mosquitoes as predators

[CMV]

The problem with the zappers is that they don't discriminate between beneficial and pesky insects. You have a lot of unintentional victims.

I use a propane powered Mosquito Magnet which has worked very well in the past. It attracts just biting insects and clears up to 1 acre.

 

[PitterPaws]

The sketters are bad here also, at night you can actually hear them buzzing in the woods!
I have an old zapper that I am going to put up I hope it still works, I never thought of using it to zap sketters!
The Ticks a very bad here this year too! I hate ticks they remind me of spiders and I Hate spiders!

 

[HippieChickens]

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[CMV]

Quote:
Get yourself some guineas. They are tick eating machines.

 

[BethESH]

The skeeters are out in force here on the Delmarva Peninsula. We have lots of marsh, creeks and standing water in the area. The rains have been tremendous this spring, and we're due to have more most days this week.

I get out of my car after work and they zoom in on me. My darling man and I have been through 2 cans of deep woods off in a week and a half. This is getting old.

Then, as I'm watching my local news, there's a report that the mosquito population is about EIGHT times the usual one. Local governments are spraying, but it's not really working.

AND - I work at the park at Assateague - you wouldn't believe the complaints I've heard from our campers.

Grr...think I need to build a bunch of bat boxes...

 

[enola]

The zapper may be killing beneficial bugs, but I can't help that.

The mosquitoes are so bad here this year that when I hang clothes on my clothesline in mid-day they are all over me ! They are driving the outside dog crazy, she has large crusty bloody spots behind her ears where they are biting her. She just sits there and whines and wipes her ears with her paws, all night !

The chicken combs are full of bloody scabs where they have invaded the chicken house.

I have scoured my small peice of heaven to make sure nothing is holding water so the mosquitoes can breed. But, I have neighbors that don't seem to care. And a pond withing 200 yards of my house that is full of mosquitoes, since there are no fish in the pond. The pond is is probably 70 feet across or so, it holds many mosquito larva, I am sure.

Someone else mentioned that as soon as they get out of the car, they get swarmed by the mosquitoes. That is how it is here !

 

[CMV]

Another alternative is Mosquito Dunks. I can't get rid of all standing water on my property, so I just toss these doughnut shaped do-dads into any water I see. They are a hormone that only affects mosquitoes changing them from female (biting) to male (non-biting). They have no effect on fish, frogs, salamanders, etc. I use them in my pond and use chunks of them in puddles and the old dug well on our property. You have to toss a new one in each month, but it is worth it. I also take a walk to visit my neighbor's pond and toss a handful in there. I didn't tell him about it for a few years until he commented on how few mosquitoes he saw. Then I told him what I had been doing. He told me to keep doing it.

ETA: I live in NH, and the NH state bird is the mosquito, according to the old timers.

 

[daisy_dukers]

There is a garlic based yard spray you can use also called mosquito-less.

I have a large pond directly behind my house and spray the area around my house, front yard, dog kennel etc.

Keeps the mosquitos and ticks out of the area...

Kinda smells the first day or so like garlic, but after that you are golden.

A friend of ours sprays the inside of her barn also and it works really well there, the mosquitos hover outside the door but refuse to go in.

 

[enola]

I can't get to the pond to throw in mosquito dunks. It is posted property. (the last thing I need is to be locked up for trespassing)

I don't dare risk ticking off the neighbors. I am already known as the b**ch in the neighborhood that forces everyone to conform to dog laws. . . . .

(I have had 3 dogs impounded because their owners are too stupid to keep them away from my chickens.)

 

[Iowa Roo Mom]

I too am at a loss for what to do about the skeeters! I can't buy dunks for the pond- the pond is more of a lake! And I've been reading the reviews for the mosquito magnet- and from what I am getting, it's a $600 investment that will last one season or less! I CAN'T afford that for sure! Guess I will price a zapper when I get to Menard's today- beneficial bugs or not- the skeeters are eating me, my roo, my family, and my poor dog alive!