[ale] WAY OT controlling asian tiger mosquitos and others

[Pete Hardie]

second the fan recommendation - there was a recent web article somewhere
that reviewed anti-mosquito tech and found that a strong breeze was pretty
effective

Pete Hardie
--------
Better Living Through Bitmaps


On Tue, Jul 30, 2013 at 6:54 AM, JD <jdp at algoloma.com> wrote:

> 30% deet. There is no substitute or there wasn't until Picaridin.  I've
> been
> places that are famous for flying insects, including mosquitoes.  At one of
> these places, even 30% deet wasn't enough to keep a horse fly from biting.
>
> Picaridin has also been proven to be effective. Doesn't have the negatives
> of
> Deet from what I read, but it is harder to find in the USA.
>
> Also, remove all sources of standing water to limit the breeding area for
> the
> little buggers.
>
> I have given bug zappers as wedding presents. Enjoyment for the entire
> family,
> but I have doubts about total effectiveness. The NYT article confirms.
>
> I would check Consumer Reports for any non-standard solutions.
> Google on "consumer reports mosquitoes" showed some interesting results.
>
>
>
> On 07/30/2013 01:22 AM, Ron Frazier (ALE) wrote:
> > Hi Guys,
> >
> > You've been warned, WAY OT.
> >
> > Don't flame me for posting this, but you guys are my geeky brain trust,
> and you
> > had a gardening thread going on recently, so I figured I'd try it.
> >
> > I live on a wooded property and there are huge numbers of mosquitoes
> around in
> > the summer, particularly lately.  I think the main species active in the
> day
> > time may be the Asian Tiger Mosquito.  If we go outside for more than 1-2
> > minutes, they're attacking with a vengeance.  I don't know for sure if
> they're
> > Asian Tigers, since I'm too busy shewing, slapping, and moving to look
> closely
> > at their appearance.  But I do know those are much more active in
> daylight hours
> > than others; and I know I've occasionally seen their distinctive striped
> > appearance.
> >
> > I'm not a big outdoors person, but this just reinforces my stay inside
> or in a
> > car mentality, even in fair weather.  I have to make it a point to try
> to never
> > leave the front house door or a car door open more than 5-10 seconds.
> >
> > I'm posing this to you to find out if you've had personal experience
> with exotic
> > solutions, some of which I'll mention.  I don't want to put pesticide /
> > repellent on my skin.  I don't want to spray large parts of the yard with
> > chemicals.  So, I'm wondering about some of the less invasive
> technologies.
> >
> > I've read enough to become convinced that ultrasonic devices don't work
> at all;
> > and bug zapper devices don't primarily work on mosquitoes.
> >
> > I am interested to know if anyone has had experience with the mosquito
> magnet
> > brand of propane / attractant driven trap.  According to Amazon reviews,
> they
> > seem to work, but cost $ 300 to acquire and $ 40+ or so per month to
> run.  Some
> > reviews say they're not durable.
> >
> > I would also be interested in the new OFF devices with a fan that you
> clip on
> > your belt.  They've been advertising them like they're the shields
> around the
> > starship Enterprise.  Let's just say I'm skeptical.
> >
> > Another thing that crossed my mind is those fans you can mount over the
> door
> > which blow air downward.  At least that could keep the critters out of
> the house.
> >
> > The subject of bats may come up, and I'm glad to discuss it.  I did do
> some
> > reading though that said bats will prefer other food sources where they
> can get
> > more of a meal for less work.
> >
> > This is not a critical problem, and, truth be known, I probably wouldn't
> spend $
> > 300 to fight it.  But it is extremely annoying.  I just hate the idea of
> my
> > blood being sucked to help create more of the #$#$%#$% stinking bugs.
>  There is
> > also the remote chance of them carrying dangerous diseases.  Also, not
> being
> > able to go outside hardly at all, is annoying even for me.
> >
> > Anybody have any suggestions that don't involve putting toxic chemicals
> on
> > myself or the property?
> >
> > Any help is always appreciated.  Can't say I would implement any given
> > suggestion, but I'd certainly consider them, and would enjoy learning
> about
> > options.  I always learn things from the discussions here.  My reading
> has
> > convinced me there is no silver bullet, as with so many real world
> problems.
> > I'd settle for just about any usable and affordable bullet.
> >
> > Sincerely,
> >
> > Ron
> >
> >
> _______________________________________________
> Ale mailing list
> Ale at ale.org
> http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
> See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at
> http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mail.ale.org/pipermail/ale/attachments/20130730/a7c37ecf/attachment-0001.html>