mosquitos

[hornadylnl]

So, I built my new house in a woods. And the mosquitos are like a plague of locusts already. I have about 1/4 acre of open area around my house and don't really want to bush hog the entire woods to get rid of them. I plan to weed eat a little ways into the treeline to help keep them away from the house if I ever get time to do so.

What are your guys solutions to keep them down? I'm thinking of getting the Stihl backpack blower/sprayer and fogging with it. I also don't want to kill off all the beneficial insects with whatever insecticide I use. We like to watch the birds up close to the house.

I've read mixed reviews on the various mosquito traps. They range from a waste of money to the best thing since sliced bread.

 

[hornadylnl]

Sorry, thought I was in the break room. Mods, please move.

 

[jd4320t]

I've heard bats will eat a lot of mosquitis. Maybe put up some bat houses.

 

[hornadylnl]

I've heard bats will eat a lot of mosquitis. Maybe put up some bat houses.

I'm sure my wife would love that. I'll have to look into it.

 

[IndianaResident]

...or Great Outdoors.

But I have some friends that spray with great success. I'm visiting this weekend, I'll ask about make/method.

 

[jd4320t]

...or Great Outdoors.

But I have some friends that spray with great success. I'm visiting this weekend, I'll ask about make/method.

I thought about mentioning spraying the yard and I've heard of people doing it but then assumed the woods around the yard would still have a lot of mosquitoes.

 

[kickbacked]

off backwoods mosquito spray works really well for spraying yourself. i always carry a can with me and have no issues

 

[WhitleyStu]

We use a Bonide 554 fogger and Bonide 553 Flying Insect Fogging Fuel to keep our 3 acres livable when the mosquitoes start to bit. Even with the slightest breeze you can walk along the upwind property line and let the fog drift across the ground. It doesn’t take much to clear the area. Don’t worry, the next day a new batch of bugs will be back to feed the birds…

 

[jlm262]

maybe have some fans on the deck or what ever. but as for out in the yard i cant help ya. last weekend i think i got about 20 bites just on my legs and i had spray on

 

[Bunnykid68]

Permithrin 10%. Buy it at a farm store. 1/2 ounce per gallon and fill up your pump sprayer and go. You can make about 60 gallons for about $15

 

[Bunnykid68]

Bats and purple martins eat tons of them

 

[ocsdor]

so do toads & frogs.

 

[gunman41mag]

So, I built my new house in a woods. And the mosquitos are like a plague of locusts already. I have about 1/4 acre of open area around my house and don't really want to bush hog the entire woods to get rid of them. I plan to weed eat a little ways into the treeline to help keep them away from the house if I ever get time to do so.

What are your guys solutions to keep them down? I'm thinking of getting the Stihl backpack blower/sprayer and fogging with it. I also don't want to kill off all the beneficial insects with whatever insecticide I use. We like to watch the birds up close to the house.

I've read mixed reviews on the various mosquito traps. They range from a waste of money to the best thing since sliced bread.

Try this Kill off mosquitoes with a propane tank » Coolest Gadgets or this Mosquito Deleto How the machine works to kill mosquitoes

 

[Boiled Owl]

I've got woods and wetlands. Had a mosquito magnet. Between the propane and attractant, it worked out to about 25¢ per mosquito killed! Used to sit on the patio and watch with binoculars. They would fly all around it and actually fly into the air intake then power their way out and not get caught. It was crap as far as I was concerned. Ebayed it.

But....+2 on permithrin. I mix some in the garden hose sprayer (quart bottle that attaches to the hose a siphons out) and spray down a decent perimeter around the house. Usually gives us a week or two of relief. Less if it rains much.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I've learned to mostly live with the mosquitoes. I moved into the woods, mosquitoes are one of the prices I pay to live in the woods. If I'd wanted a sterile environment I would live in the middle of the concrete jungle.

Regarding bats: while there are plenty of good reasons to put up bat houses, bats don't actually eat a lot of mosquitoes, but they do eat a lot of moths and beetles and in general are very beneficial to us.

I eliminate as many sources of breeding as I can, which means being religious about not having pools of standing water. I once counted over 80 wrigglers in a single coffee cup that had been left out and caught rain water.

I also have some deliberate standing water traps. I have buckets or stock tanks or the like that either have BT in them, or get emptied every 3-4 days so the larvae that are in them die.

I have a set of clothes that I wear for the week that are treated with permathrin and DEET then are washed, and I've become resigned to wearing DEET for about 5 months out of the year since I not only live in the woods, I work there too.

The animals all have permethrin applied occasionally.

When there are really heavy population numbers I'll fog the area for the weekends or the like, but I do so sparingly. When I need to work in one area, the Thermacell seems to work if the air is calm and the population isn't too high, if it doesn't work I put out a big fan which has the benefit of cooling me too since the worst populations correspond with high humidity.

Heavy rains like we have been getting are actually good for keeping the numbers low because it flushes the pools out. Drought is also good for keeping the numbers down. The worst conditions for lots of mosquitoes is high humidity, temps in the mid 70s to upper 80s with showers every 3-4 days, but no heavy rains.


It seems to generally keep the numbers down

 

[Woodsman]

DDT. Too bad you can't use it anymore.

 

[shibumiseeker]

DDT. Too bad you can't use it anymore.

Too bad mosquitoes were developing resistance to it too.

Any insecticide has to be used judiciously to keep from breeding resistance.

 

[TRWXXA]

Make sure you don't have any standing water on your property. Stagnant water is the breeding ground for mosquitoes. That may help reduce your mosquito population before you have to resort to chemical warfare.

 

[ABolt243]

A few pots of citronella plants around the deck will help. Attractive and a natural repellent for mosquitos. Much more agreeable odor than chemicals.

 

[Hkindiana]

Damn cops.

Regarding bats: while there are plenty of good reasons to put up bat houses, bats don't actually eat a lot of mosquitoes, but they do eat a lot of moths and beetles and in general are very beneficial

It seems to generally keep the numbers down

A quick check of the many bat web sites will indicate that bats eat from 600 mosquitoes per hour, to 700 per night. Either way, thay adds up to a LOT of mosquitoes PER bat