Thanks for posting about the wet & dry pox -- I didn't know there were 2 kinds either. We also have a bayou close by & mosquitoes, but we have kept them pretty much under control by using a fogger. We've been using one for years, ever since back when we had horses. There are relatively safe products out there that do work. I like the Bonide products -- Lowe's is carrying some of them now:
http://www.bonideproducts.com/products/category.php?category_id=4&page=1&per=6
I also sprinkle my "special mix" around the perimeter of the house, the dog yards, the poultry runs where they dust bathe, & inside the coop.
It's 1/3 sevin dust, 1/3 boric acid powder, 1/3 DE (diatomaceous earth). It kills all soft bodied insects, so you don't get fleas, roaches, spiders, things like that. You do have to re-apply it after a rain storm. I've been doing this for years now & I don't have fleas even with 3 dogs and 3 cats & Lord only knows how many squirrels & possums & armadillos & etc. running around -- a couple years ago, my aunt who lives across the highway & has zero animals had to have exterminators come spray her trailer for fleas, they were that bad. He said it was because she was feeding the squirrels. I don't treat my dogs for fleas, just heartworms (Interceptor).
For spiders - lemon Pledge. They can't stand sticky stuff on their feet nor the smell of citrus. If you spray it around your window and door sills weekly, you wont' see nasty spiders. I was bitten by a brown recluse & still have the scar years later & I despise spiders!
Most of the younger people in Wisconsin (where Jim's from) are polite, but they are mostly family & I know were raised that way. I know in our house you had better be nice -- or else! when we were all growing up.
I saw a fan in
Walmart last year that ran on batteries; planning on buying a couple of those for the outside animals this year. I need to get another little swimming pool too - Dollar General had them cheap last year & they all liked playing in the water when it was hot.
