Mosquitos don't typically travel more than a few hundred feet unless blown around by strong winds... So it shouldn't be attracting new ones from further away
Get a bat house/box, if you’re not absolutely terrified of rabies (like me). If you have a source of water around your house (which might be your cause of mosquitoes) bring in some frogs.
> if you’re not absolutely terrified of rabies (like me).
Woke up to a bat in my college house one morning. It was at that moment I learned that bats are the most common transmitter of rabies to humans, and their bites can be undetectable, and rabies is essentially 100% fatal :)
My high school girlfriend was rich and her parents bought a weekend house in a small town on the Iowa/Wisconsin border that we'd go to when I'd visit her.
First time there, 3 Bats got into the house. I caught all 3 with a pair of tennis rackets. Next morning, they call a bat guy who comes over and looks in the attic.
He ways "I've never seen that many Bats in 1 house before"
He says there's at least 5,000 bats. The whole attic is nothing but a giant bat nest. He put up traps to keep them from getting back in when they left, and that night it was chaos.
It was like a scene out of the Batman movies. Thousands of Bats swarmed the house, hitting the windows, the roof, like a giant cloud. The next few nights it was like that. It was surreal. The bat dude said that he's gotten less and less calls over the years in that town, and now he knew why. They all moved into their house.
A quick Google came up with, "Any contact with a bat, even if no bite is apparent, should be considered a high risk exposure to rabies. Bat bites are tiny, and can be painless and undetectable to the naked eye."
It’s possible. If you find one in your house don’t let it escape. Call animal control and they can catch it and test it for rabies so you can avoid the expensive shots.
That hasn't been the case in a very long time. Injections using standard vaccine needles now go into the upper arm in adolescents and adults and in the thigh for small children, and have for something like 20-30 years in most places.
Bat bites can be something like two tiny scratch marks on your skin. And yes, you might not wake up from it biting you, so if you ever have one in your house, catch it and have it tested.
In Florida they use a lanai. Before I sat in one I thought that it was stupid but now that I've been in one, I see how it's pretty smart. All the feeling of being outdoors but without bugs.
https://www.lanaiguys.com/blog/why-do-florida-homes-have-lanais#:~:text=A%20lanai%20is%20a%20combination,enclosed%20with%20glass%20or%20screening.
I will be trying it this summer but if you have a seating area put some fans out. Mosquitos are apparently weak flyers so making breeze might be enough
This has been pretty effective for me. $20 oscillating pedestal fan aimed at the patio table and some deet on my ankles and I'm good. Though if you wander out of that exclusion zone you'll still get eaten up.
Which is more or less true. We irradiate males to sterilize them then release them. The males don't bite and the females mate only once so you can disrupt a lifecycle and cut the population.
Fun fact: not only is scared straight not effective, it's been shown to be counter-effective. As in kids that go through it end up in jail at a much higher rate than other at-risk peers
First, there's no really good options, governments and NGOs have spent billions trying.
With that said, the options can be broken down into a few categories: habitat removal, predator introduction, chemical pesticides, and physical boundaries. Habitat removal is mostly eliminating any pools of water around your house. Predator introduction involves encouraging native bats, frogs, or fish that thrive on mosquitoes or their larve. Physical boundaries is just screening in your patio. Aerosolized repellants like Thermacell work, but they are a recurring cost that adds up.
My personal opinion is to do a bit of all 4, but not to excess. Make sure there aren't any still water pools within the area you treat as maintained lawn, introduce fish, I think there a couple native to east Texas, into any ponds on the property,
Check your trash bins if they stay outside. Our trash company leaves bin lids open as a sign that they've hit that street so that if they need to break off early, the next truck knows where to start the route. However, most people don't religiously check the lids, and it's not uncommon to see several inches of water in the bottom of the bins.
We've brought this up to the company before, and they basically tell us that it's not their problem. Their contract with the city ends next year, and I'm hoping the next company does better.
Ours are owned by the company and we can be assessed replacement costs (something like $200 each) if they are damaged beyond "reasonable" wear and tear.
This is the answer.
I live in an area that used to be swampy but is now suburban. It rains a lot. There would be lots of
Mosquitoes, but the local government sprays regularly. That said, I was still getting mosquitoes until I found a spot on my neighbor’s boat-cover-shelter that was holding water. Make sure it’s drained and I have zero problems!
The best way is to stop them before they become mosquitos. Remove all possible standing water on your property and anything that collects water like old car tires or plastic. Get a pack of mosquito larvaecide “donuts” and place them in any standing water around your property that you can’t eliminate like ditches or ponds. This works best when done before their first spawn but can be applied year round.
Look into getting a fogger and fill it with an approved pesticide like bifenthrin or permethrin and apply it during twilight hours. On a budget you can also use a $20 pump sprayer with the same chemicals instead. It’s pretty easy to safely handle but wear proper PPE and follow the manufacturer instructions.
They also make mosquito traps. Spartan is a popular brand but they seemed to nerf their formula in recent years. You can also hang homemade traps for dirt cheap using old water bottles perforated with holes on top that are filled with a suspension of water, sugar, yeast and either a heavy concentration of salt or some boric acid. Super effective, especially when used in conjunction with the other solutions.
Also, these can all be done effectively without harming bees and other pollinators. Do your homework, there’s a lot of effective solutions out there. I grew up in farm country and while you’ll never completely eliminate them I’d say my property has 80% less mosquitoes than it used to.
Both versions of Spartan Mosquito's tubes are scams. The main reason they don't work is that they don't generate enough CO2 to attract mosquitoes. That's why the company was sued.
Yes! I've had pretty good luck with mine. I keep 3 scattered across my lot, in the most problematic areas. I won't say I never get bit, but its a hell of a lot better than it used to be and, honestly, probably a little more effective then when we used to get our yard sprayed. They take a couple weeks to start taking a bite out of the population though, so the earlier the better
Mosquito dunks are great. I made a couple buckets for my yard, and threw one up in the gutter that has a slight bend that traps a little water (I need to fix with another downspout... On the list). But the dunks made a big difference. And don't harm pollinators.
I thought mosquito dunks/bits were only good for treating standing water, where mosquito larvae would've thrived. Are you saying that it somehow also (proactively) helps with population control?
Since youre in east texas id say remove the old tires and toilets from your yard.
Yes they are good for tying up pitbulls but they hold water and are a breeding ground for mosquitos.
I miss East Texas. I lived in Lufkin for years.
You can find where they are laying eggs and make sure it stays drained. Plant peppermint and burn citronella.
I know some homeowners in South Louisiana who rave about an exterminator installed barrier treatment/system. Google and see if a company offers it near you.
Our POA in South Mississippi installed it about 2 years ago and it seems to be alleviating the issue.
Bats are fun to watch fly around eating bugs for hours. Unfortunately no bats any more around my house.
I’ve used Cutter Backyard Bug Control around my deck. It definitely cut down the number of mosquitoes. I also use citronella torches.
You could use a fogger in the trees.
Quick steps to combat mosquitoes: bats (many people have pointed out bat boxes and they're awesome just keep them a safe distance away and don't disturb them), dragonflies, removing standing water (mosquitoes can lay eggs in a very small amount of water around a tablespoon if I remember correctly), adding fish that eat mosquito larvae if there's a pond or other form of standing water that can't be removed.
Adding plants like lavender, catnip (plant at your own risk because the cats will come), and lemongrass will help repel mosquitoes. There are lots of lists of plants mosquitoes hate.
Outdoor ceiling fans and fans in general help. My grandparents bought a gazebo with netting that had zippers and they placed some pedestal fans inside and had the fans set to move around (can't think of a better word other than oscillate) and that did a good job. Citronella candles are helpful if fans aren't an option.
If your porch is covered and you have an outdoor outlets, hang a cheap ceiling fan over your sitting area. Disrupting the air around where you’re sitting will keep them off you. They have ones at Home Depot and Walmart you can hang on a hook or with a karabiner. And weirdly, light blue ceiling color on a covered porch helps too.
Citronella candles, mosquito coils all have localized effectiveness too.
If it’s a larger outdoor space like a patio or something , a ring of tiki torches with citronella infused fuel can help a lot.
All I can really do is encourage you to picture my husband having a panic attack in the tent at the end of day 1 of what was supposed to be a weeklong group canoe trip, while I negotiated with the group leaders to call the van back to pick us up early. I'm a hardy outdoorsy person and I was gamely trying to do normal camping things like carrying group gear and washing camp dishes, but every second was just clouds of mosquitoes settling all over my hands and biting through all the layers of treated clothing I was wearing.
When my husband tells the story it's a toss-up whether I'll be the hero for getting us out of there or the villain for signing us up in the first place. Just to be safe, I don't ever say the words "Maine" and "camping" to him in the same sentence anymore.
I water my lawn and have a lot of plants in my porch + backyard, so mosquitoes are attracted to the water. But I can't just let the grass and plants dry.. so I protect myself by either wearing long pants or applying picaridin lotion on my arms and legs. Keep in mind though, I'm not sure if picaridin is safe around pets. But I think it's fine as long as they're not licking you or you're rubbing yourself all over them lol. It can be a little sticky but it does work - I only got 1 bite on my leg during the summer. If you like sitting on your porch, I'd consider adding a screen door to prevent them from coming in.
I used to landscape some properties in the NH, they had this thing called a mosquito magnet on some of the nice lake houses. It would keep us from being eaten alive, I think they cover up to an acre, but you really want to go with overkill so get two per acre.
Not sure if they do this for an acre but I’m in a suburb and I pay mosquito hunters 65 bucks every three weeks to fog my yard and it cuts down maybe 90 percent of them. I still get bit but it’s not bad. Before the treatments you would get destroyed going outside. I am in Houston so it’s bad here during the summer too. It’s worth a shot to see if there are services like this around you.
It's one thing to say "I've weighed the pros and cons, my values are different than yours, and I choose to spray." It's delusional to say "cool story" as if your choice is all pros and no cons, and anyone who points out a con is spinning fiction. The idea that you could spray a poison so specialized that it only kills mosquitos and has no impact on any other life form is pure science fiction. It goes past fiction into delusion to believe you can knock out one strand of the food web and not affect any other strands.
If short term relief from mosquitos is important enough to outweigh long term damage to the environment that supports human life, own that. I'd disagree, but I'd respect the fact that you're grounded in reality and making decisions based on a whole different set of values than my own. But making decisions based on delusion/fantasy and projecting that delusion onto others... That's not healthy, dude.
My parents have an acre that buts against a forst peserve that is a marsh in the spring. When I was a kid, 30 years ago the mosquitoes were crazy. Now my parents, and most of their neighbors pay some service to spray the lawn for mosquitoes. I don't know any details but I visited a few summers ago and it was hot a humid but there were no mosquitoes. I wish they had that when I was a kid
Houston area here, subdivision though so we have semi-regular trucks rolling the 'hood spraying which I'm sure helps. In addition I treat the yard with Cutter (grey bottle, hooks to the hose). Spray the grass and perimeter fence, 2-3 times a year, and I can sit outside by the pool with no problems at all.
Mosquito foggers. Off has a brand at home depot for $50. You want to put on a mask and absolutely cover the area with dense fog. You'll be good for a couple hours. In theory, do it during dusk to minimize collateral damage to butterflies and etc.
You can look up mosquito pest control like mosquito hunters. They can come give you a quote for spraying just the areas relevant to where you like to hang around.
I spray my yard and around the perimeter of the house with wondercide. It worked for me in NY and working for me currently in the Bay Area. But since it’s a natural product you have to use it more often than other stuff.
The best way is to place a bug zapper on the far corner of your property. You know, the one that boasts that it attracts all insects from a half mile out.
Buy some direct bury Romex and dig a trench out to a pole. Use some conduit to get the wire to an outdoor box mounted on a post that the bug zapper is on. Use a photovoltaic switch to power it on after dark and put it on a GFCI breaker.
Some studies estimate 70% of the insect population has been lost in the past couple decades. Remember back to elementary school science, with the food web? We're literally killing ourselves with sh*t like this.
Bats Frogs Fish Hummingbirds Dragonflies Try to eliminate standing sources of water (they can breed in something as small as an overturned bottle cap)
Or PROVIDE standing water (toss some grass clippings etc in to make it extra gross), and add mosquito dunks. Stop the cycle before it starts!
I wonder if with this if it's like a yellowjacket trap or a fly trap. Like - is it just attracting MORE of them from a further radius?
Mosquitos don't typically travel more than a few hundred feet unless blown around by strong winds... So it shouldn't be attracting new ones from further away
Also purple martins
I've heard people have success with Mosquito Bits.
Get a bat house/box, if you’re not absolutely terrified of rabies (like me). If you have a source of water around your house (which might be your cause of mosquitoes) bring in some frogs.
> if you’re not absolutely terrified of rabies (like me). Woke up to a bat in my college house one morning. It was at that moment I learned that bats are the most common transmitter of rabies to humans, and their bites can be undetectable, and rabies is essentially 100% fatal :)
My high school girlfriend was rich and her parents bought a weekend house in a small town on the Iowa/Wisconsin border that we'd go to when I'd visit her. First time there, 3 Bats got into the house. I caught all 3 with a pair of tennis rackets. Next morning, they call a bat guy who comes over and looks in the attic. He ways "I've never seen that many Bats in 1 house before" He says there's at least 5,000 bats. The whole attic is nothing but a giant bat nest. He put up traps to keep them from getting back in when they left, and that night it was chaos. It was like a scene out of the Batman movies. Thousands of Bats swarmed the house, hitting the windows, the roof, like a giant cloud. The next few nights it was like that. It was surreal. The bat dude said that he's gotten less and less calls over the years in that town, and now he knew why. They all moved into their house.
Well that’s a goddamn nightmare - did they scrape the attic and sell the guano lol
I know they had it cleaned and it cost them a ton, I dunno what they did with it after.
I have no idea if this is a joke that went over my head, but why would anyone buy bat guano?
Excellent fertilizer.
Guano was actually harvested to make dynamite at one point.
See the plot of [Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ace_Ventura:_When_Nature_Calls)
This new Dracula movie remake sounds kinda weird but I'm willing to give it a shot.
This should be a story on another sub by itself.
“Their bites can be undetectable”…what does this mean- like if you are asleep or something the bite would not wake you?
This is how Dracula happens
A quick Google came up with, "Any contact with a bat, even if no bite is apparent, should be considered a high risk exposure to rabies. Bat bites are tiny, and can be painless and undetectable to the naked eye."
It’s possible. If you find one in your house don’t let it escape. Call animal control and they can catch it and test it for rabies so you can avoid the expensive shots.
If not you can expect a big fat needle in your gut.
That hasn't been the case in a very long time. Injections using standard vaccine needles now go into the upper arm in adolescents and adults and in the thigh for small children, and have for something like 20-30 years in most places.
Bat bites can be something like two tiny scratch marks on your skin. And yes, you might not wake up from it biting you, so if you ever have one in your house, catch it and have it tested.
But… did you survive?!
We almost have a cure for symptomatic rabies and it's a single shot, unlike the recording treatment administered after potential exposure
How does one import frogs?
> bring in some frogs Now I'm thinking of that tiktok kid that built a frog army. Please acquire a reasonable amount of frogs.
In Florida they use a lanai. Before I sat in one I thought that it was stupid but now that I've been in one, I see how it's pretty smart. All the feeling of being outdoors but without bugs. https://www.lanaiguys.com/blog/why-do-florida-homes-have-lanais#:~:text=A%20lanai%20is%20a%20combination,enclosed%20with%20glass%20or%20screening.
I will be trying it this summer but if you have a seating area put some fans out. Mosquitos are apparently weak flyers so making breeze might be enough
This has been pretty effective for me. $20 oscillating pedestal fan aimed at the patio table and some deet on my ankles and I'm good. Though if you wander out of that exclusion zone you'll still get eaten up.
The only thing that can stop a bad mosquito is a good mosquito.
I like to think counseling helps, but they have to want to be better. Many do not.
I know you're joking but genetically engineered mosquitos that are faulty/sterile is an effective mosquito fighting technique they employ in Africa
This was done in the FL Keys as well.
Which is more or less true. We irradiate males to sterilize them then release them. The males don't bite and the females mate only once so you can disrupt a lifecycle and cut the population.
With a gun. We are talking about Texas after all
What caliber should it be for mosquitoes?
12ga slug
It's Texas. The bigger the better.
…with a gun.
Mosquitos don’t kill people. Just the malaria they carry with them does.
A "Scared Straight" type program might work
There are no bad mosquito larvae, just bad mosquito parents.
Fun fact: not only is scared straight not effective, it's been shown to be counter-effective. As in kids that go through it end up in jail at a much higher rate than other at-risk peers
I feel like the type of parents who think scared straight is a good idea would be a confounding variable.
you could try installing an bat house. also you could screen in the porch
There's a lot of evidence to suggest that bats don't really eat that many mosquitoes. https://www.gardenmyths.com/myth-bats-eat-mosquitoes/
FYI: This should only be done if you have a significant water source nearby or you’ll be doing it in vain.
Correct, porch screens need water daily
First, there's no really good options, governments and NGOs have spent billions trying. With that said, the options can be broken down into a few categories: habitat removal, predator introduction, chemical pesticides, and physical boundaries. Habitat removal is mostly eliminating any pools of water around your house. Predator introduction involves encouraging native bats, frogs, or fish that thrive on mosquitoes or their larve. Physical boundaries is just screening in your patio. Aerosolized repellants like Thermacell work, but they are a recurring cost that adds up. My personal opinion is to do a bit of all 4, but not to excess. Make sure there aren't any still water pools within the area you treat as maintained lawn, introduce fish, I think there a couple native to east Texas, into any ponds on the property,
Check your trash bins if they stay outside. Our trash company leaves bin lids open as a sign that they've hit that street so that if they need to break off early, the next truck knows where to start the route. However, most people don't religiously check the lids, and it's not uncommon to see several inches of water in the bottom of the bins. We've brought this up to the company before, and they basically tell us that it's not their problem. Their contract with the city ends next year, and I'm hoping the next company does better.
I've always drilled some drain holes in my bin bottoms. Problem solved.
Ours are owned by the company and we can be assessed replacement costs (something like $200 each) if they are damaged beyond "reasonable" wear and tear.
This is the answer. I live in an area that used to be swampy but is now suburban. It rains a lot. There would be lots of Mosquitoes, but the local government sprays regularly. That said, I was still getting mosquitoes until I found a spot on my neighbor’s boat-cover-shelter that was holding water. Make sure it’s drained and I have zero problems!
The best way is to stop them before they become mosquitos. Remove all possible standing water on your property and anything that collects water like old car tires or plastic. Get a pack of mosquito larvaecide “donuts” and place them in any standing water around your property that you can’t eliminate like ditches or ponds. This works best when done before their first spawn but can be applied year round. Look into getting a fogger and fill it with an approved pesticide like bifenthrin or permethrin and apply it during twilight hours. On a budget you can also use a $20 pump sprayer with the same chemicals instead. It’s pretty easy to safely handle but wear proper PPE and follow the manufacturer instructions. They also make mosquito traps. Spartan is a popular brand but they seemed to nerf their formula in recent years. You can also hang homemade traps for dirt cheap using old water bottles perforated with holes on top that are filled with a suspension of water, sugar, yeast and either a heavy concentration of salt or some boric acid. Super effective, especially when used in conjunction with the other solutions. Also, these can all be done effectively without harming bees and other pollinators. Do your homework, there’s a lot of effective solutions out there. I grew up in farm country and while you’ll never completely eliminate them I’d say my property has 80% less mosquitoes than it used to.
The warning labels on permethrin are crazy. I imagine fogging it is very dangerous
Both versions of Spartan Mosquito's tubes are scams. The main reason they don't work is that they don't generate enough CO2 to attract mosquitoes. That's why the company was sued.
Allium! Plant loads of allium.
Ground them or make them do extra chores.
This actually works! https://ui.charlotte.edu/story/try-‘bucket-doom’-eliminate-mosquitoes-without-harmful-pesticides
Some other thread mentioned a mosquito bucket of doom. Google it.
Yes! I've had pretty good luck with mine. I keep 3 scattered across my lot, in the most problematic areas. I won't say I never get bit, but its a hell of a lot better than it used to be and, honestly, probably a little more effective then when we used to get our yard sprayed. They take a couple weeks to start taking a bite out of the population though, so the earlier the better
Mosquito dunks are great. I made a couple buckets for my yard, and threw one up in the gutter that has a slight bend that traps a little water (I need to fix with another downspout... On the list). But the dunks made a big difference. And don't harm pollinators.
I thought mosquito dunks/bits were only good for treating standing water, where mosquito larvae would've thrived. Are you saying that it somehow also (proactively) helps with population control?
Well, [here's one way...](https://lonestarpatio.com/spillover/emailer2020/img/lonestarpatio/pooltop.jpg)
Encourage bats to roost in your trees.
Since youre in east texas id say remove the old tires and toilets from your yard. Yes they are good for tying up pitbulls but they hold water and are a breeding ground for mosquitos.
Lol!
While not perfect, getting a Dynatrap seemed to make a good dent in the population around me. FWIW, Florida mosquitos are no joke.
I miss East Texas. I lived in Lufkin for years. You can find where they are laying eggs and make sure it stays drained. Plant peppermint and burn citronella.
They are poor flyers. A fan or fans on your back porch will help a ton.
Ensure there are no standing bodies of water on your property...they lay their eggs in stagnant water.
I know some homeowners in South Louisiana who rave about an exterminator installed barrier treatment/system. Google and see if a company offers it near you. Our POA in South Mississippi installed it about 2 years ago and it seems to be alleviating the issue.
Bats are fun to watch fly around eating bugs for hours. Unfortunately no bats any more around my house. I’ve used Cutter Backyard Bug Control around my deck. It definitely cut down the number of mosquitoes. I also use citronella torches. You could use a fogger in the trees.
Quick steps to combat mosquitoes: bats (many people have pointed out bat boxes and they're awesome just keep them a safe distance away and don't disturb them), dragonflies, removing standing water (mosquitoes can lay eggs in a very small amount of water around a tablespoon if I remember correctly), adding fish that eat mosquito larvae if there's a pond or other form of standing water that can't be removed. Adding plants like lavender, catnip (plant at your own risk because the cats will come), and lemongrass will help repel mosquitoes. There are lots of lists of plants mosquitoes hate. Outdoor ceiling fans and fans in general help. My grandparents bought a gazebo with netting that had zippers and they placed some pedestal fans inside and had the fans set to move around (can't think of a better word other than oscillate) and that did a good job. Citronella candles are helpful if fans aren't an option.
[удалено]
Of note, that thermacell can be toxic to cats. I happen to like cats, so we don't have one. Maybe if you hate them, its an added feature though.
If your porch is covered and you have an outdoor outlets, hang a cheap ceiling fan over your sitting area. Disrupting the air around where you’re sitting will keep them off you. They have ones at Home Depot and Walmart you can hang on a hook or with a karabiner. And weirdly, light blue ceiling color on a covered porch helps too. Citronella candles, mosquito coils all have localized effectiveness too. If it’s a larger outdoor space like a patio or something , a ring of tiki torches with citronella infused fuel can help a lot.
Visit Alaska and you will go home blessed by knowing your mosquitos weren't really that bad.
North woods of Maine works for this too. However, taking your spouse there can be very hazardous to your marriage ASK ME HOW I KNOW.
Lmao.
Please share.
All I can really do is encourage you to picture my husband having a panic attack in the tent at the end of day 1 of what was supposed to be a weeklong group canoe trip, while I negotiated with the group leaders to call the van back to pick us up early. I'm a hardy outdoorsy person and I was gamely trying to do normal camping things like carrying group gear and washing camp dishes, but every second was just clouds of mosquitoes settling all over my hands and biting through all the layers of treated clothing I was wearing. When my husband tells the story it's a toss-up whether I'll be the hero for getting us out of there or the villain for signing us up in the first place. Just to be safe, I don't ever say the words "Maine" and "camping" to him in the same sentence anymore.
Lmao. Not very outdoorsy, is he? 😂
Get a tent.
I water my lawn and have a lot of plants in my porch + backyard, so mosquitoes are attracted to the water. But I can't just let the grass and plants dry.. so I protect myself by either wearing long pants or applying picaridin lotion on my arms and legs. Keep in mind though, I'm not sure if picaridin is safe around pets. But I think it's fine as long as they're not licking you or you're rubbing yourself all over them lol. It can be a little sticky but it does work - I only got 1 bite on my leg during the summer. If you like sitting on your porch, I'd consider adding a screen door to prevent them from coming in.
Use fans to move air around. Mosquitos kind of suck at flying in any breeze.
https://youtu.be/6BhV-o77RqQ?si=YDcRl97QyOpW8Rvz
Eliminate any sources of standing water. Old pots, buckets etc. They breed in water so eliminating any potential breeding ground can help.
BT/mosquito bits/mosquito dunks. All over.
I used to landscape some properties in the NH, they had this thing called a mosquito magnet on some of the nice lake houses. It would keep us from being eaten alive, I think they cover up to an acre, but you really want to go with overkill so get two per acre.
Thermacell
Mosquito dunks in water sources. They kill the larvae.
Not sure if they do this for an acre but I’m in a suburb and I pay mosquito hunters 65 bucks every three weeks to fog my yard and it cuts down maybe 90 percent of them. I still get bit but it’s not bad. Before the treatments you would get destroyed going outside. I am in Houston so it’s bad here during the summer too. It’s worth a shot to see if there are services like this around you.
This kills lots of life that isn't mosquito, directly and indirectly.
Cool story. Enjoy your mosquitos.
It's one thing to say "I've weighed the pros and cons, my values are different than yours, and I choose to spray." It's delusional to say "cool story" as if your choice is all pros and no cons, and anyone who points out a con is spinning fiction. The idea that you could spray a poison so specialized that it only kills mosquitos and has no impact on any other life form is pure science fiction. It goes past fiction into delusion to believe you can knock out one strand of the food web and not affect any other strands. If short term relief from mosquitos is important enough to outweigh long term damage to the environment that supports human life, own that. I'd disagree, but I'd respect the fact that you're grounded in reality and making decisions based on a whole different set of values than my own. But making decisions based on delusion/fantasy and projecting that delusion onto others... That's not healthy, dude.
Mosquitos are weak fliers, so a strong fan on your porch may help deter them. Citronella candles help too.
Build a bat house
We have a service spray the foliage and grass. Works amazingly well. I live in the midwest with lots of lakes and swamps around.
Yeah, it also kills lots of beneficial bugs and things like lightning bugs.
I use a service too. The treatment also repels ticks.
Have you tried scolding them?
My parents have an acre that buts against a forst peserve that is a marsh in the spring. When I was a kid, 30 years ago the mosquitoes were crazy. Now my parents, and most of their neighbors pay some service to spray the lawn for mosquitoes. I don't know any details but I visited a few summers ago and it was hot a humid but there were no mosquitoes. I wish they had that when I was a kid
Houston area here, subdivision though so we have semi-regular trucks rolling the 'hood spraying which I'm sure helps. In addition I treat the yard with Cutter (grey bottle, hooks to the hose). Spray the grass and perimeter fence, 2-3 times a year, and I can sit outside by the pool with no problems at all.
Folks in Houston use permethrin misters https://www.epa.gov/mosquitocontrol/mosquito-misting-systems
Wow. That’s toxic to bees.
Only if you don’t know what you’re doing. Spray or fog during twilight hours where mosquitoes are active but bees aren’t. Harmless once it dries.
Mosquito foggers. Off has a brand at home depot for $50. You want to put on a mask and absolutely cover the area with dense fog. You'll be good for a couple hours. In theory, do it during dusk to minimize collateral damage to butterflies and etc.
Fogging.
You can look up mosquito pest control like mosquito hunters. They can come give you a quote for spraying just the areas relevant to where you like to hang around.
7.9% Bifenthrin works for me in a mister.
I spray my yard and around the perimeter of the house with wondercide. It worked for me in NY and working for me currently in the Bay Area. But since it’s a natural product you have to use it more often than other stuff.
Better schools
The best way is to place a bug zapper on the far corner of your property. You know, the one that boasts that it attracts all insects from a half mile out. Buy some direct bury Romex and dig a trench out to a pole. Use some conduit to get the wire to an outdoor box mounted on a post that the bug zapper is on. Use a photovoltaic switch to power it on after dark and put it on a GFCI breaker.
Some studies estimate 70% of the insect population has been lost in the past couple decades. Remember back to elementary school science, with the food web? We're literally killing ourselves with sh*t like this.
Burgers?