Mosquito Squad

[Anonymous]

as for why the mosquitoes are worse now than when we were kids, two words:
TIGER MOSQUITOES

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303795304576454312427933764.html

http://www.mda.state.md.us/plants-pests/mosquito_control/_asian_tiger_mosquito_md.php

Unlike normal mosquitoes, they are active during the daytime.

As for natural remedies:
Getting rid of standing water is a great idea. Talk it up to your neighbors, too. Get them to clean their gutters, fix sidewalks, dump flower pots, etc. Not so easy to get all of your neighbors to do this.

Some birds eat mosquitoes, as do bats. Consider getting a birdhouse.

Mosquitofish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambusia_holbrooki) eat the mosquito larvae.

Get a fan. Mosquitoes don't do well in wind. You can't have fans all over your yard, but you could have one by your picnic table. A lot of covered porches have ceiling fans.

We have done the first three, and I think it made a difference last year, but not enough for me to want to eat dinner outside. I am going to try to talk my DH into one of those old fashioned fans on a pole that we can take outside for cocktails and dinner.

And I'm still considering Mosquito Squad....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:why are there so many mosquitos now?

I have no specific data to back this up but one likely cause is the gradual decline/disappearance of their natural predators due to habitat loss, pollution and or fungal infections:

-frogs, toads and other amphibians

-bats

-birds

So while a chemical solution may be appealing in the short term, what is likely to happen is that the mosquitoes will develop resistance to the chemicals all the while the chemicals themselves contribute to further polluting the predators' habitats. In a few years, there will be even fewer predators, even more mosquitoes and highly resistant ones at that, which will require even stronger chemicals, which will perpetuate the vicious cycle until our kids start getting sick from playing outside, if they aren't already.

[Anonymous]

Some birds eat mosquitoes, as do bats. Consider getting a birdhouse

Or a bathouse.

[Anonymous]

I don't want to kill all the beneficial insects along with the mosquitos.

[Anonymous]

Mosquitos exist largely outside the food chain. Although bats and birds do eat them, they are more like a snack and not a staple of their diet. Think of it like this. If you're a hungry flying animal, would you rather get the large, protein-filled, slow-moving moth, or would you rather have a miniscule mosquito?

The chemicals they use to treat your yard are basically the same chemicals that have been used for a long time to treat clothing to be mosquito resistant. Don't get me wrong, I think DEET is safe, but I can't stand the smell, and I don't like taking the chance that I might be wrong about whether it's safe. But even if you assume the chemicals might be harmful, I'd rather have them on the yard, which I primarily experience with the bottoms of my shoes, than all over every exposed inch of skin.

[Anonymous]

As for whether mosquito squad will work if your neighbors don't do it, there are two answers: First, mosquitos are mostly localized -- they do not travel long distances (and for a mosquito a couple of hundred feet is a large distance). So it doesn't make much difference if your neighbors treat. Second, mosquito squad offers neighbor discounts and referral discounts, so get your neighbors to sign up too.

I hate mosquitos so much that my dream job is working for mosquito squad. If I did, I'd treat houses all over the place just for fun.

[Anonymous]

I have a small lot and my neighbor has pretenses of being environmentally conscious, drives a Prius, does minimal yard work, and worst of all has a bath tub and sink in her bath yard because we all know you cannot put stuff in a land fill so best thing is to turn your own back yard into one.

I'm worried that if I got Mosquito Squad, the mosquitos from 10 feet away on the other side of my neighbors fence hatched in her freaking bathtub would get me.

Any ideas?

[Anonymous]

Get mosquito dunks, which you put in places where mosquitoes are likely to hatch, and throw them in your evil neighbor's sinks & bathtubs. The mosquito larvae eat them and die.

[Anonymous]

I've said it before: hatch praying mantises!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've said it before: hatch praying mantises!

Where can I get some? I don't use chemicals in my yard and I love a good natural solution.

[Anonymous]

Someone on our block (in NWDC) got West Nile Virus last year and was hospitalized for a couple of weeks. I hate using chemicals and only use all natural products in our house. However, I think I'm going to use Mosquito Squad this summer. We've tried mosquito dunks and all natural sprays. Unfortunately, they don't work. And for those of you suggesting a bat house, there is some infection that has killed off a large percentage of the bat population this year (google it if you want to learn more), so I don't think the bats are going to be much of a help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With the warm non-winter we have had, the flea larvae and mosquito larvae is going to be like a plague in AU Park. I have been a sense of panic thinking about a steaming hot summer here where everyone travels so much but few care much about making sure there is no standing water on their property. Millions of tiger mosquito lava can thrive in a teaspoon of water. I hope people will use Mosquito Squad! Also please throw Bt dunks in the sewers on your block or in your pond. I usually cannot even stand to be outside for five minutes from June to October in DC because of the mosquitoes.

I think you need to calm down.

+1, my favorite part of DCUM. The unexpected chuckle.

[Anonymous]

Agree that the mosquito dunks do not work. We did the Pest now mosquito treatment 4X last summer (similar to mosquito squad but do all kinds of indoor/outdoor pests). It was awesome. Almost no mosquitos!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've said it before: hatch praying mantises!

Where can I get some? I don't use chemicals in my yard and I love a good natural solution.

I get mine from InsectLore, but I've seen them on Amazon as well. Good luck!