So up here in sunny CT, it's gone from being 20° and snowing every week (three weeks ago) to 70°+ and sunny (now). No spring this year, apparently. The mosquitos are in on it, as apparently there's not going to be a month or two of ramp up this year, just boom, instant mosquito population.
After spending Saturday in shorts doing work outside, my legs look like i'm an addict or something due to all of the puffy puncture marks. I'd like to enjoy the new pool and backyard this year.
Do you guys know of any reliable mosquito/midge control system that actually works? I'm not opposed to spending $750 or whatever it takes, but I'd like the backyard to be ours, not theirs.
Thanks,
Ian F
MegaDork
5/7/18 1:07 p.m.
Propane mosquito trap? Maybe two - at each far corner of the yard.
mtn
MegaDork
5/7/18 1:09 p.m.
Ian F said:
Propane mosquito trap? Maybe two - at each far corner of the yard.
My uncle has (or had) one of those in Wisconsin--rural Wisconsin, in a wooded area that was surrounded by mostly farms. Lots of Mosquitos, but not Boundary Waters or swampy area bad.
It did help. You'd still get a bite or two in a few hours outside, but that was without DEET. Relatively small range though from what I remember.
70 is spring south of the Mason-Dixon line 
Yeah, I know 70 is, it actually jumped from 40s to 90s early last week from one day to the next. Today is a pleasant 70, though :)
MTN - that's pretty snazzy! I wonder what the "solution" that they're using is?
Ian F - Yeah, that's what I'm finding, I was more looking for a brand or product that someone here has experience with and seems worth the money.
mtn
MegaDork
5/7/18 2:33 p.m.
WonkoTheSane said:
Yeah, I know 70 is, it actually jumped from 40s to 90s early last week from one day to the next. Today is a pleasant 70, though :)
MTN - that's pretty snazzy! I wonder what the "solution" that they're using is?
Ian F - Yeah, that's what I'm finding, I was more looking for a brand or product that someone here has experience with and seems worth the money.
Pretty sure it is just water.
Back in a former life I worked a couple of Summers killing mosquitos in Illinois for Clarke Outdoor Spraying. We used "bactimos" which was a pellet we'd treat water with once we found signs of larvae. Bigger areas, we'd call in the helicopter to spray the stuff over larger expanses. They claimed the pellet was harmless, and wouldn't kill fish, birds or anything besides the evil little bloodsuckers. I guess the larvae would eat it, and their stomachs would explode and kill them---- hooray!
The next Summer I returned as a "backpacker". We'd treat estates and the perimeter of wealthy households with Malathion. The "backpack" was basically a tank full of the poison, with a weedwacker engine to spray it. It was quite satisfying to watch the mosquitoes come out to attack, and then fall down dead. The Malathion was not harmless, and we were encouraged to wear gloves / protective eyewear. After treatment, the area would be almost totally mosquito free for a few days. Treatment areas were usually huge estates that were planning weddings / bah-mitzvahs / etc. I'd imagine it wasn't cheap.
Here's more info on Malathion---it's common, but I'm not sure if the public is able to purchase it. It does work.
Wiki for Malathion
I've never found a conventional mosquito / bug trap that works well. Keeping your yard / property free of stagnant water is a good way to minimize their growth. Check all your un-mounted tires---- they love to breed in the water that collects within. Same goes for bird feeders / buckets, or anywhere stagnant water can collect.
I've noticed bats in my neighborhood, so I'm planning on installing "bat boxes" in my yard to encourage them to visit. They eat tons of bugs----- and are really cool to watch!
Joe Gearin said:
I've noticed bats in my neighborhood, so I'm planning on installing "bat boxes" in my yard to encourage them to visit. They eat tons of bugs----- and are really cool to watch!
I plan on doing some bat boxes as well to help cut down on the bugs. We see them regularly at sunset zipping around so it's just a matter of getting them to hang out around my house.
If they only target you, the least expensive option may be to apply something that repels them. Avon skin so soft lotion works better than OFF for me. They uses to fly right past my husband to feast on me, now I hardly ever get a bite.
We get a guy with a backpack sprayer every two weeks in the summer. It's about $200 for the season, and while it doesn't completely eliminate them, it cuts way back. Just gotta keep the dogs inside for while after he's done.
I've had ads for those guys, Tom.. Good to know they work. I was thinking about calling the latest to talk to them and get a quote.
Joe & Edizzle - Yeah, there's not a lot of bats in our area for some reason. I'd love to increase the population, but I haven't had time to build houses or anything for them. And buying bat houses is stupid expensive. I was shocked! I used to love watching them fly across the dusk sky at our old home in PA. Interesting info on the pesticides, I'll look into them a bit more. Our house isn't near standing water specifically, it's about a 1/2 mile or so from the closest pond, but even though there's no stagnant water sources that I know of, they're finding a place to breed somewhere! Our property is about half wooded.
ECM - Interesting. I've been using Off! Deep Woods, but I wonder if that would work better.
In reply to WonkoTheSane :
It doesn't smell TOO girly, so it's worth a try!
Don't know if it's been said, but bat house(s). They'll eat up some skeeters.
Don't know what a midge is
Ian F
MegaDork
5/8/18 9:27 p.m.
DrBoost said:
Don't know if it's been said, but bat house(s). They'll eat up some skeeters.
Don't know what a midge is
Small biting bastards. Like mosquitos, only worse. I think we generally call them black flies in upstate NY and New England. I've only heard them called midges in the UK. According to Wiki, the name covers a number of different small, biting flies.
Yep - bats were mentioned a couple of times.
Down here midges are called blind mosquitoes and the don’t bite. They look a lot like mosquitoes but have big fuzzy antennae. Now black flies truly are the devil.
Midges. Well.... a pack of chain-smoked Marlboros will keep them at bay. Much worse than mozzys. I once noticed I'd been bitten all over my lower leg by mosquitoes and only ever felt the slightest itch later on. Midges will drive you to jump off a cliff. Pretty amazing size to annoyance performance. Oh and I know I've said this before. DDT. 
A few hours of digging and trenching should be able to get rid of the standing water on a suburban lot. That's permanent.
WonkoTheSane said:
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Joe & Edizzle - Yeah, there's not a lot of bats in our area for some reason. I'd love to increase the population, but I haven't had time to build houses or anything for them. And buying bat houses is stupid expensive. I was shocked! I used to love watching them fly across the dusk sky at our old home in PA. Interesting info on the pesticides, I'll look into them a bit more. Our house isn't near standing water specifically, it's about a 1/2 mile or so from the closest pond, but even though there's no stagnant water sources that I know of, they're finding a place to breed somewhere! Our property is about half wooded.
i looked them up after this thread and on Amazon they are between $20 and $40 for decent looking ones with good reviews. Doesn't seem too bad.
edizzle89 said:
WonkoTheSane said:
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Joe & Edizzle - Yeah, there's not a lot of bats in our area for some reason. I'd love to increase the population, but I haven't had time to build houses or anything for them. And buying bat houses is stupid expensive. I was shocked! I used to love watching them fly across the dusk sky at our old home in PA. Interesting info on the pesticides, I'll look into them a bit more. Our house isn't near standing water specifically, it's about a 1/2 mile or so from the closest pond, but even though there's no stagnant water sources that I know of, they're finding a place to breed somewhere! Our property is about half wooded.
i looked them up after this thread and on Amazon they are between $20 and $40 for decent looking ones with good reviews. Doesn't seem too bad.
I'll have to look again. Last time I looked was a few years ago, and most that looked like would hold up were going for $80+.
chaparral said:
A few hours of digging and trenching should be able to get rid of the standing water on a suburban lot. That's permanent.
We're on a hill on the side of a "mountain" on 7+ acres of land, so a few hours doesn't get me much of anything :) There's no standing water that I can find nearby.
