Mosquitoes!!!!!!

[AccioSarah]

Every morning I head out to the backyard to let the girls out, check their food and water, etc, etc. Every morning, I also receive a minimum of 3 mosquito bites!!

It is driving me crazy! I can only imagine the girls don't like it much either.

We've tried tiki torches, all natural spray for the girls, (layers of deet for me

), those OFF! candles, you name it.

Does anyone have any advice? Any secret amazing product that isn't well advertised??

HELP! We are getting desperate- I'm almost out of itch-cream and spray!

 

[cptkracker]

Do like the chickens, dust bath! I learned this from off-road riding band eating dust but you will not get bitten if you're covered in dirt. Not the most practical but hopefully this information helps

 

[thaiturkey]

We have to deal with this every day at this time of year. The bad news is that you can't completely stop them from biting. The good news is that you can reduce the number of bites considerably. Here are some tips that work for us:

1. Shower before going out to get rid of the scent that attracts them. Also shower after getting bitten to cleanse the wound.

2. Cover their favourite areas of your body with clothes.

3. Experiment with preventative creams and after bite creams. Not many are very successful in our experience.

4. See what you can achieve with lemon and lime. We are growing lime trees in the areas of the land where we sit out in the evening. Put some around the coop. Even limes cut in half and left around seem to help.

5. Send someone else.

Be careful of bites on newly hatched birds. Our poults are injected by the vet. and kept under netting for a week after. Grow turkeys aren't troubled by mozzies but I don't know about other poultry. I wouldn't spray birds with any chemical unless it was made for the purpose.

 

[dawg53]

An electric bug zapper will work reducing your mosquito load. You can buy one at any home improvement store. Fly strips placed in and around your coop will help. Just make sure your chickens cant reach them. Make sure that anything that holds water around your property is emptied. Change out your chickens water daily.

 

[The Chicken Lady]

If you have standing water on your property (such as a swampy area or a ditch), toss in some "mosquito doughnuts." Sometimes your township office will have them, otherwise, you can buy them at a home improvement store that sells garden supplies (for example, I have seen them at Lowe's).

 

[SAORSA]

One of the few advantages of being surrounded by vineyards is the absence of mosquitos.
If you are willing to spray whatever it is they are using (I have no idea) you can eliminate the problem.

To keep them away from you I have read you can put a fabric softener sheet in your pocket.
Again, I have no idea if or why it works as ... I HAVE NO MOSQUITOS !!

 

[featherbaby]

I am a Mosquito-Magnet. If they see/hear/smell me coming out the door, they drop what they are doing for miles around and head to me for a free meal. I have found a pretty effective remedy lately. Just before I go out, I take a dryer sheet (any brand) and rub it all over my legs and arms, then stuff it in my pocket. Mosquitos are attracted to you by the carbon dioxide you exhale, not any scent you wear. the more parts per million (density) of the CO2 they detect, the closer their prey. Somehow the oily scent from the dryer sheet masks that CO2 emission and they get confused about where you are. I don't use repellents that have DEET because it's a poison. Not just to mosquitos...it's a transdermal poison to us as well. I'm sure I ingest enough toxins just living, breathing and eating, so I don't want to add a known carcinogen.

 

[oliviad51]

Im not sure if you use it or not but solarcaine helps greatly with misquitoe bites. That's what I use..its like a miracle.
As far as keeping them away, I have no idea.

 

[patandchickens]

Wow, if I only got 3 mosquito bites when I went outside, that would be GREAT!!!

For short trips outside, it helps to have some lemon balm or catnip or yarrow (preferably the weedy feral white stuff, not fancy garden cultivars) growing in a large patch near the door. Grab a few sprigs, crumple them all up between your palms, then rub over the exposed parts of your body. IME it only helps for 10 minutes or so, but they can be ten much more *pleasant* minutes

Also you can buy those mosquitonetting bug jackets or head veils. They really do help quite a lot. Most are sized way small, so buy a size or two larger than you think you need.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat, living in a major mosquito-swamp

 

[aprophet]

catnip I grow lots of it just rub it on my arms legs neck etc


http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/news/2001releases/catnip.html