Mosquito Control

Since we live in the deep south and what was origanly a swamp i though thtis might be a good idea to discuss and id like to thank bjwinterton our newest resident SFGer for bringing this thought into my head .

Ive lived here for 14 years and have tried and seen many methods for controlling these little blood suckers and 1 day i will win the battle, but make no mistake we live in what was originaly a swamp with nice beachs and what dwells in a nasty swamp best is mosquitos plenty of water to lay eggs its dark damp and alot of water is stagnant at leas tin my area it is. so im doing some research on the net and will be posting new links as i go for information that i find useful and think that others may be of benifit to feel free to post up your own solutions questions or ideas and lets win this war once and for all.
Short but interesting information
http://www.life123.com/home-garden/plant-guides/groundcover/citronella-grow-your-own-mosquitio-repellent.shtml

Ive also read that the scent given off by camphor trees seems to work real well but can not find any information supporting it ill keep a look out as i search.

Opinions vary on what works and what doesnt work mos tof what i post is from my own personal experience that has worked for me

I looked at the link you suggested and wasn't very encouraged by the citronella idea. I can't believe that a little bug would keep me from doing the thing I love, gardening. I have had successing using the outdoor wipies that are suppose to deter bugs but have developed an allergy to whatever is in them and so that is no longer an option. Like you, I'd like to see more discussion on this topic, someone has to have some kind of solution. Can we ask the author of the SFG method -- if he's traveled around the world so much, he must have seen some success somewhere. I'm even willing to do a 'mosquito rain dance' on a full moon if that's what it takes.

Here's an idea to get you back out in the yard!



Just havin' fun! I had on a hat similar to this on a backpacking hike in the mountains. The squeeters were so bad that I moved camp twice. I was trying to read, but the bugs were so thick between my face and book, that I gave up. I hiked out in the dark, and went home.

I emphasize with your situation and am hoping Choksaw works his magic and comes up with a workable solution for you.

I have had pretty good luck with original scent Avon Skin-So-Soft. It's an herb-y fragrance, not perfumed.

[quote="boffer"]Here's an idea to get you back out in the yard!



This is hilarious! I need a full body suit. I'll dry the Avon, I've heard others say it works. I called Bay county and they would come and do an assessment of the area, and spray the neighborhood within 24 hours as well as mail out information to me about mosquito's. I was real impressed with their response. Now, lets see if it works.

Since you mentioned it! I thought posting this the first time might scare you off. It's advertised as a 'bug suit'! Would you be chic walking around in the grocery store wearing this?!

Citronella is a favorite traditional approach, however! what I have read is that it actually attracts the buggers first. The citronella then irritates their little feet, poor widdle things, .

Skin So Soft is popular, but for me it seems to be effective for a brief time period.

Our restaurant has a patio for outside dining, and we are only open at night, so big problems for us in the mosquito department.

I have an insect repellent buffet. I offer chemical repellent, organic repellent and lemon thyme. With the thyme, you rip some off the plant, rub it vigorously between your hands t release the oils, and rub it on your exposed skin. Obviously the biggest problem with that method is to get complete coverage.

I think the only really effective method is....sorry folks....Boffer's suggestion.

We have rice fields near us, and the mosquitoes here grow large enough to carry off small children. (Well, almost.)

I grow catnip in my garden, and when I'm working there I grab a handful and rub on my exposed skin. They never bother me after that.

They used to be so bad here that we had mosquito netting hanging in front of all of our outside doors, and in the doorways to our bedrooms. The one good thing about the late-spring ice storm we had three years ago which killed all the fruit for that year, was that it also killed the mosquitoes. They haven't yet come back in their former numbers, knock on wood.

It seems like a good time to ask this question. I hear people say all the time: "the skeeters are bad this year because we didn't have a cold enough winter to kill them all."

If that statement is true, why are Alaska and Minnesota known for the size and abundance of their mosquitoes?

What am I missing?

boffer wrote:It seems like a good time to ask this question. I hear people say all the time: "the skeeters are bad this year because we didn't have a cold enough winter to kill them all."

If that statement is true, why are Alaska and Minnesota known for the size and abundance of their mosquitoes?

What am I missing?

That's me doing the skeeter rain dance. For me the best thing is spraying myself with original flavor Listerine. It works like a charm until the scent wears off, which is about 3 minutes. Back to the dance...

God Bless, Ward.

martha wrote:I have an insect repellent buffet.

Good evening, ma'am, will you be having coffee, tea, or flavored repellent this evening?!

Cigar? Cigarette? Repellent?

GET YOUR POPCORN, PEANUTS, CRACKER JACKS, REPELLENT

Um, am I still on topic?

bjwinterton wrote:This is hilarious! I need a full body suit.

http://www.buzzoffoutdoorwear.com/solution.htm

Bringing new thoughts into my head can be a blessing at times and a nigthmare at others lol if you dont see nor hear from me for a few days theres no need to call 911 or SFG fire and rescue ill just be browising the net at lightning speed lol for all the solutions and links i can find be prepared for a library of information when im done cause now "Im on a mission from god" (useing my best Dan Akroyd imeprsonation).

OK, I got ya a little something for your trip.....blinders to keep you focused!

I love both the seriousness and light humor that a mosquito discussion can elicit. I can't wait to hear what the deep research comes up with in getting rid of these little buggers. In the meantime, I'll be watching my garden from the kitchen window. The city did say they would send someone to come and spray today - that should give us a few days of relief.

Looking forward to see your research.

CHICKENS! they eat the larva in the standing water, and chase down the little guys as they fly around,

As ya'll will find out I am a fan of chickens too!

Now I don't really advocate smoking, but my grandpa used to always smoke his pipe when out in the garden, and I remember him saying that it keeps the mosquitoes away. No... I'm not going to try this, but I thought I'd put the idea out there.

Perfect! Watch for a chicken thread in the off-topic forum, coming soon. Our first chicks ever, are 3 weeks old. Would love to talk chickens with you

OK so far after sifting through a lot of crap on this solution ive found a few more web pages with advice and ideas and infromation on the battle of the blood sucker (oooh catchy titel there) anyway here are a few links i will psot up more as i find them.

http://www.ca.uky.edu/ENTOMOLOGY/entfacts/ef005.asp

http://npic.orst.edu/pest.htm

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/mosquitopesticides

The garlic 1 must be a working soultion because i eat alot of garlic and use it as a seasoning on almost everything

Choksaw, have you taken a spin round the UF website? They have an enormous and world-renowned entomology department...and are right there in the skeeter belt with you. My son used to pick up every bug he found, and when we got really stumped with the online ID pages they have, we'd email one of the faculty...who would always reply within a day or two, very kindly advising my budding entomologist on his latest find.

(and no, by the way...love bugs are NOT a genetic experiment gone bad and escaped from the UF laboratories...love bugs are an invasive species from South America, carried in at the end of the 1900s on a ship.)

Its funny that you suggest that because that was the website i went to after makeing my post lol figured who better to know then the college in my state great minds think alike i guess

This was the first thing i came across on the UF website would be amazeing if it actualy worked not really a method a homeowner could use but information about the topic is best
http://news.ufl.edu/1997/12/02/dietpill/
http://news.ufl.edu/2003/08/13/crustaceans/
http://fmel.ifas.ufl.edu/white_paper/FWP09.pdf
http://mosquito.ifas.ufl.edu/Florida_Mosquito_Control_Districts.htm
looks like lots of thingsa re in the works for the battle against the bloodsuckers hopefully some of our tax $$$ will produce some good results

Mosquitoes truly love me.. I can stand in a crowd of people and be the only one bitten..My family says I'm the best decoy ever, they'll all go for me and leave the rest alone ! Last year I tried something that seemed to reduce (not eliminate) their ranks. I put out buckets of water in various shaded places around the house and put a few common feeder guppies in each one. The mosquitoes thought they hit the jackpot with all the "standing water", judging by all the little wigglers, they must have laid eggs by the thousands. The little wigglers didn't last long, greedily eaten up by the guppies, who did their guppy thing and made more guppies, which I shared with others.. There were definitely fewer mosquitoes around by the end of summer. I've already set my buckets out again, I'm hoping we are done with the cold for this year.

sceleste54 wrote:guppies

Brilliant!

I was going to put mosquito fish in my rainbarrel until I realized that my rainbarrel is in full southern-exposure sun and the fish will fry. But I love the idea!

How about a fifth of Jack
For the first half the night you are too drunk to feel them
For the last half the night the pest are too drunk to bite