On Sat, 26 Apr 2008 03:51:07 -0800, Jan Flora
wrote:

In article ,
"Gary Brown" wrote:

Hi,

I saw a AgraCo Mosquito Patch in the store today.
Has anyone tried them? I am bug fodder when
outside which curtails any but minimal gardening.

Anything else to try that I needed coat myself with?

Thanks,
Gary

Deep Woods Off. But try to minimize spraying it on your skin.


Deep Woods Off is what I use. It is very effective. Helps keep ticks
off too. Now if I can only get something that works well on chiggers.

Don't wear blue shirts.

I heard any dark-colored clothing. Loose white clothes are best.


Take Vitamin B-complex.

Haven't heard this one.


Eat garlic.

I have been taking garlic pills for over 10+ years. It makes the
surface of the skin stink, but has no effect on mosquitoes (at least
on me).

Avoid eating bananas spring through early fall. At first I didn't
believe this one, but found it's true.

Smoke of any sort wards off mosquitoes. I don't like cigarette smoke,
but "punks" work well although short lasting.

Mosquitoes can easily breed in any standing stagnant water. Empty out
saucers, bird baths, watering cans, clean gutters, etc. Old tires
make a perfect mosquito breeding ground. Eggs hatch out in 2-3 days
and can emerge as adults in as little as five days.

Encourage bats and birds to your property. Mosquitoes would prefer to
bite a bird rather than a human.

Having a well-maintained pond with rosy reds and goldfish will
actually reduce mosquito population. You can even use a whiskey
barrel with one or two small fish (no need to feed the fish!). The
eggs are laid, but the high-protein larvae are quickly eaten up. I
haven't yet used mosquito dunks.

Mosquitoes are usually hunting at dusk. Sometimes it is better to be
in the sun rather than shade. Unfortunately, there are many
varieties and in east TN we have the little striped Asian mosquito
that will bite you in full sun in the middle of the day.


If you're really sensitive, get one of those new-fangled
Mosquito trap things that use propane to generate CO2.
The mossies are attracted by you breathing. Those trap things
work. A neighbor of ours lives in a swamp and her yard is
mossie-free during the summer. We're in Alaska.

Any of the repellents with a high DEET content will work,
but that stuff will probably kill you in the long run.
But death in the future is always better than death from
blood loss today.

Here's a pretty good website:

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PUBS/INSECT/05526.html

Jan