Managing Mosquitoes in the Coop

[Jody]

Quote:
There's no shortage of info online regarding the effectiveness of Marigolds as a mosquito deterrent. It is the smell that keeps them away, but we're not talking about a plant or two here.. You literally have to grow all around the whole coop & run. Last year here, we had an epidemic infestation of mosquitos due to a month straight of rain in June.. This year I went crazy with marigolds and planted thousands of them.. Not one single mosquito so far, although it is too early to tell.


As for catnip... Disregard that.. DO NOT PLANT CATNIP where chickens can ingest it.. CATNIP IS POISONOUS TO CHICKENS. << I did not know this when I posted, but after posting I was researching poisonous plants to chickens, ducks and goats because not only am I doing alot of vegetable growing, but trying herbs, fruits, flowers and trying to do natural pest control, etc , so looked into what not to plant around the free range sections..

 

[scwheeler24]

First of all, DE will have NO EFFECT on Mosquitos or flies. A couple of ideas: google skeeterbag, $20 and you attach it to a $10 box fan. You can google youtube on a DIY version. By far the very best method. Youtube also has directions on using a simple soda bottle with brown sugar, water and yeast inside, attracting them to it and trapping them. This one is a bit stinky, and you'll need to change it every two weeks, once the yeast quits working. Mosquitos are attracted to carbon dioxide which we breath out. This solution produces carbon dioxide. Any water sources add mosquito discs, they are harmless to fish and any other bug. We have a septic tank that they love and we just drop one in every 30 days. Just doing that alone drops the population a lot. They are easy to find in any Lowe's, Walmart, etc near the pesticides.

 

[1906]

I am not responding to anyone's posting, just want to share my experience with mosquitoes in my chicken coop. I was searching for supplements for my chooks on the internet and came across Avian Insect Liquidator. The information stated that it is extremely safe around birds and chooks and controls lice, mites and mosquitoes. It is a contact poison to these insects. You have to dilute it with water and spray it in the coop, on their perches, in the nest boxes and you can even spray it on the birds or chooks. I bought it and sprayed the coop, nest boxes and perches, but not the chooks. It works 100%! There is NO mosquitoes in the coop any more. Apparently the effect lasts for 3 months, but I only sprayed last week, so I would not know if it is true. Just wanted to share this information, hope it helps someone.

 

[Darkling]

I've gone out to collect eggs and saw mosquitos swarming on the eggs themselves. Are they still safe to eat? I've read all the posts here and going to try ya'lls ideas on getting rid of the mosquitos. I live in southern Oklahoma and the state birds are bad here. Lost a whole flock to fowl pox, carried by mosquitos. The only thing I found to work was to take a citronella candle and rub the wax all over the nest box walls (wood walls). It was all I had, made sure no wax was visible. It worked, but had to redo every week. But I had several candles so it worked for me.

 

[Darkling]

When I collect eggs they are swarmed with mosquitoes. Are they safe to eat?
I lost a whole flock to fowl pox a couple of years ago (carried by mosquitos).

 

[exactlyzac]

I'm hoping that reducing the number of mosquitoes on the property will lead to less of the little buggers in the coop so we've put up three large bat houses on our property; supposedly an adult bat can eat 1500+ mosquitoes each day. We shall see...

How did the bat houses go?? DE, vinegar, ventilation... all great solutions I'm sure but bats bring in big points for style.

 

[exactlyzac]

I've gone out to collect eggs and saw mosquitos swarming on the eggs themselves. Are they still safe to eat? I've read all the posts here and going to try ya'lls ideas on getting rid of the mosquitos. I live in southern Oklahoma and the state birds are bad here. Lost a whole flock to fowl pox, carried by mosquitos. The only thing I found to work was to take a citronella candle and rub the wax all over the nest box walls (wood walls). It was all I had, made sure no wax was visible. It worked, but had to redo every week. But I had several candles so it worked for me.

I have a citronilla candle that's been sitting uselessly for 2 summers, so I'll definitely give this a try!

Very sorry to hear about your lost flock though. That must have been devistating.