Naturally Eliminate Mosquitos (and flies) in the coop!!! (and make your chickens more comfortable)

I have not really posted here before but have been reading and looking stuff up for quite some time. I had a problem found a soloution and now want to help out the community. We live in SWFL and have had a huge amount of rain, my pond has risen 4 feet and we have standing water all over our property. As you can well imaging the mosquitos are terrible!!! The other night we went out to the coop and opened the door, I was attacked and it looked like one of those tents they use in the Off commercials to show it works, there were thousands of them.

The wife google mosquitos and chickens and of course we learned they are BAD for everyone including chickens, notwistanding the fact that they are a nusiance and probably bug (see what i did there) the chickens all night long.

So I began googling about mosquitos and almost bought a $300 CO2 mosquito trap. But I then came across this and thought for less than $25 I should try it out.

I bought a 20" box fan from walmart 16.99, I bought some tule (or your can use old /extra porch screen) from the cloth section $2.00 and some ceramic magnets from Harbor Freight 5.00. I placed the tule covering the exhaust side of the fan (the side that blows on you) and afixed with magnets. I then took some chain and hung the fan inside the coop. ran an extension cord and turned it on.

This morning there were no mosquitos flying around and there were a thousand mosquitos dead in the trap. Caught in the net they will dehydrate and die, any alive when you need to change out the tule (screen) can be sprayed with rubbing alchohol and will die. With this trap you need an attractant, livestock, pets, people, chickens all work. It has worked so well in the coop i may make one, using a light bulb as attractant to see if I can clear the area after a while. Just want to add some help, to those with mosquitos (and hot chickens)who dont like using chemicals...

well thats a really good idea

BigRed, I would love to take credit for it but I found it on you tube. Three days later there are no flying insects in the coop. We have no trapped any flies but I guess they dont like the air turbulence. As far as the mosquitos the net is full will need to clean out soon but there are no flying pests anywhere near the coop.

It has worked so well I am going to set up an industrial fan with a light bulb and see if it will clear the area...


J

P.S. I am surprised by the lack of response here, I figured mosquitos were a bigger problem than they must be. Getting rid of flies was an added bonus.

Sounds like a good solution ... can you scrape/dump the dead bugs in the chickens food?

Not sure how to do in terms of the moderators.

You can definitely dump the skeeters into the yard for the chickens to eat. But my question is do we want chickens eating the mosquitos given the potential for west nile, etc.? Curious,may have to look for the answer.

I will have to change out the net tomorrow, After 4 days the net is clogged with mosquitos.

J

Might want to post this here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/631861/diy-thread-lets-see-your-inventions/3260#post_15645678

Great idea

Love it! Southern Michigan has been mosquito heaven this July! I've got two concerns. Will the bugs be a hazard in the fan, or are they all in the netting! If you use a light as an attractant, beneficial insects will die too, not a good idea. Moths are not our enemies! Mary

No bugs in the fan to speak of. cleaned it out today also acts as an air filter in the coop. so far so great.

As for the light trap have not done it. I live in some woods in SWFL amd even if tried to get rid of all bugs good bad or otherwise they would mock me. i use a bug zapper
now, but it is over my pond so it is a fish feeder. will post result of the light only trap.