# How can I make my backyard mosquito free?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-my-backyard-mosquito-free/314018>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [July 25, 2005, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-my-backyard-mosquito-free/314018 "2005-07-25T06:16:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-my-backyard-mosquito-free/314018/21 "2005-07-26T14:47:57Z")

</div>

According to a friend of mine who has one, the CO2 attractor works really well.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lizardling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-my-backyard-mosquito-free/314018/22 "2005-07-26T21:04:38Z")

</div>

My dad bought a CO2 machine for the backyard. I had dinner out there with them when I visited them the other month. This is in TX which is pretty much mosquito central. And I have mosquito crack for blood, as I usually turned into one big bite in the summertime when I still lived there.

I didn’t get more than a couple bites. So the gizmo apparently works quite well for my parents.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\
**Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-my-backyard-mosquito-free/314018/23 "2005-07-27T06:09:42Z")

</div>

As I said, they’re chancy. This [site](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/06/050607013042.htm) for instance, says:

> [@](#):
>
> University of Florida experts warn that buyers who don’t do their homework could still get bitten – in the pocketbook.
> 
> Priced from $300 to $1,500, the traps do capture mosquitoes and other biting insects, said Jonathan Day, an entomologist with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. The real question is whether they will protect a yard from the pests, he said.
> 
> The state is home to 74 species of mosquitoes, of which about half prey on people, he said. Only a few species are likely to be controlled with a CO2 trap because variables such as flight range, habitat preference and feeding behavior determine whether the trap will capture mosquitoes in large enough numbers to reduce biting around the home.
> 
> “Before you buy a trap, it’s crucial that you know what mosquito species is causing your problem,” Day said. “The traps can be very effective if the target insect is one that doesn’t fly very far or has its breeding site near your home. But most of the mosquitoes people complain about in Florida have flown a considerable distance before they end up in someone’s back yard and using a trap to control them is like trying to capture all the grains of sand on the beach.”

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2015, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-my-backyard-mosquito-free/314018/25 "2015-02-28T18:39:01Z")

</div>

Reported.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-my-backyard-mosquito-free/314018.md?page=1)