Mosquitoes!!!!!!

[mamaKate]

I live in the same kind of mosquito nightmare as Pat. Long pants and a thin long sleeved shirt help. The lemon balm is good- you can also make a tea of it or chrysanthemum leaves for a mild short term repellent. It seems to keep them out of my mouth and nose when I'm working. As far as the bites, I've been bitten so many times that it pinches but doesn't make a bump.
I screen the coops to reduce the numbers at night when they're sleeping. My two favorite hens, who are a little on the fragile side,sleep in a dog crate in the house.

 

[KBlaix]

Bats are great for controlling mosquitos. You can hang a bat house near your coop. It'll likely take a little while for it to get residents though. If you set it up this summer you should have bats by next summer.

 

[dogdollar]

Three bites? How are things there in Paradise?

I was out yesterday cleaning the coop and counted eight on my left arm at one time.....sometimes there are CLOUDS of them and it is difficult not to inhale them.
I pretty much look like a raspberry by the time the girls go up and I come in for the night. I use that Deep Woods OFF! and it helps, but nothing really works 100%. I am tempted to try one of those Tyvek suits like the Hazmat guys use, but they are HOT and the heat index is over 100 here as it is. Summers aren't all they're cracked up to be, sometimes.
DD

 

[Tigerjane]

Quote:
You must live near me! I was in my garage at 7pm yesterday for max 3 minutes to help my husband screw some wood together, and I got FIVE huge mosquito welts. They freakin' love me

 

[cobrien]

Luckily I don't have them where I live but I do have to deal with them on backpacking trips. I always bring a "head net" , it is a thin mesh nylon fabric that I put over my head. I look like a fool but it works. It works best if you where a hat with a visor so that it keeps the netting a few inches away from your face. I also where lightweight long sleeves and pants, it is usually enough to keep them from biting through. You can get the head net at a camping store and they will also have great lightweight breathable fabrics that don't feel icky when you wear them in hot weather.

Attracting bats is another great idea, they eat gazillions of mosquitoes.

 

[gryeyes]

I'm not only a mosquito magnet, I'm one of those people who blows up from any bite. I mean, really nasty swelling. I've got ponds stocked with mosquito fish and I even put mosquito fish in my bird baths and fountains. AND the duck pool!

But I'm within a quarter mile of a small canal and I just know there are other ditches and sources of the FOREIGN mosquitos that head straight for me when they know I'm outside. One got into my house last night and had a field day.

If I catch the bite right away, I can put some anti-itch cream with benadryl in it on the bite and won't end up looking like the Michelin Man (or just having a Michelin ARM or side of the face...).

Luckily, the number of flying blood-suckers has been greatly reduced from years past, due - in part - by the fact that those bastids lay their eggs in MY ponds and those get eaten. Some of them get snapped right up by the mosquito fish when the alight on the water's edge. It's just that the visiting adults wanna feed from me on their little jaunts before the fish get 'em.

I really should try the catnip thing; I grow catnip in a pot on the porch!

 

[AccioSarah]

Quote:
Haha! Three bites is a good day... I got 7 this morning. We seem to have a few rainstorms a week here, so they are viscous.

I'm going to start trying some of these ideas! I'll let you all know how they go!

Thanks to everyone who added input!!!

 

[Akane]

Only 3? You either don't have many mosquitos or your coops are a very short walk. We consider it a good week when we only average 5-8 bites a day. On bad weeks I've counted 20 in the time it takes to close the coop. Unfortunately it's very easy to count how many mosquito bites I get because each one swells from dime to nickel size. The worst year I experienced I couldn't believe anything was still alive out there. My dog was refusing to go outside long enough to pee because in that time her eyes and ears would be completely swollen from bites. If you stood still they would just layer themselves down your arms. It was insane. Never bothered the chickens though. The only thing I've had bother the chickens were those gnats in the spring. One of mine had seizures and died because of them. They don't seem to even notice the mosquitos.

Off is a very bad mosquito repellent. My sister used at various camps she went to and she always had more mosquito bites than the people who didn't use repellent. We only buy cutter brand for ourselves, they have a low odor formula so you don't smell like bug spray all day, and natural defense on the dogs which comes in an essential oil or chemical spray.

 

[thaiturkey]

Quote:
Darned pesky foreigners! The Red Indians should never have let them in.

 

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