Controlling mosquitoes

[Judy]

Cheap little goldfish from Walmart will eat the larvae, quite readily. We used to have a little waterfall and pond that hatched mosquitoes like crazy til we tried this. The fish were eating larvae as soon as they hit the water. Handy where you can use it.

 

[2overeasy000]

Add some Apple Cider vinegar to their drinking water. It can also help with heat stress.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Here is a link to a thread on the same topic http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=121315

Of all the options mentioned, a spray with the active ingredient permethrin seemed to be one of the easier options. for preventing larva from developing, those dunks put in any standing water that can't be drained with active ingredient bti are a very selective for insect larva (meaning they don't hurt birds, mammals or even fish)

 

[Kikiriki]

Quote:
Yeah but if the chickens got any of those things then obviously they were already floating around in the mosquito population. Having a few chickens is not going to meaningfully raise your OWN risk of getting them.

And while it does make sense not to give the skeeters breeding habitat on your property, IME (living in some very very mosquitoey areas, including the current property) if there are THAT many mosquitoes, it simply utterly does not matter whether you have any standing water of your own, since there are so many hordes of mosquitoes hanging around that were bred elsewhere. So I would not expect that management strategy to do much good, although at least it does constitute "doing your bit"

Pat

It is true the surrounding area makes a difference: this is why I am screening in addition to fencing the run. But I crack up at the people here who build mc mansions next to a wetland for privacy, and then can't use their yards because of the masses of mosquitoes... Open run off ditches are a problem because fish can't survive to eat the larval mosquitoes.

Still, I went outside to find masses of little wigglers in my bird bath yesterday: dozed them with bleach and then dumped the water. I can't control my neighbors, but I can ensure I don't add to the population.

And I would take a hundred mosquitoes over one black fly--the most viscous insect I have ever had the misfortune to encounter, including fire ants. I am SO glad we don't have those here.

 

[Heathero617]

screening in the run....now thats an idea i can get on board with. I'll just set up my table and chairs in there from the deck too!! LOL We can have dinner with the birdies! Would it be wrong if i served bbq chicken?

 

[kira782]

If you have bats in your area build or buy bat houses to hang around your property! Bat's can eat around 5,000 mosquitoes a night and they're fun to watch (assuming youre not skiddish around bats).

 

[Heathero617]

Quote:
Love bats as they DO eat tons of bugs! We have them here but i think they take up residence in the barn

 

[Kikiriki]

Quote:
I'm putting the coop and run under a cedar tree, so it will be an attractive mosquito haven if I don't screen it. I don't want to torture my birds or allow them to be a nightly feast for the blood sucking fiends! I have left over screen from when I bought my house...former renter had dogs that ruined all the patio screen so I bought the giant roll. I did purchase a roll of the aluminum screen, though. The "pet resistant" stuff was too pricey. And if I ever get rid of the chickens, it will be a nice little storage area....

 

[bryan99705]

If the bugs are really insane, after screening all the coop's openings and gaps, do like we do when camping. Run the birds in, you need the birds already in because the bugs will ride in on them, open the man door and light a mosquito pic. The pic will drive the mosquitos out but they have to have a exit thus the open door, once they are out, simply close the door. You don't need to use a whole pic, just enough to run out the bugs. This works real well if you time your chores with birdie bedtime

 

[flnatv]

And I would take a hundred mosquitoes over one black fly--the most viscous insect I have ever had the misfortune to encounter, including fire ants. .

and the yellow fly!!! Don't know if I would take one over the other... I don't like any of them!!!
If you saw the movie Sweet Home Alabama... there was a comment about the mosquito being the state bird of Alabama....