Definitely go with Mosquito Coils. Only limiting factor is a the smallish area of effect. I grew up in North Queensland (Australia) with clouds of Mozzies big enough to carry off the family dog. A couple of mozzie coils and you’re set for a comfortable evening on the deck, largely mozzie free.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I think I was told this previously and forgot. I’m a big fan of permethrin on my clothes, but its good to be told of the cat toxicity. I appreciate the knowledge.
Shown not to work years ago. Like 20 years ago or so.
Seriously, the CDC recommends DEET and pecaridin as the most effective repellents.
It may not be feasible for your house, but a screened in porch lets you sit ‘outside’ without ever having to deal with a mosquito. Granted, it’s not the same as being in the backyard, but at least you don’t have to worry about chemical toxicity.
These work great, and no DEET. We’ve been using ours all summer, and can really tell the difference when it’s on.
Attract some bats to your property. There’s a colony living in the eaves of my house and ever since they moved in last year the mosquito population has nosedived.
You could try attracting bats. Also chickens will eat them during the day atleast.
That’s a feature, not a bug.
You can’t beat Off.
So… a lot of bug zappers?
BTI (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis - Wikipedia) works for controlling larva, and doesn’t hurt non-fly type insects.
Brian
Yeah, basically, something like this personal bug zapper
Thick, horizontal, black and white stripes.
Sez You.
asian “tiger” mosquitos, by any chance? with black and white stripes?
You don’t have to. You only need to do that on days when you anticipate opening the door and leaving the house.
I use the Deep Woods variety. Or the pure DEET variety. I think they drink the plain old ordinary Off! with the 2% DEET like it’s Kool-Aid. The serious DEETy stuff tends to keep them away though, but you have to immerse yourself in the stuff.
To make this an actually useful reply: Scientific American seems to be recommending Cutter Advanced which is based on Picaridin instead of DEET, or an oil of lemon eucalyptus based repellent (they list several).
Cigarette smoke works. Like a citronella candle, it works best if there is not too much wind, and you have to keep chain-smoking them. Given the current prices, it’s probably the least cost-effective way to do it though.
Marijuana smoke doesn’t seem to work as well, IME. I suspect that it is less to due with the difference in the smoke and more in the reduced volume of it.
The way that I was able to reduce mosquitoes in my yard was by removing most of the overgrowth (primarily ivy and virginia creeper vines) and trimming/removing bushes and trees. Now there is less natural shade and moisture in my yard which had created a playground for bugs. Making sure the gutters are clear and not retaining water also helps. Of course, my neighbors still have their filthy pools harboring mosquitoes though. This may not be the solutions for everyone, but it could help in certain yards.
On a side note, I seem to have some sort of immunity or superhuman healing ability against mosquito bites. If I get bit, the area is red and itches for about 30 minutes then goes away entirely. It’s a pretty nice immunity to have.
Due to the smallness of the text on my tablet, I genuinely read the title of this thread as “Is there anything that actually wants to wank off mosquitoes?”
Carry on.
Things that work:
[ul]
[li]Small room or patio: Smoldering mosquito coils[/li][li]Personal use: DEET[/li][li]Whole yard use: Pyrethin barrier spray. About $50 a month.[/li][li]Trim your ivy and any ground-hugging brush that you don’t care about. Especially that ivy.[/li][/ul]
Things that do not work:
[ul]
[li]Essential oils (lemongrass, eucalyptus, patchouli, all that shit). Not EPA approved for mosquito repellent. Mostly good for helping hippies feel virtuous.[/li][li]Picaridin. Hey look, I avoided that evil DEET, and I only got bitten by a single infected tick! No thanks.[/li][li]Bug zappers. Fun to watch, not effective. Mosquitos have very short range, they aren’t going to make an epic suicide journey for your entertainment.[/li][li]Propane traps. See bug zappers.[/li][li]Bat houses. Bats are fun. Bats are good for the environment. By all means install some bat houses. Just don’t expect to be rewarded with any significant dent in your mosquito population.[/li][/ul]
There are examples of both proven effective by Consumer Reports lab tests, but others that score very low. I’ve also personally had good experiences with Repel Lemon Eucalyptus and Sawyer Picaridin products.