On Mon, 21 Jul 2003 21:52:47 GMT, Heidi wrote:

Any good ideas out there for controlling mosquitos? We have not been
outside to enjoy our garden near as much as I would like b/c of those
tiny pests. Our yard is not conducive for bats, sparrows, or other
mosquito eating friends (trees too close together to offer a nice flight
pattern). We do not have any standing water--no bird baths, etc..
Because we have pets, I am not keen on spraying insecticides.

I am wondering:

if I placed a pool of water to the side of the house, where we don't
congregate very often, and drop in one of those mosquito pellets into
the water, would the water attract and destroy the enemy? Or would
brining in standing water, only serve in the same way as those Japanese
Beetle traps, it would just attract more bugs to the yard.

Any other ideas???

Thanks in advance!
Heidi


A pond stocked with goldfish and rosy reds will eat the mosquito
larvae, and have an overall effect of reducing the population. Your
best defense is applications of products to the skin containing at
least 20% DEET. I take vitamin B100 complex and avoid eating bananas
during the mosquito season. Todays local news reports that the West
Nile virus is present and alive in our county. Standing in the sun is
supposed to help, but the Asian mosquito bites regardless.

Heidi wrote in :

Any good ideas out there for controlling mosquitos? We have not been
outside to enjoy our garden near as much as I would like b/c of those
tiny pests. Our yard is not conducive for bats, sparrows, or other
mosquito eating friends (trees too close together to offer a nice
flight
pattern). We do not have any standing water--no bird baths, etc..
Because we have pets, I am not keen on spraying insecticides.

I am wondering:

if I placed a pool of water to the side of the house, where we don't
congregate very often, and drop in one of those mosquito pellets into
the water, would the water attract and destroy the enemy? Or would
brining in standing water, only serve in the same way as those Japanese
Beetle traps, it would just attract more bugs to the yard.

Any other ideas???

Thanks in advance!
Heidi



As long as the water is stagnant (not moving) and there is something for
the mosquito larvae to eat (plant matter at the least) mommy mosquito and
her friends are going to find it. When I have buckets of rain water out,
there are never any mosquito larvae in the clear water, but usually
plenty where the water is dirty and/or have bits of plants in the water.

Have you thought about planting lemongrass? I don't know if it's a
mosquito control, but I had a couple of roots in a cut open milk jug once
and found several dead mosquitos in the puddle after it rained. I had
used Bt mosquito dunks the year before (though I don't know if those work
on adults) but I don't think they were ever in contact with the
lemongrass or jug.

- Salty

On Mon, 21 Jul 2003 21:52:47 GMT, Heidi wrote:

Any good ideas out there for controlling mosquitos? We have not been
outside to enjoy our garden near as much as I would like b/c of those
tiny pests. Our yard is not conducive for bats, sparrows, or other
mosquito eating friends (trees too close together to offer a nice flight
pattern). We do not have any standing water--no bird baths, etc..
Because we have pets, I am not keen on spraying insecticides.

I am wondering:

if I placed a pool of water to the side of the house, where we don't
congregate very often, and drop in one of those mosquito pellets into
the water, would the water attract and destroy the enemy? Or would
brining in standing water, only serve in the same way as those Japanese
Beetle traps, it would just attract more bugs to the yard.

Any other ideas???

Dawn and dusk are prime mosquito times of day. Unfortunately, one
usually doesn't schedule summertime outdoor activities at noon and
midnight. :-) Be vigilant about "standing water". Even a plant
saucer of water can harbor larvae. You might check your neighbors'
standing water sources, too. The critters may not be breeding in your
yard, but an adjacent one. 'Factoid' broadcast on local TV last week,
however, said they travel up to a mile. That's quite a large area to
inspect. DEET is probably your best bet. I wonder how 'experts' can
give advice to "wear long-sleeved shirts and tuck pant cuffs into
socks" in mid-summer with a straight face.

See recent thread on 'mosquito magnet'. I don't think anyone reported
a miracle cure. Sorry.

Heidi wrote in message ...
Any good ideas out there for controlling mosquitos? We have not been
outside to enjoy our garden near as much as I would like b/c of those
tiny pests. Our yard is not conducive for bats, sparrows, or other
mosquito eating friends (trees too close together to offer a nice flight
pattern). We do not have any standing water--no bird baths, etc..
Because we have pets, I am not keen on spraying insecticides.

I am wondering:

if I placed a pool of water to the side of the house, where we don't
congregate very often, and drop in one of those mosquito pellets into
the water, would the water attract and destroy the enemy? Or would
brining in standing water, only serve in the same way as those Japanese
Beetle traps, it would just attract more bugs to the yard.

Any other ideas???

Thanks in advance!
Heidi

I just emptied my rain barrel, and there were mosquito larvae by the
tens of thousands (teaches me to be a laggard). I also mow quite high,
which helps them (but I have a decent looking lawn without any care).
I suppose a couple of minnows from the bait shop, placed in the
barrel, would take care of them ...
I may try it next year.

DEET, timing, a thick skin, DEET.

If you assume the average mosquito will travel half a mile: then to control
those mosquitos, you'll have to take care of standing water in a square
mile, or 640 acres. You could drive yourself nuts trying to do that. DEET
has a bit of an unpleasant smell but the science is in and it is safe.

On the other side you are taking more chances with your health if you eat
potato chips than the risk posed by West Nile virus, so enjoy your yard.

I agree with you on the insecticides. The anti mosquito craze is going to
do terrible things to the environment. Pity the poor frogs, newts,
salamanders, fishes, waterfowl and wildflowers. Better to lose it all, than
one of us middleclass be inconvenienced.

--
Bill C. )`
New Brunswick, Canada
45º 3' 0"N 66º 54' 0"W

(simy1) wrote in
om:

I just emptied my rain barrel, and there were mosquito larvae by the
tens of thousands (teaches me to be a laggard). I also mow quite high,
which helps them (but I have a decent looking lawn without any care).
I suppose a couple of minnows from the bait shop, placed in the
barrel, would take care of them ...
I may try it next year.

When I was a kid, I heard that applying a thin layer of oil to the surface
of the water would cause the mosquito larvae to suffocate. I haven't heard
the same recently, so maybe it's bad advice.

yeah.. wonder if all of them are susceptible to west nile too. Ingrid

"Bill C." wrote:
Pity the poor frogs, newts,
salamanders, fishes, waterfowl


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

works in still water. use veggie oil, not diesel. but aeration also works.

Salty Thumb wrote:
When I was a kid, I heard that applying a thin layer of oil to the surface
of the water would cause the mosquito larvae to suffocate. I haven't heard
the same recently, so maybe it's bad advice.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

They all become dead (and our water loses its filter) when we run around
draining all the wetland. West Nile affects just the birds in that group.
Funny think Ingrid, I don't consider myself an environmentalist in the more
recent sense of the word, but this trend drives me crazy.

Bill C.

wrote in message
...
yeah.. wonder if all of them are susceptible to west nile too. Ingrid

"Bill C." wrote:
Pity the poor frogs, newts,
salamanders, fishes, waterfowl


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

On Wed, 23 Jul 2003 09:57:27 GMT, "Bill C."
wrote:

They all become dead (and our water loses its filter) when we run around
draining all the wetland. West Nile affects just the birds in that group.
Funny think Ingrid, I don't consider myself an environmentalist in the more
recent sense of the word, but this trend drives me crazy.

wrote
yeah.. wonder if all of them are susceptible to west nile too. Ingrid

"Bill C." wrote:
Pity the poor frogs, newts,
salamanders, fishes, waterfowl

West Nile virus is carried by mosquitoes and affects many species,
incl. humans. It can be fatal. This isn't (much) justification for
wholesale pesticide spraying or (has anyone actually suggested this?!)
draining all wetlands, but it is *not* an inconsequential problem. I
live in a wetland-rich (read "damp") area where mosquitoes are a
perennial problem and widespread aerial spraying is done every year.
The spraying schedule is announced ahead of time, and beekeepers are
advised when to protect their hives. I guess butterflies just have to
listen to the news and dive under a leaf. West Nile has been ID'd
here, as well as many cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis, which also
(rarely) affects humans. Like so many of life's problems, there are
few simple solutions.

Salty Thumb wrote in message ...
(simy1) wrote in
om:

I just emptied my rain barrel, and there were mosquito larvae by the
tens of thousands (teaches me to be a laggard). I also mow quite high,
which helps them (but I have a decent looking lawn without any care).
I suppose a couple of minnows from the bait shop, placed in the
barrel, would take care of them ...
I may try it next year.

When I was a kid, I heard that applying a thin layer of oil to the surface
of the water would cause the mosquito larvae to suffocate. I haven't heard
the same recently, so maybe it's bad advice.

with all the rain, my barrel has overflowed many times over. Oil would go quickly.
I only keep it to water my mushroom piles.

you are sure about that?
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol9no7/02-0816.htm
Ingrid

"Bill C." wrote:
West Nile affects just the birds in that group.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

I stand corrected.

Bill C.

wrote in message
...
you are sure about that?
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol9no7/02-0816.htm
Ingrid

"Bill C." wrote:
West Nile affects just the birds in that group.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

Frogleg:

West Nile virus is carried by mosquitoes and affects many species,
incl. humans. It can be fatal. This isn't (much) justification for
wholesale pesticide spraying or (has anyone actually suggested this?!)
draining all wetlands, but it is *not* an inconsequential problem.

Draining of all wetlands, probably not, but there is a real trend to drain
"swamps" around human habitation because of West Nile. The problem is it's
an infectious disease that can spread, so control is an issue, but I do
think we lose perspective on this type of issue and that leads to bad
decisions for people and wildlife. For example 284 people died in the US
last year due to WNV, not inconsequential. But by comparison 76 million
Americans suffer from food poisoning each year and over 5,200 die. The odds
of any one of us dying from heart attack, cancer or stroke are about 60%
(greater than 1.4 million Americans per year). (Stats. from the CDC
website). I appreciate your concern. My point is let's not lose our
ability to enjoy the things that are invaluable--like our gardens, the
outdoors--because of something that is far less likely to affect us than
many many things that never make the news; and lets use due caution in our
approach, because the solutions can be worse than the problem we are trying
to solve, and just as dangerous in the long run.

You're right, there are few simple solutions.

--
Bill C. )`
New Brunswick, Canada
45º 3' 0"N 66º 54' 0"W

Heidi wrote in message ...
Any good ideas out there for controlling mosquitos? We have not been
outside to enjoy our garden near as much as I would like b/c of those
tiny pests. Our yard is not conducive for bats, sparrows, or other
mosquito eating friends (trees too close together to offer a nice flight
pattern). We do not have any standing water--no bird baths, etc..
Because we have pets, I am not keen on spraying insecticides.

I am wondering:

if I placed a pool of water to the side of the house, where we don't
congregate very often, and drop in one of those mosquito pellets into
the water, would the water attract and destroy the enemy? Or would
brining in standing water, only serve in the same way as those Japanese
Beetle traps, it would just attract more bugs to the yard.

Any other ideas???

Thanks in advance!
Heidi


Dear Heidi,
The fact that you have so many trees close together gives those
mosquitos plenty of shelter to hide through the day. Some trees are
really popular to them. When you stir them with your hands a cloud of
mosquitos will come out. Maybe that's your problem. Try if your trees
are hide-outs for these pests. If so, than I think it's best to remove
some of them.
)