I. hate. mosquitos. With Every Fiber Of My Being. We've had a lot of flooding here this spring, and so the mosquitos are out IN FORCE right now. There's no escaping them. I was outside for THIRTY SECONDS this morning putting the dog outside, and came back in with a minimum of 5 new bites. And unless you BATHE in 100% DEET before spending any time outdoors in the evenings, you run a serious risk of being hospitalized for anemia! Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a LITTLE on that one, but DAMN IT!

Does anyone out there have any cool tips on keeping the little vampires at bay? I heard garlic was supposed to work, but before I start sprinkling garlic on everything (worried about getting a tablet stuck), I wanted to see if anyone here has any ideas?

Anyone?

Homemade Yard Spray

1 cup minty mouth wash (any cheap brand similiar to scope (green) works

1 cup lemon scented dish soap (it has to be lemon scented)

1 cup chewing tobacco juice..sounds gross but I will explain.

Seep a handful of regular chewing tobacco (in the round can) in a gallon jar or container. (I use an old nylon for the tobacco seeping.) Then mix I cup of this juice with the 1 cup of dishsoap & 1 cup of mint mouthwash. Apply to the perimeter of your lawn using a regular garden sprayer or spray bottle. The more you use the better it works. I usually apply it 1 hour before working or playing in the yard. It works for mosquitoes & ticks...and maybe other bugs. It is enviromentally friendly and safe for children & pets.

Best of Luck!

Homemade Yard Spray

1 cup minty mouth wash (any cheap brand similiar to scope (green) works

1 cup lemon scented dish soap (it has to be lemon scented)

1 cup chewing tobacco juice..sounds gross but I will explain.

Seep a handful of regular chewing tobacco (in the round can) in a gallon jar or container. (I use an old nylon for the tobacco seeping.) Then mix I cup of this juice with the 1 cup of dishsoap & 1 cup of mint mouthwash. Apply to the perimeter of your lawn using a regular garden sprayer or spray bottle. The more you use the better it works. I usually apply it 1 hour before working or playing in the yard. It works for mosquitoes & ticks...and maybe other bugs. It is enviromentally friendly and safe for children & pets.

Best of Luck!

Glad I kept reading because I really was picturing a bottle of chew spit.

Really, the only thing you can do to get rid of them is to get rid of their habitat. If you have any objects in your yard that are holding standing water (buckets, old tires, kiddie pools, etc.), they need to be dumped. Other than that, just use mosquito spray every time you go out, but make sure you reapply it fairly often, especially if you are sweating.

Glad I kept reading because I really was picturing a bottle of chew spit.

Thats exactly why I clarified myself! LOL!

Homemade Yard Spray

1 cup minty mouth wash (any cheap brand similiar to scope (green) works

1 cup lemon scented dish soap (it has to be lemon scented)

1 cup chewing tobacco juice..sounds gross but I will explain.

Seep a handful of regular chewing tobacco (in the round can) in a gallon jar or container. (I use an old nylon for the tobacco seeping.) Then mix I cup of this juice with the 1 cup of dishsoap & 1 cup of mint mouthwash. Apply to the perimeter of your lawn using a regular garden sprayer or spray bottle. The more you use the better it works. I usually apply it 1 hour before working or playing in the yard. It works for mosquitoes & ticks...and maybe other bugs. It is enviromentally friendly and safe for children & pets.

Best of Luck!

Clarification needed here....the stuff in the round can is snuff. Chewing tobacco comes in paper pouches - at least where I come from. Brand names might help...

Copenhagen and Skoal are snuff; Red Man is chewing tobacco.

I am going to give this recipe to my BFF Betsy, who has a big pond in her yard and mosquitoes like you wouldn't believe. The little bastards love me, too.

I use a dryer sheet ("Bounce" mainly), just rub it all over you and stick it in your back pocket. never had problems since

OK, that's the second time I've been told about the dryer sheets. I guess I'll have to try it, at least I'll smell good. Beats OFF or Cutter anyday. I'll let you know how it works for me!

Look in the phone book in your area for Vector Control, many places spray at your request, and also have mosquito eating fish available to put itno ponds etc. It is worth a quick phone call!

Good Luck!

Kat

Are you in Kansas--- I'm in Missouri---- best thing around here is putting up a proper bat house..... they will not get caught up in your hair, like many fear BUT THEY EAT TONS OF BUGS including mosquitos.

Most people who are on our deck late in the evening, think they are fast birds Ha Ha Ha ....I usually don't correct them and say BATS... because of the fears people often have, associated with bats.

Missouri conservation department has plans (and setup conditions) for a proper bat house. It's especially great if you have a water source (for the bats). This is often a good breeding area for the mosquitos, both the water and skeeters keep the bats fat and happy.

Good luck with the skeeters ............

...................and what is the idea behind the fabric softener sheets?????

I'm right there with ya'. Not only am I a mosquito magnet, but I'm allergic to them. When I get bitten, the spot swells up to the size of a softball, gets hard under the skin, and is hot to the touch. It takes weeks for bites to go away.

I'm currently in Florida (not that I WANT to be in Florida, but I'm here on business) and the mosquitoes are out en force. Where I live (So. Cal) we don't get them at all. So I have to keep remembering to put repellent on every few hours.

I posted last year about this very issue (can't remember if it was on this board or B2G) and got a lot of suggestions. I can tell you from experience, for me, garlic did zilch. I took garlic pills (no problem getting them down, BTW) en masse, and it didn't do a thing. Total waste of money.

What DID work was 2 things: Cutter Advanced, or any product with Picaridin (as opposed to DEET), and Catnip Oil. The Catnip Oil is an herbal remedy which comes with Cornmint Oil and Rosemary Oil in it (I bought it from naturesherbal). You have to shake it a lot before AND DURING spraying it on because it separates very quickly. It smells like peppermint. What I do is spray my whole body with that, prior to dressing, and then spray my exposed areas (arms, neck, legs, feet) with the Cutter Advanced. I figure the non-chemical stuff is good for milder protection. That combination pretty much keeps me bite free.

I was looking for a good alternative to DEET (that stuff is SCARY! Once I sprayed it on my feet while wearing sandals and my feet turned black where the straps were and the sandals were ruined). I researched a lot and it looks like Picaridin is a pretty good alternative. If you look in the stores, Cutter Advance is a blue bottle with an orange lid.

There is one other thing you can do if this is a consistent issue where you live: other than keeping your surrounding area standing-water-free, you can buy a Mosquito Magnet or similar product. They're not cheap, but they're machines designed to attract mosquitos by emitting CO2; they draw them in and then they die there. The good quality ones can clear an area of mosquitos in a few weeks, I think. I've never owned one (don't need it) but know people who swear by them. If I lived in a mosquito-prone area (which I would do my best to never do; that's one of my requirements for a place to live), I would have several of these all around the property.

HTH! Good luck!

They are really bad here too! With all the rain we've had they are awful. I too have bad reactions from them. We have one of the Mosquito Magnet's and it really doesn't solve the problem, it killed some, but not enough to notice the difference. It's awful to have to spray every time you walk outside, even in the day time.

I think I'll try the dryer sheet thing!

I live in Central Florida Very near the Withlacoochee river. Having grown up here I have tried everything under the sun and have become skeptical of any mosquito repellant!

I found this little device called a Thermacell, THIS THING WORKS!!!!

I am not talking about a little bit, it just works, also runs off the noseeums.

ThermaCELL Mosquito Repellent

My son and I Kayaked the Chassahowitzka river last weekend. I used the ThermaCell lantern at our campsite.

It is worth checking out.

JC

Really, the only thing you can do to get rid of them is to get rid of their habitat. If you have any objects in your yard that are holding standing Water (buckets, old tires, kiddie pools, etc.), they need to be dumped. Other than that, just use mosquito spray every time you go out, but make sure you reapply it fairly often, especially if you are sweating.

Getting rid of their habitat is easy in your own yard, but if there's standing water EVERYWHERE because of a flood, that makes it a bit more difficult to manage. There are lakes right now where there should be wheat and corn.

And mosquitoes do not recognize the boundaries of my yard vs. the neighbor's yard, or the one down the street....Trust me, I've done what I can, but it hasn't made any difference in their population.

call the city deparment and ask them to come spray your area...

Ok, the bounce dryer sheets idea is bunk, but I smelled great!

The city has sprayed, and sprayed and sprayed.

Now the thermacell thing, I'm definitely checking out. It really really works???