Mosquitoes

[triumphantangel01]

My chickens and turkeys are being swarmed by mosquitoes after they go into their coop at night - I put a bug light in their run as far away from them as I can to try to draw the bugs away from them, but it's not enough.
While trying to research what I can do to safely kill the mosquitoes, an article came front and center that mosquitoes are actually killing wildlife, cows, etc - my heart sank...
Please, does anyone know what I can safely use to kill the mosquitoes, and not harm my fowl or my dog?
Please, thank you.

 

[Tom Kathleen]

Do you have standing water in and around your barnyard? That's breeding ground for skeeters. We have troughs for equine, but they are dumped and scrubbed every week and we don't have more mosquitoes than anywhere else. Best thing to do is eliminate mosquito breeding ground and the numbers should decrease. Years ago, we had a propane powered bug killer for our backyard. It worked for an acre or so. Sorry I can't remember the name, but it drew skeeters to it and sucked them in.

 

[NatJ]

Please, does anyone know what I can safely use to kill the mosquitoes, and not harm my fowl or my dog?

As the previous poster said, remove any water they can breed in, and dump/refill animal water containers regularly.

Have you tried putting up fly strips or flypaper? I mean the sticky stuff that catches anything that lands on it. I'm sure it will not get them all, but it might get some. (But be careful where you put it: you do not want your fowl or your dog or even yourself stuck to it.)

 

[wyoDreamer]

Where are you and where are the mosquitos hatching from?

We have a Mosquito magnet set up near our garage to draw the mosquitos away from the front door of the house. It works pretty good and gives our dogs an area that is mostly mosquito free. We love across the road from a large wooded swamp and have a wetland on our property so we can't control how many mosquitos hatch out. We have to empty the mosquito bag out every week it catches so many mosquitos. That being said, we just ran out of Mosquito Magnet Attractant and the store we bought it from no longer carries it...

Also, there is a product that I saw at Tractor Supply store that supposedly works great. Our store sells out as fast as they get more in. It is the Spartan Mosquito Eradicator. It works to repell mosquitos and is safe to use around birds. I would place them outside the chicken area just to make sure the birds don't get to them.

 

[Sunshine_Chick]

If you have standing water around use mosquito dunks. You can even put them in pet water dishes.
You can put Advantix II on your dog if they are being biten - repels for 30 days.
I believe Permethrin spray would knock them back too, but I've not used it as it's highly toxic to cats & there are strays around.
Pure Vanilla extract is a pretty good natural repellent, but pricey & doesn't last too long.
A fan is very helpful as skeeters can't compete with wind.
PS - it only takes a capful of water to breed mosquitoes, so you don't need a lot. Dump plant saucers, any bromeliads you have growing, bird baths, fountains, etc. We have them 24/7/365 in Florida

 

[aart]

My chickens and turkeys are being swarmed by mosquitoes after they go into their coop at night

Fan in coop blowing on roost just enough to disrupt skeeters flight.

 

[triumphantangel01]

Thank yall for your responses! ☺
I'm in Texas, I live across the road from a lake, and there are some "low lands/kinda swampy areas" within 1-2 miles around my house; + our humidity the past few years has been about double what it was when I was growing up .
TPTB decided in their wisdom to release millions of gmo mosquitoes in Texas, (and Florida.) Since then, it has become almost unbearable - I use bug spray on me, so I can tolerate them, but, of course, unacceptable for my critters.
I try my best to insure there is no standing water, etc.
I've continued to research, and I'll share something I found in case anyone else might need the info and want to try it:
Apparently mosquitoes eat fruit nectar! I had no idea! And boric acid KILLS them!
So, I mixed boric acid powder into fruit nectar juice, poured about an inch into several empty pop bottles, and set them in shaded areas about 5'-6' off the ground.
That was yesterday; it does seem to be a bit better today, unsure if it had anything to do with this concoction, but, I'm hoping it is.
Thank yall again; God bless yall🕇🕊

 

[NatJ]

TPTB decided in their wisdom to release millions of gmo mosquitoes in Texas, (and Florida.) Since then, it has become almost unbearable

When did that happen?!

 

[Sunshine_Chick]

The GMO Mosquitos have not yet been released; however they have been approved for release in Monroe County, FL (The Keys) in 2021 & 2023. Harris County, TX (Houston) proposed release for 2021 has not yet been approved by state & local agencies; however, it has received Federal approval. Also male mosquitos eat nectar, but do not bite.

 

[colinpurrington]

Where are you and where are the mosquitos hatching from?

We have a Mosquito magnet set up near our garage to draw the mosquitos away from the front door of the house. It works pretty good and gives our dogs an area that is mostly mosquito free. We love across the road from a large wooded swamp and have a wetland on our property so we can't control how many mosquitos hatch out. We have to empty the mosquito bag out every week it catches so many mosquitos. That being said, we just ran out of Mosquito Magnet Attractant and the store we bought it from no longer carries it...

Also, there is a product that I saw at Tractor Supply store that supposedly works great. Our store sells out as fast as they get more in. It is the Spartan Mosquito Eradicator. It works to repell mosquitos and is safe to use around birds. I would place them outside the chicken area just to make sure the birds don't get to them.

This company is being sued. The salt inside doesn't do a thing, apparently. Total scam.