Hi all, my wife and I have lived in an apartment since we have been
married. We bought a nice home 3 months ago and love it. I never
thought I would enjoy yard work but I just cant get enough of it... We
live out of the city and have a pretty large backyard.

It is now summertime and we are coming to notice lots and lots of
BUGS!
When we lived in the city, they sprayed almost nightly for
mosquitos... this helps them not be so bothersome to us but now they
seem to be a noticable pest...among other bugs...
Here are a few issues I would hope that some yard/garden experts could
help me out with:

Mosquito Hawks (those big looking mosquitos)... I am not sure if this
is thier actual name, but from what I understand, they eat mosquitos
and are not interested in my blood... my exterminator guy tells me he
can spray my bushes to kill most of the M. hawks... but will killing
them INCREASE my regular mosquito populations?

Red ants... I hear that they come with rain and I have found it to be
true... in alabama ants are EVERYWHERE for some reason, so when we got
into our home I bought some Amdro and within a week all of our ant
hills were barren waste lands. And they were all black ants... never
saw a red one. then a few weeks ago we had some rain and (pop pop pop)
up come red ant hills... and I have noticed they are TOTALLY different
from black ants... the black ants will seem to travel 10 to 20 yards
to get the AMDRO.... yet the red ants look to be picking up the AMDRO,
walking AWAY from thier mound, dropping it and going back to the
mound... and the package actuially SPECIFIES that it is for red
ants... are these ants just super smart? Unfortunately it has raind
for 3 days straight since my last application so I am afraid they are
going to explode all over my yard once it dries up... so I guess my
question here is... how does one get rid of red and black ants
successfully? is it an ongoing battle?

June Bugs (i think)... at night while my wife and I watch tv, we here
a gentle "knock...knock...knock" on our back door... turns out, these
fat bugs are hitting the doors and windows and dying on the spot... I
guess they like the light, but aside from putting out those ugly
trtaps in my yard, is there any other deterant? They arent bothersome,
just gross having to sweep thier dead bodies off my porch every day.

I hope my questions arent dumb sounding... I am really looking forward
to many enjoyable years in my home, but just hate the thought of
playing some backyard football and diving for a catch only to land
face first in an ant-bed, get bit by mosquitos while running into the
house for ointment, and end up slipping on dead june bug bodies and
hitting my head... lol
Thansk in advace all!
Jazz Mann

Darlin', you are going to have to get used to bugs and snakes and mice
and all those things.



On 9 Apr 2003 07:53:20 -0700, (jameson) wrote:

Hi all, my wife and I have lived in an apartment since we have been
married. We bought a nice home 3 months ago and love it. I never
thought I would enjoy yard work but I just cant get enough of it... We
live out of the city and have a pretty large backyard.

It is now summertime and we are coming to notice lots and lots of
BUGS!
When we lived in the city, they sprayed almost nightly for
mosquitos... this helps them not be so bothersome to us but now they
seem to be a noticable pest...among other bugs...
Here are a few issues I would hope that some yard/garden experts could
help me out with:

Mosquito Hawks (those big looking mosquitos)... I am not sure if this
is thier actual name, but from what I understand, they eat mosquitos
and are not interested in my blood... my exterminator guy tells me he
can spray my bushes to kill most of the M. hawks... but will killing
them INCREASE my regular mosquito populations?

Red ants... I hear that they come with rain and I have found it to be
true... in alabama ants are EVERYWHERE for some reason, so when we got
into our home I bought some Amdro and within a week all of our ant
hills were barren waste lands. And they were all black ants... never
saw a red one. then a few weeks ago we had some rain and (pop pop pop)
up come red ant hills... and I have noticed they are TOTALLY different
from black ants... the black ants will seem to travel 10 to 20 yards
to get the AMDRO.... yet the red ants look to be picking up the AMDRO,
walking AWAY from thier mound, dropping it and going back to the
mound... and the package actuially SPECIFIES that it is for red
ants... are these ants just super smart? Unfortunately it has raind
for 3 days straight since my last application so I am afraid they are
going to explode all over my yard once it dries up... so I guess my
question here is... how does one get rid of red and black ants
successfully? is it an ongoing battle?

June Bugs (i think)... at night while my wife and I watch tv, we here
a gentle "knock...knock...knock" on our back door... turns out, these
fat bugs are hitting the doors and windows and dying on the spot... I
guess they like the light, but aside from putting out those ugly
trtaps in my yard, is there any other deterant? They arent bothersome,
just gross having to sweep thier dead bodies off my porch every day.

I hope my questions arent dumb sounding... I am really looking forward
to many enjoyable years in my home, but just hate the thought of
playing some backyard football and diving for a catch only to land
face first in an ant-bed, get bit by mosquitos while running into the
house for ointment, and end up slipping on dead june bug bodies and
hitting my head... lol
Thansk in advace all!
Jazz Mann

"jameson" wrote in message
om...
Hi all, my wife and I have lived in an apartment since we have been
married. We bought a nice home 3 months ago and love it. I never
thought I would enjoy yard work but I just cant get enough of it... We
live out of the city and have a pretty large backyard.

It is now summertime and we are coming to notice lots and lots of
BUGS!
When we lived in the city, they sprayed almost nightly for
mosquitos... this helps them not be so bothersome to us but now they
seem to be a noticable pest...among other bugs...
Here are a few issues I would hope that some yard/garden experts could
help me out with:

Mosquito Hawks (those big looking mosquitos)... I am not sure if this
is thier actual name, but from what I understand, they eat mosquitos
and are not interested in my blood... my exterminator guy tells me he
can spray my bushes to kill most of the M. hawks... but will killing
them INCREASE my regular mosquito populations?

Red ants... I hear that they come with rain and I have found it to be
true... in alabama ants are EVERYWHERE for some reason, so when we got
into our home I bought some Amdro and within a week all of our ant
hills were barren waste lands. And they were all black ants... never
saw a red one. then a few weeks ago we had some rain and (pop pop pop)
up come red ant hills... and I have noticed they are TOTALLY different
from black ants... the black ants will seem to travel 10 to 20 yards
to get the AMDRO.... yet the red ants look to be picking up the AMDRO,
walking AWAY from thier mound, dropping it and going back to the
mound... and the package actuially SPECIFIES that it is for red
ants... are these ants just super smart? Unfortunately it has raind
for 3 days straight since my last application so I am afraid they are
going to explode all over my yard once it dries up... so I guess my
question here is... how does one get rid of red and black ants
successfully? is it an ongoing battle?

June Bugs (i think)... at night while my wife and I watch tv, we here
a gentle "knock...knock...knock" on our back door... turns out, these
fat bugs are hitting the doors and windows and dying on the spot... I
guess they like the light, but aside from putting out those ugly
trtaps in my yard, is there any other deterant? They arent bothersome,
just gross having to sweep thier dead bodies off my porch every day.

I hope my questions arent dumb sounding... I am really looking forward
to many enjoyable years in my home, but just hate the thought of
playing some backyard football and diving for a catch only to land
face first in an ant-bed, get bit by mosquitos while running into the
house for ointment, and end up slipping on dead june bug bodies and
hitting my head... lol
Thansk in advace all!
Jazz Mann

First of all, congratulations on buying your first home Now to answer
your questions

The mosquito hawks do eat lots of skeeters, so don't kill them...they are
essential (at least they are to me).

These "red ant's"..are they fire ants? More than likely they are, and those
critters are a pain in the butt!! If you see them carrying the AMDRO
granules, that's a good thing They will carry it to their queen...it will
kill her, then within days, the whole colony will die. It may take a little
longer if it's a huge mound. I remember a time (when I was a kid) that
nobody had even heard of fire ants. Those were the days, LOL!

The June bugs are something you pretty much just have to learn to live in
harmony with They do tend to hang around light though, so if you keep the
porch light off and maybe put a curtain on the window so they can't see the
light inside at night, that might discourage them a little.

Hope my answers help you out some Good Luck!
Angie

On 9 Apr 2003 07:53:20 -0700, (jameson) wrote:

It is now summertime and we are coming to notice lots and lots of
BUGS!
When we lived in the city, they sprayed almost nightly for
mosquitos... this helps them not be so bothersome to us but now they
seem to be a noticable pest...among other bugs...
Here are a few issues I would hope that some yard/garden experts could
help me out with:

Mosquito Hawks (those big looking mosquitos)... I am not sure if this
is thier actual name, but from what I understand, they eat mosquitos
and are not interested in my blood... my exterminator guy tells me he
can spray my bushes to kill most of the M. hawks... but will killing
them INCREASE my regular mosquito populations?

Mosquitoes require water for most of their life-cycle, so making sure
there's no "standing water" around will help with the problem. A
little difficult when it's been raining for a week, of course. :-)
Advice here always includes "getting rid of old tires," (where water
can collect) which doesn't seem to be a major problem, but *does* show
there can be water collection spots where you don't normally see the
water.

What's the bat situation there? Bats are said to eat zillions of
mosquitoes every evening. You could try putting up a bat house to
encourage a mosquito-control patrol of your own.

Wholesale spraying often does more harm than good.. The stuff that
kills mosquitoes also harms bees and butterflies. Bees = pollination
for many veg crops.

I'd never heard the term "mosquito hawk," but it appears to be another
name for "dragonflies" which do, indeed, feed on mosquitoes and other
small insects. I'd want to encourage as many of those as possible.

(jameson) wrote:

Hi all, my wife and I have lived in an apartment since we have been
married. We bought a nice home 3 months ago and love it. I never
thought I would enjoy yard work but I just cant get enough of it... We
live out of the city and have a pretty large backyard.

It is now summertime and we are coming to notice lots and lots of
BUGS!

Welcome to the suburbs! Learn to pick your battles.

Mosquito Hawks (those big looking mosquitos)... I am not sure if this
is thier actual name, but from what I understand, they eat mosquitos
and are not interested in my blood... my exterminator guy tells me he
can spray my bushes to kill most of the M. hawks... but will killing
them INCREASE my regular mosquito populations?

Mosquito control by spraying YOUR yard is useless - they can fly
for 1/2 mile of more. Make sure you have no breeding spots for
them, make sure the screens fit well, and consider screening in
your porch.

question here is... how does one get rid of red and black ants
successfully? is it an ongoing battle?

You don't. Unless they are building hills in your living room,
leave them alone.

June Bugs (i think)... at night while my wife and I watch tv, we here
a gentle "knock...knock...knock" on our back door... turns out, these
fat bugs are hitting the doors and windows and dying on the spot... I
guess they like the light

Turn out the light, pull the shades, or replace the outdoorlights
with a motion detector light so you attract fewer of them.
Putting the brightest light away from the door, with an entry
light 1/2 the wattage of the bright one, decoys them away from

I hope my questions arent dumb sounding... I am really looking forward
to many enjoyable years in my home

If bugs bother you, quickly sell the house and move to a highrise
where you only have to deal with cockroaches.

Tsu

--
To doubt everything or to believe everything
are two equally convenient solutions; both
dispense with the necessity of reflection.
- Jules Henri Poincaré

I like the bat idea, havent noticed any in this new part of town I
live in... but if they help I want them! where does one buy a "bat
house"? Id feel really dumb if I went to my local nursery and asked
for one and they had no idea what I was talking about.
Jazz Mann

On Thu, 10 Apr 2003 05:48:03 -0700, Tsu Dho Nimh
wrote:

Mosquito control by spraying YOUR yard is useless - they can fly
for 1/2 mile of more. Make sure you have no breeding spots for
them, make sure the screens fit well, and consider screening in
your porch.

Get to know bug repellent sprays. Off works, but stinks, imo. I like
Skintastic, i think it is. Works, AND smells good. Weather permitting,
i am out every night for hours. I usually only have OFF! but it does
work.

On 10 Apr 2003 08:34:57 -0700, (jameson) wrote:

I like the bat idea, havent noticed any in this new part of town I
live in... but if they help I want them! where does one buy a "bat
house"? Id feel really dumb if I went to my local nursery and asked
for one and they had no idea what I was talking about.

This isn't like asking for a sky hook. :-) Search the web for "bat
house" to get an idea of availability. Also check your local state
extension office, both for mosquito control ideas and possibility of
bats in the area that could be encouraged. I have no clue as to the
typical range of bats.

Thanks for your reply Tsu...
but you claim that I should not bother ant hills unless that are in my
"livingroom"... so how do people enjoy backyard football or volleyball
when they have to look down every 6 steps to avoid stepping in or
fallin gin a 2 foot wide anthill?

I have become for the first time enthrawled with ants now.. I just
keep catching myself on the internet learning more and more about
thier behaviors, but I havent found out who thier "enemies" are.. I
would think off hand birds, but if that were the case, my backyard
would be full of birds having a feeding frenzy... who are ants natural
enemies?

jameson wrote:

Thanks for your reply Tsu...
but you claim that I should not bother ant hills unless that are in my
"livingroom"... so how do people enjoy backyard football or volleyball
when they have to look down every 6 steps to avoid stepping in or
fallin gin a 2 foot wide anthill?

I have become for the first time enthrawled with ants now.. I just
keep catching myself on the internet learning more and more about
thier behaviors, but I havent found out who thier "enemies" are.. I
would think off hand birds, but if that were the case, my backyard
would be full of birds having a feeding frenzy... who are ants natural
enemies?

Anteaters, ant bears, ant lions, echidnas, parasitic mites, but mostly
each other. Humans and ants, both being highly evolved social animals,
share much behavior, including waging war. Ants are members of the family
formicidae, whose sting carries the irritating agent formic acid. They have
few predators simply because they taste bad.

On 10 Apr 2003 13:24:34 -0700, (jameson) wrote:

Thanks for your reply Tsu...
but you claim that I should not bother ant hills unless that are in my
"livingroom"... so how do people enjoy backyard football or volleyball
when they have to look down every 6 steps to avoid stepping in or
fallin gin a 2 foot wide anthill?

I have become for the first time enthrawled with ants now.. I just
keep catching myself on the internet learning more and more about
thier behaviors, but I havent found out who thier "enemies" are.. I
would think off hand birds, but if that were the case, my backyard
would be full of birds having a feeding frenzy... who are ants natural
enemies?

Hot water, dish soap, and orange juice......the oj eats off thier
protective oil coating and the soap kills them......or visa versa.

On Thu, 10 Apr 2003 23:55:14 -0700, "Dr. Rev. Chuck, M.D. P.A."
wrote:


Anteaters, ant bears, ant lions, echidnas, parasitic mites, but mostly
each other. Humans and ants, both being highly evolved social animals,
share much behavior, including waging war. Ants are members of the family
formicidae, whose sting carries the irritating agent formic acid. They have
few predators simply because they taste bad.

I never have two large hills in my yard, but i heard if you take a
shovel of each and put onto each others' hills, they will kill each
other off. It sounds too cruel for me anyway. I can't kill much. I did
have several fire ants come out of no where and bite me today. Sucks!
I immediately rub wit straight bleach, followed by a cold rinse. Cuts
that itch time down to a couple/few minutes.

True story:
I moved here and never heard of the likes of fire ants. My neighbor
was mowing and she ran over a hill and they swarmed her BIG TIME. She
started screaming, GET THE BLEACH! GET THE BLEACH!, while she brushed
them off on the way to the hose. Well silly me, I ran out there with
the bleach like a fireman on a fire and turned the bottle upside down
on the area of ants. She told me to bring HER the bleach and poured it
over her feet. I had no idea. But having done it both ways, i stick
with the bleach. I HATE that itch!