Kay Lancaster expounded:

On the whole, I feel IGRs are much more palatable for flea control than
borates. And I say that as a trained biologist and botanist.

If they worked I'd be impressed - they didn't here. And I say that as
a long-suffering flea bitten human who finally got rid of the nasty
little buggers with borate powder.

The point is, do you have a persistent problem that hasn't been
controlled by other methods? If all of the other treatments work for
you then great. If they don't, then this is a viable option.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

Billy wrote in

ct.net.au:

In article ,
Jim wrote:
for me, when I go to the pond or out where the mosquitoes
are thick I use a mixture of water and Avon Skin So Soft
Bath Oil. get one of those little pint bottles with a
pump spray mister. fill it half full of water and then
add about 6 to 10 drops of the Avon Skin So Soft Bath Oil.
I mist myself and the insects will leave me alone.

Avon Skin-so-Soft's mosquito repellant properties are a myth.
it repels *me* though. ick
i like Crocodile anti-bug. no citronella!
we have a pond, 2 brooks, upland wetlands, & 20 acres of
swamp. there are virtually no mosquitoes in the 3 acres of
'yard' around the house since we got the chickens. no ticks at
all (until you get into the woods).
the chickens do a great job keeping all kinds of bugs in
check. they also eat small snakes, which i think is a
disadvantage but some may like.

Have you considered putting a layer of vegetable oil on the
pond?

good way to kill all life in the pond! mosquito dunks work
well, & only on mosquito larvae. you do NOT want to kill your
dragonfly larvae! dragonflies eat a lot of mosquitoes, &
assorted biting flies.
lee

Billy wrote:

Jim wrote:
Scott Hildenbrand wrote:

Ok, so fleas and mosquitoes love me.
[....]

for me, when I go to the pond or out where the mosquitoes
are thick
[....]

Have you considered putting a layer of vegetable oil on the pond?

that would be a huge mistake as well as an aquatic ecological disaster.

Scott Hildenbrand wrote:
Ok, so fleas and mosquitoes love me. I'm not sure why, it could be a
body chemistry thing or a slightly higher body temp. All I know is that
my wife and I can be standing in the same room... Her, they do not touch
but me, they devourer.

At any rate, beyond chemical sprays or whatnot is there a botanical
method that can be done in the yard to stop them, or slow them, before
they get to the house?

Know people say mint will deter ants, which I'll be planting around the
house for the simple reason that I like it in tea if anything else..
Just wondering if anyone has any experience with fleas.

Problem area is not in the main house, but in the basement. We've got a
cat door to the basement which we close the cats up in at night to keep
them from wandering around. Their litter boxes are also located down there.

Now, I'd say sure, they're living on the cats but this is not the case.
I'd sprayed them down with Frontline's spray and there are no fleas on
them.

I'll be picking up some glue traps as well. You know, those ones with
the night light above them? I'd used them in the past with much success
so I'm hoping that it will solve the problem inside. But keeping them at
bay outside is another question.


Looking forward to your thoughts..

Scott--

well, you brought back a memory from me, Scott......I too had a way into
my basement back in Nashville where I put the litter box for the many
cats I had at that time. Here is the ONLY solution which will give you
relief. Back then, the house I lived in had a dirt basement with a
small slab for part of the floor. The breaker blew out and my husband
who had been drinking all night and had had a bit of the hair of the dog
had just gotten out of the shower. Convenient timing, to say the least.
So anyway, he goes and opens up the basement door, moves the cat box
aside and starts to descend the steps and gets to the bottom one and to
the box that is on a cedar post that my dad's electrician friend had
installed breaker box replacing the old fuse box, and I heard this
scream, growing louder as the thumping rose to the main
house....apparently Squire had descended into what the bug man later
described as a bed of fleas that absolutely adore dirt. They can lay
dormant (as Lars will attest seeing as he's an exterminator himself g)
and breed quietly until they are a mass of starved fleas just waiting
for blood. My cat's would stop at the top of the landing and refuse to
go to the box sitting there. And the bug man told us that fleas could
jump 36 FEET?????!!!!??? holy itchy flesh. So Squire's ankles were
BLACK with fleas when he went down the steps to throw the breaker. The
bug man started down and they went for his face.........he'd sprayed the
cuffs of his pants and sleeve cuffs and they still went for his
face....oy vey!!!

Short answer was, he sprayed the dirt, laid down boric acid powder, then
put powder on the steps leading down, and told us to put the litter box
somewhere else. If one of the cats had gone out of desperation, they'd
been almost sucked dry as the fleas had gotten downstairs from one or
two and had quietly and manically multiplied. Scary thought.......And I
adore Frontline for my dawgs and cats now. Advantage doesn't seem to
work as well for my animals as Frontline does. don't know why, and no
flaming please for those who Advantage DOES work. It's the same for
critters as it is people. Some people stuff works like simply eating
garlic (my cats adore garlic which DOES help as they sweat through their
pits unlike dogs) but the Frontline works miracles. Pest or "Old Krusty
the Kat" as he's known during the spring and summer months because of
his skin condition due to mosquito's gnawing him to hundreds of sores
suffers horribly. Garlic helps, but not until the nights cool does he
get relief. I also feed him "mush" (soft cat food, not shredded, but
just Friskies or Alley Cat whichever is on sale at the local grocery)
which helps put oils back into his coat. He's almost naked during these
months due to not fleas, but mosquito's poor kitty......He is now
actually growing his fur back right now. And we finally got RAIN
yesterday!!!! WOO HOO!!!!! better late than never, eh? Good luck on
the advice there for yer fleas. I had fleas for the first time in YEARS
this year due to the drought and conditions. And apparently this year
was the worst MY bug man had seen for black widow spiders in this
region. (we have them, as well as recluse's and a wide assortment of
other harmless spiders, and I had my first sighting of a "garden writing
spider" in six or seven years which was really awesome. I suspected
that "Bugs Bob" might have accidentally treated part of my front gardens
and was the main reason I didn't have them, but I'm not sure. I'm so
organic in regards to my flower beds that I still had mantis and bees
and lizards, toads, peepers, cicada's etc en-mass this year despite that
I never watered at all......

madgardener, still up on the ridge (for now), back in faerie holler,
overlooking a wonderfully colorful and now misty English Mountain in
Eastern Tennessee, zone 7, Sunset zone 36

Janet Baraclough wrote:

from enigma contains these words:

Avon Skin-so-Soft's mosquito repellant properties are a myth.

It's the most effective repellent against Scottish midges, though
(they are much smaller than mosquitoes, don;t breed in water and bite
even worse.)

Janet.

Avon had a Skin-so-Soft powder that smelled just like
the bath oil. it was the best damn flea powder I'd ever
used. can't get it anymore because they discontinued the
manufacture of it.

I wonder if they got tired of people calling and wanting
to order some flea powder?

Lar expounded:


But the question would be are you now getting results you do not want to
have...possible health..premature deterioration of carpets....

Nope, sorry, none of that. It's been over 15 flea-free years, and I
don't think they'll be back at this point.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

Janet Baraclough wrote:

from Jim contains these words:
Janet Baraclough wrote:
from enigma contains these words:

Avon Skin-so-Soft's mosquito repellant properties are a myth.

It's the most effective repellent against Scottish midges, though
(they are much smaller than mosquitoes, don;t breed in water and bite
even worse.)

Janet.

Avon had a Skin-so-Soft powder that smelled just like
the bath oil. it was the best damn flea powder I'd ever
used. can't get it anymore because they discontinued the
manufacture of it.

I wonder if they got tired of people calling and wanting
to order some flea powder?

The version available here is a push-button spray (not aerosol) ,
"Woodland Glade" flavour.
It's very light and non greasy but men don't much like the smell. It's
always fun working in the woods when I put it on, and offer squirts to t
all. The men always say no. I can guarantee that within 10 minutes every
single one of those midge-bitten guys will sidle up on his own, and
mutter "Uh, maybe..could I just..please....changed my mind."

Janet

yep, I know exactly what you mean. it is like when fishing
buddies break down and say give me some of that home made
mosquito repellent.

if it works, don't knock it because relief is relief. damn mosquitos!

In article ,
enigma wrote:

Billy wrote in

ct.net.au:

In article ,
Jim wrote:
for me, when I go to the pond or out where the mosquitoes
are thick I use a mixture of water and Avon Skin So Soft
Bath Oil. get one of those little pint bottles with a
pump spray mister. fill it half full of water and then
add about 6 to 10 drops of the Avon Skin So Soft Bath Oil.
I mist myself and the insects will leave me alone.

Avon Skin-so-Soft's mosquito repellant properties are a myth.
it repels *me* though. ick
i like Crocodile anti-bug. no citronella!
we have a pond, 2 brooks, upland wetlands, & 20 acres of
swamp. there are virtually no mosquitoes in the 3 acres of
'yard' around the house since we got the chickens. no ticks at
all (until you get into the woods).
the chickens do a great job keeping all kinds of bugs in
check. they also eat small snakes, which i think is a
disadvantage but some may like.

Have you considered putting a layer of vegetable oil on the
pond?

good way to kill all life in the pond! mosquito dunks work
well, & only on mosquito larvae. you do NOT want to kill your
dragonfly larvae! dragonflies eat a lot of mosquitoes, &
assorted biting flies.
lee

but if you don't have mosquitos?
--
FB - FFF

Billy

Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights.
Get up, stand up, Don't give up the fight.
- Bob Marley

Billy wrote in

ct.net.au:

In article ,
enigma wrote:

Billy wrote in

nne ct.net.au:
Have you considered putting a layer of vegetable oil on
the pond?

good way to kill all life in the pond! mosquito dunks work
well, & only on mosquito larvae. you do NOT want to kill
your dragonfly larvae! dragonflies eat a lot of
mosquitoes, & assorted biting flies.

but if you don't have mosquitos?

then why would you be putting oil on the pond?
even if you don't have mosquitoes you don't want to kill the
dragonflies. they eat other insects. (we have hundreds of
dragonflies, damsel flies & predatory wasps)
if you don't have mosquito larvae in the pond (what pond in
the US doesn't?) then obviously you don't need to put dunks
in, or empty & refill ever three days (for garden ponds or
stock tanks), but then you don't need to go dumping oil into
the ecosystem then either.
where on earth did you get the idea that putting vegetable
oil on a pond was even remotely a "good" idea? i thought you
were somewhat ecologically savvy.
lee



--
Question with boldness even the existence of god; because if
there be
one, he must more approve the homage of reason than that of
blindfolded
fear. - Thomas Jefferson

In article ,
enigma wrote:

Billy wrote in
(snip)
Have you considered putting a layer of vegetable oil on
the pond?

good way to kill all life in the pond! mosquito dunks work
well, & only on mosquito larvae. you do NOT want to kill
your dragonfly larvae! dragonflies eat a lot of
mosquitoes, & assorted biting flies.

but if you don't have mosquitos?

then why would you be putting oil on the pond?
even if you don't have mosquitoes you don't want to kill the
dragonflies. they eat other insects. (we have hundreds of
dragonflies, damsel flies & predatory wasps)
if you don't have mosquito larvae in the pond (what pond in
the US doesn't?) then obviously you don't need to put dunks
in, or empty & refill ever three days (for garden ponds or
stock tanks), but then you don't need to go dumping oil into
the ecosystem then either.
where on earth did you get the idea that putting vegetable
oil on a pond was even remotely a "good" idea? i thought you
were somewhat ecologically savvy.
lee

Sorry, just another human being. Please note the feet of clay. I see I
don't have much time as the "Mad Cow" gang is on their way.

Vegetable oil was just the first thing I thought of because that is one
of the things that the mosquito abatement program in Sonoma County
recommends for standing water (usually considered non-toxic). The first
thing they recommend is mosquito fish or is this going to jam up the
dragonflies too (one wiggler might look much like another wiggler, much
like sharks with seals and surfers)? I'm not an entomologist, so if this
idea falls flat or you want to explore it further, check with your local
mosquito abatement program or the Entomology Dept. of your nearest
University.

Oops, I hear the sound of hooves, I'd better run.
--
FB - FFF

Billy

Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights.
Get up, stand up, Don't give up the fight.
- Bob Marley

In article ,
Janet Baraclough wrote:

The message
from enigma contains these words:


where on earth did you get the idea that putting vegetable
oil on a pond was even remotely a "good" idea? i thought you
were somewhat ecologically savvy.
lee

No, he's a troll pretending to be ecologically savvy who can't quite
join up the dots to get the picture.

Janet

Wow. Look at what you did to that "strawman". Just what I'd expect from
someone who is un-American.
--
FB - FFF

Billy

Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights.
Get up, stand up, Don't give up the fight.
- Bob Marley

Janet Baraclough wrote:

from enigma contains these words:

where on earth did you get the idea that putting vegetable
oil on a pond was even remotely a "good" idea? i thought you
were somewhat ecologically savvy.
lee

No, he's a troll pretending to be ecologically savvy who can't quite
join up the dots to get the picture.

Janet

could it have been one of those dot pictures with no numbers?

g

In article ,
Janet Baraclough wrote:

The message
from Jim contains these words:

Janet Baraclough wrote:

from enigma contains these words:

where on earth did you get the idea that putting vegetable
oil on a pond was even remotely a "good" idea? i thought you
were somewhat ecologically savvy.
lee

No, he's a troll pretending to be ecologically savvy who can't quite
join up the dots to get the picture.

Janet

could it have been one of those dot pictures with no numbers?

Don't colour over the lines, Jim.

Janet

Well the troll would like to know if that is a threat from an
un-American?
--
FB - FFF

Billy

Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights.
Get up, stand up, Don't give up the fight.
- Bob Marley

Janet Baraclough wrote:

from Jim contains these words:
Janet Baraclough wrote:
from enigma contains these words:

where on earth did you get the idea that putting vegetable
oil on a pond was even remotely a "good" idea? i thought you
were somewhat ecologically savvy.

No, he's a troll pretending to be ecologically savvy who can't quite
join up the dots to get the picture.


could it have been one of those dot pictures with no numbers?

Don't colour over the lines, Jim.

with the british having colour long before americans
got color you'd most likely have more experience with
keeping the colour between the lines.

g

Billy wrote in

ct.net.au:

In article ,
enigma wrote:

where on earth did you get the idea that putting
vegetable
oil on a pond was even remotely a "good" idea? i thought
you were somewhat ecologically savvy.

Sorry, just another human being. Please note the feet of
clay. I see I don't have much time as the "Mad Cow" gang is
on their way.

Vegetable oil was just the first thing I thought of because
that is one of the things that the mosquito abatement
program in Sonoma County recommends for standing water
(usually considered non-toxic).

standing water is entirely different than a pond. standing
water would be the stuff caught in old tires, or possibly a
rain barrel. it's water that isn't part of an ecosystem (no
frogs, no fish, no other insect larvae, possibly algae but no
other plants)

The first thing they
recommend is mosquito fish or is this going to jam up the
dragonflies too (one wiggler might look much like another
wiggler, much like sharks with seals and surfers)? I'm not
an entomologist, so if this idea falls flat or you want to
explore it further, check with your local mosquito
abatement program or the Entomology Dept. of your nearest
University.

mosquito fish are too small to eat dragonfly larvae. in fact,
they're likely to be eaten *by* the dragonfly larvae
mosquito wigglers are tiny (but my chickens love them).
dragonfly larvae get much larger, up to just over an inch long
(depending on the type of dragonfly obviously). damselflies,
otoh, are what 'ant lions' (doodlebugs) turn into.
young water boatmen & watermelon seeds (i should look up the
real name of those) also eat mozzie larvae.

lee