7 ms·

What are the best practical ways of keeping away or killing mosquitoes, midges, black fly and house flies etc? I've heard of propane burners called 'mosquito m

What are the best practical ways of keeping away or killing mosquitoes, midges, black fly and house flies etc? I've heard of propane burners called 'mosquito magnets', I've heard of chemicals you spread or leave out in traps, I've heard of sprays and tape. Obviously different things work for different pests. I've seen people wearing face nets and hoodies. Anyone got any real experience and recommendations?

cyberpunk 3y ago
Mosquito nets and deet. Having a partner who they find more delicious than you also helps.
- zdragnar 3y ago
  Alas, I am that partner. Nothing but DEET works for me.
  - ses1984 3y ago
    I got some clothes treated with permethrin and that is just as effective as deet for me. If it’s very hot and humid, I still use deet spray, but if the weather is cool enough for pants and long sleeves, I’ll put on my clothes and I’m good to go.
- Tempest1981 3y ago
  Tip: I sprayed some Deet on our door, and it caused the paint to bubble.
  - mikestew 3y ago
    Keep it away from musical instruments if you’re outside jamming around the campfire: strips the lacquer finish right off. And apparently strips the finish off a lot of things, say sibling commenters.
  - fogleman 3y ago
    Yeah, DEET is a plasticizer. It marred the body of my Canon camera after rubbing off of my arm and onto the camera.
    - nucleardog 3y ago
      You can get picaridin repellants that are as effective as DEET and won’t do that. It’s also way less greasy and stinky in general.
      - Projectiboga 3y ago
        Almost as effective. But in a trade off picaridin is better vs flies and gnats. I feel a few percent less effective vs mosquitoes is worth what I hope is a less toxic repellent. It was first developed in the 1980s and is derived from peppers.
  - klyrs 3y ago
    I spilled some DEET on a desk as a kid, and it stripped the varnish clean to the wood. Great if you want to take that long-procrastinated woodworking project camping?
wintermutestwin 3y ago
Mosquito magnet here. The only trick I've used that worked was to move to a place that wasn't so infested. Sorry - I realize that isn't very helpful, but that was my real experience and solution. I really hope scientists figure out what makes some people more of a target. I wish that all of those best place to live rankings had mosquito population as part of their equation.
wffurr 3y ago
Eliminate standing water. Remove landscaping or vegetation that harbors them. Traps. Repellers (e.g. Thermacell). DEET spray and long clothing. We have an albopictus aka zebra aka Asian tiger mosquito infestation in our Massachusetts back yard. I found and dumped some standing water in the neighbor’s yard. I ordered BG-GAT traps. We use a Thermacell when we go out there and it helps when we remember to set it up 15 min in advance. Considering removing our English ivy ground cover as it’s a habitat for them.
- DoingIsLearning 3y ago
  What vegetation harbours mosquitos?
  - mrled 3y ago
    Bamboo definitely does. Anecdote: I live in Texas. We had ~10 feet of bamboo against our entire back fence, something like ~70 feet. Bamboo isn't native, but grows very fast and provides a lot of visual cover, which is nice. In past years mosquitoes have been real terrorists, you could often have multiple landing on you at once. Nothing we tried made much of a dent except good bug spray all over the body and clothes, and even that wasn't perfect. They were relentless, often landing even on our dog, which surprised me given that he's a lab mix and covered in fur. Guests always commented on how bad it was. This year we had a backyard office built, and ended up clearing ~10x40 feet of the bamboo for the office. There has been a massive difference in the number of mosquitoes since the clearing. We often go outside for a long time without bug spray at all, I never see them on the dog any more, and guests no longer notice the bugs at all. And we didn't even remove all the bamboo - we still have about 10x30 feet off to the side, and neighbors to both sides and behind our backyard still have some.
    - xattt 3y ago
      Curious, but in your parts, is bamboo synonymous with Japanese knot-wood or is it still considered a separate plant? I’ve got my oldest kid trained to be on the lookout for knotwood shoots in our yard. It grows and takes over so dann fast.
alehlopeh 3y ago
I bought a Bug-a-salt and it’s been awesome for indoor use. It actually makes trying to kill bugs fun.
- neals 3y ago
  I have a lot of fun with mine, but have found that this season, it's not killing the bigger flies anymore. Might it lose it's strength?
- mrled 3y ago
  The Executioner, basically an electrified tennis racket, is really satisfying too.
- tasty_freeze 3y ago
  Isn't it a pain to clean up the salt afterwards? It seems like hauling out the vacuum to clean up after killing a bug would offset any advantage the gun might have.
quechimba 3y ago
Mosquito coils are very efficient for keeping mosquitoes away. I use them in the rainforest where there's a lot of mosquitoes. I light a coil before I go to bed, they last 8 hours. Mosquito nets are also efficient to keep them out.
dangom 3y ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BhV-o77RqQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BhV-o77RqQ
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
coreylane 3y ago
Effective Mosquito control requires attacking from multiple angles, consistency, and patience. - Bacillus thuringiensis (or Bt). This is the bacteria used in "Mosquito Dunks" - Garlic Barrier - I spray this all around my yard, trees, and bushes and works surprisingly well.... - Thermacell products - A propane burning trap like Mosquito Magnet with an effective attractant, this can vary depending on your area and type of mosquito. - Removing certain types of vegetation, debris like dead leaves, etc. that attracts them.
- sylvainkalache 3y ago
  Living in South Florida and I found these 2 methods to be efficient: -The propane burning traps about ten mosquitoes a day. It's an expensive setup. The SkeeterVac is $600, and a $20 propane tank will last a bit less than a month. -"Mosquito Dunks" or more specifically, BTI (Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis) has to be placed into standing water. Mosquitoes come to lay eggs that will die because of the BTI. I don't know how many it kills, but I've seen a demi-dozen of larvae in there at a time. Here I recommend going with the granules format as the chemical is powerful, and you don't need much of it for example if placed in a bucket. Better than having to deal with breaking down a big piece into smaller ones.
kiliantics 3y ago
How about a bat box so more bats live in the area and eat the mosquitos. Salamanders also eat mosquitos but the materials most people use to kill mosquitos, like permethrin, unfortunately also kill salamanders. I am a mosquito magnet too and spend summer in an area that's not quite subtropical but is pretty full of them. I find them to really just be a minor nuisance at certain times of day which I can avoid with the right clothing or staying behind screens. And I often don't even bother and just tolerate some minor itchiness from their bites. I don't really get all the fuss. Apart from regions with malaria, I don't understand the lengths people go to eradicate them, especially since they are usually pretty ecologically destructive.
- sdenton4 3y ago
  There's a lovely variety of mosquito-borne diseases, most notably malaria and West Nile virus, which lead to a Real Bad Time. I've been helping out a bit in a project for mosquito eradication in Hawaii, where avian malaria transmitted by invasive mosquitoes is threatening a number of endemic birds species with extinction.
- glxxyz 3y ago
  Unfortunately bats don't eat many mosquitos as they prefer other insects. They should eat a few though.
goda90 3y ago
Establishing and protecting habitats for bats and dragonflies can be a big help.
jccooper 3y ago
A Bifen spray every month or so will work pretty well. I don't love it conceptually, because it's not super mosquito-specific, but it works.
NDizzle 3y ago
Rural Arkansas, Mosquito HQ checking in. Dynatraps. Tougher than Toms TNT bait. Gotta have it all out there and ready to go when the season gets started - you don't want to fall behind. You can also plant things to attract barn swallows and the like, but then you have to deal with them dive bombing you every time you go outside anywhere near their nests.
ortusdux 3y ago
Fans help with mosquitoes. They wander around until they detect exhaled CO2, and then zigzag their way to the source. An oscillating fan helps prevent them from honing in. I've seen fans setup at family barbeques at the park. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mosquito_Homing.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mosquito_Homing.jpg
- joezydeco 3y ago
  Standing fans or ceiling fans on a porch also prevent them from landing on you. Never considered the CO2 angle, I just thought it blew them off course.
  - ortusdux 3y ago
    They can't fly all that fast, so blowing them off course definitely helps too.
mcronce 3y ago
I haven't found a single "silver bullet" solution, but the combination that has worked for me is bat houses + citronella (candles as well as whole plants, planted around the patio/deck) + the classic electric bug zappers. We wanted to avoid insecticides because we have a pretty significant pollinating bee population that we didn't want to harm, but if that's not a concern for you, just carpet bombing the yard with pyrethrins is a solid foundation. I've had good luck with Mosquito Magnets in the past; the only reason I'm not using one now is because the bat houses are approximately zero maintenance, and I'm a sucker for fire-and-forget solutions
sschueller 3y ago
The one time I was at (many years ago) Disney World Florida I was astounded by the lack of any flying insects at lamps etc. at night. What ever Disney did or is doing seems to work but it might be effectively dropping a nuke on any insect life.
Modified3019 3y ago
Another possible method of fairly environmentally friendly mosquito control, is create standing water, as in a barrel of water, but put enough dish soap in it to lower the surface tension. Females come by to lay eggs, but instead get sucked in and drowned. Any larvae that manage to hatch will likewise drown. Discovered this when I realized a roommates trash barrel had filled with rainwater, and subsequently been infested. I couldn’t just immediately dump it all over so. A squirt of soap and a quick mix with a stick made a graveyard.
3abiton 3y ago
A net.
ekanes 3y ago
Long sleeve shirts & pants. Loose clothing. Goal is to keep them away from your skin.

cyberpunk 3y ago

Mosquito nets and deet. Having a partner who they find more delicious than you also helps.

zdragnar 3y ago
Alas, I am that partner. Nothing but DEET works for me.
- ses1984 3y ago
  I got some clothes treated with permethrin and that is just as effective as deet for me. If it’s very hot and humid, I still use deet spray, but if the weather is cool enough for pants and long sleeves, I’ll put on my clothes and I’m good to go.
Tempest1981 3y ago
Tip: I sprayed some Deet on our door, and it caused the paint to bubble.
- mikestew 3y ago
  Keep it away from musical instruments if you’re outside jamming around the campfire: strips the lacquer finish right off. And apparently strips the finish off a lot of things, say sibling commenters.
- fogleman 3y ago
  Yeah, DEET is a plasticizer. It marred the body of my Canon camera after rubbing off of my arm and onto the camera.
  - nucleardog 3y ago
    You can get picaridin repellants that are as effective as DEET and won’t do that. It’s also way less greasy and stinky in general.
    - Projectiboga 3y ago
      Almost as effective. But in a trade off picaridin is better vs flies and gnats. I feel a few percent less effective vs mosquitoes is worth what I hope is a less toxic repellent. It was first developed in the 1980s and is derived from peppers.
- klyrs 3y ago
  I spilled some DEET on a desk as a kid, and it stripped the varnish clean to the wood. Great if you want to take that long-procrastinated woodworking project camping?

wintermutestwin 3y ago

Mosquito magnet here. The only trick I've used that worked was to move to a place that wasn't so infested. Sorry - I realize that isn't very helpful, but that was my real experience and solution. I really hope scientists figure out what makes some people more of a target. I wish that all of those best place to live rankings had mosquito population as part of their equation.

wffurr 3y ago

Eliminate standing water. Remove landscaping or vegetation that harbors them. Traps. Repellers (e.g. Thermacell). DEET spray and long clothing. We have an albopictus aka zebra aka Asian tiger mosquito infestation in our Massachusetts back yard. I found and dumped some standing water in the neighbor’s yard. I ordered BG-GAT traps. We use a Thermacell when we go out there and it helps when we remember to set it up 15 min in advance. Considering removing our English ivy ground cover as it’s a habitat for them.

DoingIsLearning 3y ago
What vegetation harbours mosquitos?
- mrled 3y ago
  Bamboo definitely does. Anecdote: I live in Texas. We had ~10 feet of bamboo against our entire back fence, something like ~70 feet. Bamboo isn't native, but grows very fast and provides a lot of visual cover, which is nice. In past years mosquitoes have been real terrorists, you could often have multiple landing on you at once. Nothing we tried made much of a dent except good bug spray all over the body and clothes, and even that wasn't perfect. They were relentless, often landing even on our dog, which surprised me given that he's a lab mix and covered in fur. Guests always commented on how bad it was. This year we had a backyard office built, and ended up clearing ~10x40 feet of the bamboo for the office. There has been a massive difference in the number of mosquitoes since the clearing. We often go outside for a long time without bug spray at all, I never see them on the dog any more, and guests no longer notice the bugs at all. And we didn't even remove all the bamboo - we still have about 10x30 feet off to the side, and neighbors to both sides and behind our backyard still have some.
  - xattt 3y ago
    Curious, but in your parts, is bamboo synonymous with Japanese knot-wood or is it still considered a separate plant? I’ve got my oldest kid trained to be on the lookout for knotwood shoots in our yard. It grows and takes over so dann fast.

alehlopeh 3y ago

I bought a Bug-a-salt and it’s been awesome for indoor use. It actually makes trying to kill bugs fun.

neals 3y ago
I have a lot of fun with mine, but have found that this season, it's not killing the bigger flies anymore. Might it lose it's strength?
mrled 3y ago
The Executioner, basically an electrified tennis racket, is really satisfying too.
tasty_freeze 3y ago
Isn't it a pain to clean up the salt afterwards? It seems like hauling out the vacuum to clean up after killing a bug would offset any advantage the gun might have.

quechimba 3y ago

Mosquito coils are very efficient for keeping mosquitoes away. I use them in the rainforest where there's a lot of mosquitoes. I light a coil before I go to bed, they last 8 hours. Mosquito nets are also efficient to keep them out.

dangom 3y ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BhV-o77RqQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BhV-o77RqQ

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

coreylane 3y ago

Effective Mosquito control requires attacking from multiple angles, consistency, and patience. - Bacillus thuringiensis (or Bt). This is the bacteria used in "Mosquito Dunks" - Garlic Barrier - I spray this all around my yard, trees, and bushes and works surprisingly well.... - Thermacell products - A propane burning trap like Mosquito Magnet with an effective attractant, this can vary depending on your area and type of mosquito. - Removing certain types of vegetation, debris like dead leaves, etc. that attracts them.

sylvainkalache 3y ago
Living in South Florida and I found these 2 methods to be efficient: -The propane burning traps about ten mosquitoes a day. It's an expensive setup. The SkeeterVac is $600, and a $20 propane tank will last a bit less than a month. -"Mosquito Dunks" or more specifically, BTI (Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis) has to be placed into standing water. Mosquitoes come to lay eggs that will die because of the BTI. I don't know how many it kills, but I've seen a demi-dozen of larvae in there at a time. Here I recommend going with the granules format as the chemical is powerful, and you don't need much of it for example if placed in a bucket. Better than having to deal with breaking down a big piece into smaller ones.

kiliantics 3y ago

How about a bat box so more bats live in the area and eat the mosquitos. Salamanders also eat mosquitos but the materials most people use to kill mosquitos, like permethrin, unfortunately also kill salamanders. I am a mosquito magnet too and spend summer in an area that's not quite subtropical but is pretty full of them. I find them to really just be a minor nuisance at certain times of day which I can avoid with the right clothing or staying behind screens. And I often don't even bother and just tolerate some minor itchiness from their bites. I don't really get all the fuss. Apart from regions with malaria, I don't understand the lengths people go to eradicate them, especially since they are usually pretty ecologically destructive.

sdenton4 3y ago
There's a lovely variety of mosquito-borne diseases, most notably malaria and West Nile virus, which lead to a Real Bad Time. I've been helping out a bit in a project for mosquito eradication in Hawaii, where avian malaria transmitted by invasive mosquitoes is threatening a number of endemic birds species with extinction.
glxxyz 3y ago
Unfortunately bats don't eat many mosquitos as they prefer other insects. They should eat a few though.

goda90 3y ago

Establishing and protecting habitats for bats and dragonflies can be a big help.

jccooper 3y ago

A Bifen spray every month or so will work pretty well. I don't love it conceptually, because it's not super mosquito-specific, but it works.

NDizzle 3y ago

Rural Arkansas, Mosquito HQ checking in. Dynatraps. Tougher than Toms TNT bait. Gotta have it all out there and ready to go when the season gets started - you don't want to fall behind. You can also plant things to attract barn swallows and the like, but then you have to deal with them dive bombing you every time you go outside anywhere near their nests.

ortusdux 3y ago

Fans help with mosquitoes. They wander around until they detect exhaled CO2, and then zigzag their way to the source. An oscillating fan helps prevent them from honing in. I've seen fans setup at family barbeques at the park. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mosquito_Homing.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mosquito_Homing.jpg

joezydeco 3y ago
Standing fans or ceiling fans on a porch also prevent them from landing on you. Never considered the CO2 angle, I just thought it blew them off course.
- ortusdux 3y ago
  They can't fly all that fast, so blowing them off course definitely helps too.

mcronce 3y ago

I haven't found a single "silver bullet" solution, but the combination that has worked for me is bat houses + citronella (candles as well as whole plants, planted around the patio/deck) + the classic electric bug zappers. We wanted to avoid insecticides because we have a pretty significant pollinating bee population that we didn't want to harm, but if that's not a concern for you, just carpet bombing the yard with pyrethrins is a solid foundation. I've had good luck with Mosquito Magnets in the past; the only reason I'm not using one now is because the bat houses are approximately zero maintenance, and I'm a sucker for fire-and-forget solutions

sschueller 3y ago

The one time I was at (many years ago) Disney World Florida I was astounded by the lack of any flying insects at lamps etc. at night. What ever Disney did or is doing seems to work but it might be effectively dropping a nuke on any insect life.

Modified3019 3y ago

Another possible method of fairly environmentally friendly mosquito control, is create standing water, as in a barrel of water, but put enough dish soap in it to lower the surface tension. Females come by to lay eggs, but instead get sucked in and drowned. Any larvae that manage to hatch will likewise drown. Discovered this when I realized a roommates trash barrel had filled with rainwater, and subsequently been infested. I couldn’t just immediately dump it all over so. A squirt of soap and a quick mix with a stick made a graveyard.

3abiton 3y ago

A net.

ekanes 3y ago

Long sleeve shirts & pants. Loose clothing. Goal is to keep them away from your skin.