Mosquitoes, spiders, and wet

[Morganharper]

im in central Florida and for the past almost 3 months it has rained every night. My coop and roost area has a roof, but even so with this rain the ground is constantly wet causing the mosquitoes to be unbearable. I need advice for eliminating them as well as something to keep the ground in the run and even in the coop from remaining damp and dreary.

 

[NorthTexasWink]

We have mosquito and drainage issues at my place too. Here's a distillation of everything I have learned.

*Mud and mosquito control always starts with prevention. Sadly, you can't control the weather. Consider ways to raise your run level. Improve your drainage by channeling water away from your coop and run, perhaps digging French drain and/or berms. Build a drainage base into your run, filled with gravel and sand covered with bedding that dries quickly.
*Turn out all standing water daily, including waterers. Cover all rain collection barrels with mosquito proof netting/screens.
*Use mosquito dunks (safe for wildlife and livestock) in pools and ponds.
*Use a Dynatrap or similar device. The bugs caught in it make a high protein snack for your birds!
*Encourage insectivorous bats and hummingbirds to frequent your property with appropriate housing and food sources. Bats can eat their own weight in mosquitoes daily. And yes, hummers raising chicks eat bugs, especially flies and mosquitoes snatched midair!
*Plants that are purported to repel mosquitoes aren't often really effective for me, but worth a try? Lemon, menthol, eucalyptus and mint scents are most often recommended.
*Keep grass and brush trimmed. Tall grass and weeds harbor the most mosquitoes "on the hunt".
*Wear DEET insect repellent. Reapply often. I like the wipes as they offer better control and go further with less waste. Keep them in a freezer ziplock bag since the containers they usually come in allow them to dry out too fast. If they dry out, pour a bit from a pump spray bottle in to refresh them. You can reuse each wipe several times before tossing.
*Yellow lights don't attract as many bugs as white or blue lights. Strategic placement of lights helps.
*Area pesticide foggers should be a last resort. Follow all label directions and precautions very carefully.

Mosquitoes are probably the most dangerous animals on the planet, including man! They have killed more and destroyed more throughout history than anything else. Right now, North America is on track for a very bad situation with mosquitoe born illnesses.

I hope you can get a handle on your challenges. If I can be of any more help, I'm happy to try.

 

[Leighe]

im in central Florida and for the past almost 3 months it has rained every night. My coop and roost area has a roof, but even so with this rain the ground is constantly wet causing the mosquitoes to be unbearable. I need advice for eliminating them as well as something to keep the ground in the run and even in the coop from remaining damp and dreary.

Awesome post NorthTexasWink....I'd add Lemongrass to those plants that can be planted and you can freeze lemongrass to use in your cooking! I didn't know about the wipes. Gonna have to go look those up. I keep sprays on the porch and spray before I head out for the day but hate the spray. Love the idea of wipes.

 

[NorthTexasWink]

@Leighe Thanks! Since I found the wipes, I only buy pump spray repellent as "refills" for them. The wipes are much more economical and I can swipe a spent one down the back of a dog to help them out too. Just enough clings to their fur to do some good, but not enough (an almost dry wipe) to hurt them or contact their skin. Works for me anyway.

Lemongrass is one of the plants I've tried as insect repellent by the patio. Useful for cooking, but I couldn't say it helped with flies or mosquitoes there. I don't get much help from citronella candles or lamp oil either, so maybe it's my bugs. They certainly seem attracted to me! Maybe I'm just too darn tasty to pass up.

 

[Morganharper]

We have mosquito and drainage issues at my place too. Here's a distillation of everything I have learned.

*Mud and mosquito control always starts with prevention. Sadly, you can't control the weather. Consider ways to raise your run level. Improve your drainage by channeling water away from your coop and run, perhaps digging French drain and/or berms. Build a drainage base into your run, filled with gravel and sand covered with bedding that dries quickly.
*Turn out all standing water daily, including waterers. Cover all rain collection barrels with mosquito proof netting/screens.
*Use mosquito dunks (safe for wildlife and livestock) in pools and ponds.
*Use a Dynatrap or similar device. The bugs caught in it make a high protein snack for your birds!
*Encourage insectivorous bats and hummingbirds to frequent your property with appropriate housing and food sources. Bats can eat their own weight in mosquitoes daily. And yes, hummers raising chicks eat bugs, especially flies and mosquitoes snatched midair!
*Plants that are purported to repel mosquitoes aren't often really effective for me, but worth a try? Lemon, menthol, eucalyptus and mint scents are most often recommended.
*Keep grass and brush trimmed. Tall grass and weeds harbor the most mosquitoes "on the hunt".
*Wear DEET insect repellent. Reapply often. I like the wipes as they offer better control and go further with less waste. Keep them in a freezer ziplock bag since the containers they usually come in allow them to dry out too fast. If they dry out, pour a bit from a pump spray bottle in to refresh them. You can reuse each wipe several times before tossing.
*Yellow lights don't attract as many bugs as white or blue lights. Strategic placement of lights helps.
*Area pesticide foggers should be a last resort. Follow all label directions and precautions very carefully.

Mosquitoes are probably the most dangerous animals on the planet, including man! They have killed more and destroyed more throughout history than anything else. Right now, North America is on track for a very bad situation with mosquitoe born illnesses.

I hope you can get a handle on your challenges. If I can be of any more help, I'm happy to try.

Thank you so much for all of this I will definitely be looking into it all.

 

[fightingbunny]

Wow, I have never heard of the wipes, but now I have to find some! That sounds great. Thanks for posting.

 

[jeria]

I've been wanting to build some bat houses for several years. I may build some with scraps from building my coop. My grandkids and I toured a cave in South MO a few years ago that houses many types of bats in the winter and even a few almost extinct blind bats in the summer. If you google bat houses you can find easy designs. It's amazing how many mosquitos just one can devour in a 24 hour period.

 

[jeria]

I would prefer to use a mix of eucalyptus and peppermint essential oils in a carrier oil rather than a chemical. I works for lots of critters including oak mites and ticks. There are questions if deet is harmful to birds.

 

[Leighe]

I would prefer to use a mix of eucalyptus and peppermint essential oils in a carrier oil rather than a chemical. I works for lots of critters including oak mites and ticks. There are questions if deet is harmful to birds.

Do you use that to wipe down your coop?