Managing our Flock in FL

[tarajane]

We are moving to FL next month and will have 2 or so acres and I want to have chickens and maybe pygmy goats. But I am well aware of the heat and humidity and mosquitoes. How in the world do people in FL deal with the constant mosquitoes when you are doing your farm chores ? I love to watch my chickens and cuddle with them but the mosquitoes are going to be a real problem. How do you deal with it so you can have some outdoor fun ? Thanks

 

[mirandaleecon]

I live in the Florida panhandle and I am still trying to figure out how to deal with the mosquitos! We also have yellow flies, although not nearly as abundant as mosquitos, their bites are way worse! Here is what I have done to avoid bites as much as possible;

-Typical mosquito control-dump standing water, mosquito dunks in rain barrels, etc
-Stay inside at dawn/dusk-especially for yellow flies, the mosquitos seem to stay out all day (more so when it's overcast, which is often) but are worse at these times
-I bought citronella oil and mixed it with coconut oil and use that as a bug spray, pretty effective (although oily) but I'm planning on experimenting with other herbs to make it better
-Wear long sleeves when possible, not very comfortable in the heat but when it's cooler, it helps
-Installed a fan in our entryway which makes it hard for them to fly, this is probably the best thing we have done to be able to just sit outside without being bombarded by them
-Haven't done this but if you have the money, one of the high end mosquito traps is supposed to reduce their population greatly as long as it is always running. Some say this attracts mosquitos from other areas but if you have two acres and place it as far away as you can from where you will be spending most of your time, I think it would be worth it. It's on my wish list...

Overall though, you tend to get used to them. I get the worst bites on my feet and legs because I'm stubborn and I won't wear anything but shorts and flip flops and I often forget to put my bug lotion on. If you don't mind sneakers and pants and use some kind of repellant, they won't be too terrible. Also, they vary greatly from place to place. Not sure how much time you have spent at your new place, but you might be lucky and not have them too bad. Our county (Bay county) sprays for mosquitos, I asked them not to spray by me because I have bees, but if you don't mind, I think that helps keep the population down...
Oh and supposedly Muscovy ducks eat lots of mosquitos, I only have one so I don't think he puts much of a dent in their numbers...

That's all, sorry for long winded response. I've been battling them since I moved here. Let me know if you come up with any other solutions!!

 

[tarajane]

I live in the Florida panhandle and I am still trying to figure out how to deal with the mosquitos! We also have yellow flies, although not nearly as abundant as mosquitos, their bites are way worse! Here is what I have done to avoid bites as much as possible;

-Typical mosquito control-dump standing water, mosquito dunks in rain barrels, etc
-Stay inside at dawn/dusk-especially for yellow flies, the mosquitos seem to stay out all day (more so when it's overcast, which is often) but are worse at these times
-I bought citronella oil and mixed it with coconut oil and use that as a bug spray, pretty effective (although oily) but I'm planning on experimenting with other herbs to make it better
-Wear long sleeves when possible, not very comfortable in the heat but when it's cooler, it helps
-Installed a fan in our entryway which makes it hard for them to fly, this is probably the best thing we have done to be able to just sit outside without being bombarded by them
-Haven't done this but if you have the money, one of the high end mosquito traps is supposed to reduce their population greatly as long as it is always running. Some say this attracts mosquitos from other areas but if you have two acres and place it as far away as you can from where you will be spending most of your time, I think it would be worth it. It's on my wish list...

Overall though, you tend to get used to them. I get the worst bites on my feet and legs because I'm stubborn and I won't wear anything but shorts and flip flops and I often forget to put my bug lotion on. If you don't mind sneakers and pants and use some kind of repellant, they won't be too terrible. Also, they vary greatly from place to place. Not sure how much time you have spent at your new place, but you might be lucky and not have them too bad. Our county (Bay county) sprays for mosquitos, I asked them not to spray by me because I have bees, but if you don't mind, I think that helps keep the population down...
Oh and supposedly Muscovy ducks eat lots of mosquitos, I only have one so I don't think he puts much of a dent in their numbers...

That's all, sorry for long winded response. I've been battling them since I moved here. Let me know if you come up with any other solutions!!

I, too am stubborn,,,shorts and flip flops but I am going to have to find some thin pants. The fan is a great idea and I have a mos. net hat. I will be in Marion County. We have had vacations all over FL so I know I am in for a fight. Thank you and will let you know if I come up with a plan. Bats eat a lot of them too but don't know if I will have any of them.

 

[mirandaleecon]

Oh! I forgot about the bats! We have them here, Marion county is a couple hours away but I imagine they are there too. I want to build a community bat house, that's another thing I plan on doing, just haven't gotten around to it. They sell bat houses, or you can build your own to encourage them to stay in your area. Seems as though it can be hit or miss whether or not they will move in, and the dimensions have to be very specific, but I think it would be worth a chance. I want to build one that will house thousands of them instead of just a handful, I want those mosquitos gone!

 

[tarajane]

Oh! I forgot about the bats! We have them here, Marion county is a couple hours away but I imagine they are there too. I want to build a community bat house, that's another thing I plan on doing, just haven't gotten around to it. They sell bat houses, or you can build your own to encourage them to stay in your area. Seems as though it can be hit or miss whether or not they will move in, and the dimensions have to be very specific, but I think it would be worth a chance. I want to build one that will house thousands of them instead of just a handful, I want those mosquitos gone!

Me Too.....two heads are better than one........think,,think

 

[tarajane]

Me Too.....two heads are better than one........think,,think

Mosquitoworld.net

 

[tarajane]

Mosquitoworld.net

Summit Mosquito Dunks..Amazon.com

 

[DavidJay]

I am in Marion County and everything above is excellent advice. Definitely eliminate the standing water which, depending on the time of year can be a challenge. The thin long sleeves/pants works for me.


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