.13% were female mosquitoes [114]. An estimated 71 billion to 350 billion beneficial insects may be killed annually in the United States by these electrocuting devices [114]. The most effective way to reduce a local population of mosquitoes is to eliminate sources of standing water, such as old discarded tires, clogged gutters, planters, bird baths, or tree stump holes. Myths Several natural or man-made products have been touted as mosquito repellents or effective in mosquito control. Citronella oil, which is a product of several types of plants that can be made into candles or burned directly, is an effective mosquito repellant in high concentrations, but individual citronella-producing plants do not make enough oil to effectively repel mosquitoes. Ultraviolet lights (as used in bug zappers) and ultrasonic devices are not effective. Also, mosquitoes are not a significant portion of the diets of Purple Martin Birds or bats. everything you wanted to know about skeeters science.howstuffworks.com/mosquito1.htm bug zappers can transmit diease www.howstuffworks.com/question682.htm |
LOL, Where this thread is turning has me rolling at my computer. All insects are attracted to light, however it is a spectrum of light not the full spectrum like humans. If you read my write-up I mentioned red for example most insects almost ignore. Now where Bob is heading is the zappers. The Zapper color band is typically blue or ultraviolet which though attracts more than red is no where near white light or full spectrum. Now if you do a little research on how mosquitoes are collected for study, you will find the most widely used trap is a "Light" trap which is only ran dusk to dawn since it's attracting ability is negated by sunlight. This is where Bob was heading with zappers. Zappers are going to kill bugs as anyone who owns or owned one will contest to but as for keeping them off you, well they're no more effective than your blond girlfriend which is a slightly tastier meat so to say and have zero protection during the day. Here's a write-up from Rutgers University on the old New Jersey mosquito light trap. New Jersey Light Trap Keep in mind guys, mosquitoes like most insects and animals have more than one sense and are attracted to more than one thing. Though not scientific, I've had decades of boating in very heavy mosquito areas especially swamps. The mosquitoes would be in swarms or clouds. If I had to say one thing attracted them more than anything at night was movement in front of a light and if it was a fire, it was like a dinner bell. I couldn't tell you how many times from off shore I sat there watching the mosquitoes head for the campers on shore. BTW, I never mentioned ultrsonic devices although I gave them a try too. They seem to work somewhat but I would swear one out of three of those blood suckers must be deaf so didn't mention them.  Tj |
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not bad teej, but your study is from 1932 re read my study, more up to date while i agree light will attract some types , but look at the recent studies and a fraction of 1 percent of bugs killed in light traps are skeeters, best way to do it is shoot them with a pellrt rifle 
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Quick and Dirty Mosquito Trap How to build a low tech CO2 Mosquito trap. Materials Needed: 2000ml (2 liter) bottle 50 gram (brown?) sugar 1 gram yeast Thermometer Measure cup Knife Black paper  1. Cut the top of the bottle as shown 2. Put 200ml hot water in the bottle, stir with 50gram brown sugar. Put the sugar water in cold water to cool it down til 40C (temperature). They use a bigger container with cold water - put the small cup that they use to make sugar water in that container and that stick is a thermometer because they want the sugar water to cool down to 40C (temperature). 3. After cooling down, put the sugar water in the bottle then add the yeast. No need to mix the yeast with the sugar water. When yeast ferments, it creates carbon dioxide.  4. When you cut the bottle, dont throw the top part away because that’d be needed for step 4 - you see they put the top upside down to fit into the bottle. Carbon dioxide will be released from where we drink the bottle so make sure to seal the edge. 5. Put black paper around the bottle since mosquitos like dark places and carbon dioxide. This mosquito trap will then start working. Mosquitos fly around the corner, so the best place to place the trap is at some dark corner. TIPS: Put the trap in some dark and humid place for 2 weeks, you’ll see the effect. You’ll have to replace the sugar water + yeast solution every 2 weeks. Here’s a link to the original Flickr photos. Update: The idea is apparently from a school class in Taiwan. They invented the trap through trial and error. |
That's a real clever idea and it looks like it would work. Sort of like making beer. ETA, yeast and sugar weigh very little and I thinking of adding them to preps for long term BO. You could use smaller bottles too. Also, I'd extend the black paper/plastic higher over the bottle. |
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The only repellent proven to work is DEET. Not citronella, not Skin-So-Soft. Mosquito Magnets are good if used properly. They have to be sited correctly, and used early enough to break the breeding cycle. They won't attract other mosquitos from far away - female mosquitos are very territorial. |
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Quoted: The only repellent proven to work is DEET. Not citronella, not Skin-So-Soft. quote] I might disagree with ya on that one.... unless you are into semantics and saying that only Deet is scientificaly proven to repell mosquitos. I think Skin-So-Soft does a good job on skeeters, but maybe farther south they are different(not that you are south of me, just in general). I run into my share of skeeters, but mostly its black flies that i run into and the S-S-S seems to do the trick with both. There is a big difference between reppelents and foggers/killers. You may still disappear in a black haze with just repellents, but they shouldnt be bitting. S-S-S and a cigar work well together, especially right around dark. Now deer flies will drive me crazy with their constant circling..... I have taken to wearing boonie hats when they are around. It seems like they circle more above the brim which bothers me a lot less. They are easy to kill when they do land to bite. |
That is what I'm saying. Some quotes from an MSU study after a quick Google search, for example: "Twenty years of testing of more than 20,000 other chemical compounds has not resulted in another product with the duration of protection and effectiveness of DEET... There was no difference between plain candles and citronella incense in repelling mosquitoes... Plant-derived substances that have some degree of mosquito repellency include citronella, cedar, verbena, pennyroyal, geranium, lavender, pine, cajuput, cinnamon, rosemary, basil, thyme, allspice, garlic, and peppermint. The repellency provided by these products is very limited... Skin-So-Soft® does have some transient repellency for mosquitoes, but not much. Skin-So-Soft® is not nearly as effective as DEET..." |
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I'm going to try this stuff: Mosquito Barrier I'm tired of being run out of my back yard by these little blood suckers. If this doesn't work then I'll use a pesticide fogger. |
Damn, now next time I use S-S-S I am gonna be paying close attention and wondering how much better the Deet would be. Maybe sometime this spring if you are really bored you could go to the worst mosquito infested swamp you know of and put Deet on one arm and S-S-S on the other and count the number of times mosquitos actually start drilling. Oh wait, you already know which one you like better.... maybe its me that should be doing that! I got one place up north that the skeeters are so thick when I go to get in the truck I have to scoop them out to make room for me. |
Alot of people swear by Skin So Soft but I think it must have a lot to do with body chemistry. I've tried it many many times and found it almost useless. Two years ago we did some research, actual field use, of the new Citrus based repellants sold by the same companies that sell DEET. Things like this arm DEET this arm the new stuff. These seemed to be quite effective however their effectiveness wore off in a mere couple of hours. BTW, one of the things I forgot to mention in my other write-up since this is mainly a thread on yards is we use a hell of alot of mosquito netting. TJ |