Concerned about my kids being exposed to "Mosquito Squad" spraying

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please don't even try to use West Nile or Lyme as your justification for use of these companies. Your chances of catching them are much, much lower than being in a car accident or dying from a heart attack. Really just slim to none. This is done for convenience only. Donttrytonportray it as mitigating a risk-- it isnt or you wouldnt drive or eat unhealthy foods. Which is totally fine in my book but I do find it odd that there are so many people on DCUM who only shop at Whole Foods/eat organic and also so many who use MS. I wonder how many are in both categories.

i'm a PP who doesn't like MS and decided not to spray, but I will say one of the reasons I originally considered it was Lyme. It is patently untrue that chances of catching it is slim to none. I got Lyme last year, and 2 kids in my daughters preschool did as well, along with my nanny's daughter (who lives 40 minutes from us). When I saw my doctor about it, she said that tons of people come in with tick bites and although most are not Lyme, she has had several Lyme cases recently. It is not at all uncommon in this area.

[Anonymous]

We've used MS since last year - the year before that we tried the garlic spray with another company. The garlic spray maybe worked for a few hours. I also didn't take the decision to spray lightly, but it had literally been years since we were able to sit outside. I definitely still have bees, birds and other insects in my yard and my dog is fine. I have no desire to spend my summer cooped up inside my house and I am a mosquito magnet. I also don't condone the sock puppeting, but I do appreciate the results of the Squad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please don't even try to use West Nile or Lyme as your justification for use of these companies. Your chances of catching them are much, much lower than being in a car accident or dying from a heart attack. Really just slim to none. This is done for convenience only. Donttrytonportray it as mitigating a risk-- it isnt or you wouldnt drive or eat unhealthy foods. Which is totally fine in my book but I do find it odd that there are so many people on DCUM who only shop at Whole Foods/eat organic and also so many who use MS. I wonder how many are in both categories.

i shop at whole foods and only eat organic meat and fruits.
and yes, i have MS spray our yard.

i don't understand what the disconnect is for you. and i do use it b/c of Lyme disease. we live in a deer-infested neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Those of you who use mosquito squad despite the sock puppeting:

You say "oh yeah, the sock puppeting is bad, but..." does it not concern you that if a company is that deceptive on a website, that its employees are sock puppeting (and from the amount of times it appears to happen on many websites, not this one, my guess is that it is systemic and encouraged by the owners), the company might be more inclined to cut corners, lie to the customers in other ways (because that's what they are doing - lying to customers and potential customers, and no less), or otherwise behave as they have led you to expect they'd behave? Are you concerned that if you have a complaint with this company, they will treat you with as much respect as they've treated these anonymous people on a website? That they might SAY they've fixed the problem but haven't, really?

Are you home when they spray? If you're paying for the natural service, are you SURE they're not using pesticides? How would you know? (The pesticides are cheaper, btw). If you're asking them not to spray your children's toys, are you SURE they are not spraying that? Are you SURE they're doing what they're supposed to do?

You have nobody but yourself to blame if you're getting more chemicals than you bargained for from this company, or chemicals in places you don't want chemicals, etc. There have been a number of posters who have complained on these forums that Mosquito Squad people have come to their house and routinely just spray indiscriminately, without waiting for the homeowner to close windows, spraying down children's play equipment, etc.

And you trust these people to spray your house / yard / belongings with toxins?

[Anonymous]

I'm fairly granola, volunteered/worked with Peace Corps for years, suffered from dengue fever and malaria so I'm very familiar with mosquitos. The mosquitos here are far worse than anywhere I've been. In all the countries I've been with Peace Corps, none of them had screens and I could sit outside during the day and not get eaten alive. I expect to have mosquitos at night, I expect to have them during the day near water sources but as good as my neighbors and I are at eliminating their breeding grounds, our property is inundated with them. I couldn't stand it any more and did something about it - I called Affordable Pest http://www.affordablepest.com/mosquito-services/ . They've sprayed twice and the difference is amazing. We still have bees, butterflies, moths and lightening bugs but far fewer mosquitos. We can actually enjoy time outside. I wish there were a better alternative but I'm happy with my choice to get rid of the mosquitos.

After the awful sock puppeting by Mosquito Squad, I didn't want to use them. I found Affordable Pest on Angie's List and have been happy with them. (Jeff can check out that I'm local, a long time poster and post most frequently on the SN forum). There are alternatives to Mosquito Squad.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I use MS and still have butterflys, moths, bees, lightning bugs, etc. Keep ip the good work, MS!! BTW, do I get a discount next year for defending you?

As many of you will remember, we previous identified Mosquito Squad representatives sock puppetting a thread on DCUM. In addition, I subsequently identified a second thread in which sock puppetting occurred prior to that incident, so there have been two previous known cases of sock puppetting. I am not making any accusations against MS or anyone else, but I will simply point out these facts:

1) This user is not from the DC area and, as far as I can tell, never posted on DCUM before;

2) This poster has posted four (4) messages in this thread in support of Mosquito Squad;

3) This poster has not posted any other messages on the site that I can identify;

4) This poster arrived at DCUM, not by going to the home page and not by going to the main forum page, but by coming directly to this page.

Wow, thank you, Jeff. I am really uncomfortable with MS as a company. While I do think permethrin is needed in limited, targeted situations (impregnated bed nets and clothing in malaria-stricken areas, barrier spray for lyme prevention), I think it's a travesty that they are using it profligately, especially since CCD has been linked to its use, and it's so toxic to aquatic life. The fact that MS constantly comes to DCUM to sock puppet threads is just the nail in the coffin, though -- I'll never even use their garlic spray. I just don't trust a company with such deceptive practices.

BTW: totally off-topic, but I cut my garlic scapes off my garlic crop this year and wove them into little braids and tied them around the bannister of my deck. No mosquito bites in the backyard yet, and you can't smell the garlic unless you actually pick up the scape. They dried a few weeks ago but apparently they are still strong enough to confuse the mosquitoes. So if you grow garlic, don't throw out your scapes!

[Anonymous]

happy with MS here too, and we grow vegetables in the garden. Note that they use the same sprays farms do, just rinse it off with water. The chances of getting sick are almost none but the chances of getting bitten by mosquito without treatment is like 99%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I use MS and still have butterflys, moths, bees, lightning bugs, etc. Keep ip the good work, MS!! BTW, do I get a discount next year for defending you?

As many of you will remember, we previous identified Mosquito Squad representatives sock puppetting a thread on DCUM. In addition, I subsequently identified a second thread in which sock puppetting occurred prior to that incident, so there have been two previous known cases of sock puppetting. I am not making any accusations against MS or anyone else, but I will simply point out these facts:

1) This user is not from the DC area and, as far as I can tell, never posted on DCUM before;

2) This poster has posted four (4) messages in this thread in support of Mosquito Squad;

3) This poster has not posted any other messages on the site that I can identify;

4) This poster arrived at DCUM, not by going to the home page and not by going to the main forum page, but by coming directly to this page.

Wow, thank you, Jeff. I am really uncomfortable with MS as a company. While I do think permethrin is needed in limited, targeted situations (impregnated bed nets and clothing in malaria-stricken areas, barrier spray for lyme prevention), I think it's a travesty that they are using it profligately, especially since CCD has been linked to its use, and it's so toxic to aquatic life. The fact that MS constantly comes to DCUM to sock puppet threads is just the nail in the coffin, though -- I'll never even use their garlic spray. I just don't trust a company with such deceptive practices.

BTW: totally off-topic, but I cut my garlic scapes off my garlic crop this year and wove them into little braids and tied them around the bannister of my deck. No mosquito bites in the backyard yet, and you can't smell the garlic unless you actually pick up the scape. They dried a few weeks ago but apparently they are still strong enough to confuse the mosquitoes. So if you grow garlic, don't throw out your scapes!

Are you a scientist that specializes in permethrin knowledge?

FYI garlic is an old wives tail and worthless except for maybe your house will be a bit stinky

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2177/does-garlic-repel-mosquitoes
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/24/health/24real.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I use MS and still have butterflys, moths, bees, lightning bugs, etc. Keep ip the good work, MS!! BTW, do I get a discount next year for defending you?

As many of you will remember, we previous identified Mosquito Squad representatives sock puppetting a thread on DCUM. In addition, I subsequently identified a second thread in which sock puppetting occurred prior to that incident, so there have been two previous known cases of sock puppetting. I am not making any accusations against MS or anyone else, but I will simply point out these facts:

1) This user is not from the DC area and, as far as I can tell, never posted on DCUM before;

2) This poster has posted four (4) messages in this thread in support of Mosquito Squad;

3) This poster has not posted any other messages on the site that I can identify;

4) This poster arrived at DCUM, not by going to the home page and not by going to the main forum page, but by coming directly to this page.

Wow, thank you, Jeff. I am really uncomfortable with MS as a company. While I do think permethrin is needed in limited, targeted situations (impregnated bed nets and clothing in malaria-stricken areas, barrier spray for lyme prevention), I think it's a travesty that they are using it profligately, especially since CCD has been linked to its use, and it's so toxic to aquatic life. The fact that MS constantly comes to DCUM to sock puppet threads is just the nail in the coffin, though -- I'll never even use their garlic spray. I just don't trust a company with such deceptive practices.

BTW: totally off-topic, but I cut my garlic scapes off my garlic crop this year and wove them into little braids and tied them around the bannister of my deck. No mosquito bites in the backyard yet, and you can't smell the garlic unless you actually pick up the scape. They dried a few weeks ago but apparently they are still strong enough to confuse the mosquitoes. So if you grow garlic, don't throw out your scapes!

Are you a scientist that specializes in permethrin knowledge?

FYI garlic is an old wives tail and worthless except for maybe your house will be a bit stinky

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2177/does-garlic-repel-mosquitoes
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/24/health/24real.html

Not a strong reader, eh? The first article actually states (see the last paragraph) that garlic is NOT an old wive's tale. Citronella, garlic, and other plant compounds work, just not for as long as DEET.

We're another family who was turned off by the sock pupeting, and get the garlic spray at Home Deptot and do it ourselves once a week. Way cheaper.

[Anonymous]

My husband used to run after the DDT fogger truck spraying his neighborhood when he was a child. They thought it was fun to chase after the fogger! Now DDT has been banned, but I'm just giving you perspective, OP. I think keeping your kids inside for a week b/c you are afraid of what was sprayed next door is over-doing the protectiveness.

It's all good to be knowledgible and cautious with chemicals, but your kids aren't going to get cancer or fall apart from such minimal exposure. DH seems normal 50 years later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My husband used to run after the DDT fogger truck spraying his neighborhood when he was a child. They thought it was fun to chase after the fogger! Now DDT has been banned, but I'm just giving you perspective, OP. I think keeping your kids inside for a week b/c you are afraid of what was sprayed next door is over-doing the protectiveness.

It's all good to be knowledgible and cautious with chemicals, but your kids aren't going to get cancer or fall apart from such minimal exposure. DH seems normal 50 years later.

We did this, too!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Three times? They are supposed to be spraying every month per their contract. Was it 3 days in a row? That would be odd. It is safe to play after 30 minutes. I have a 18 month old and feel fine getting our yard sprayed. I also researched the compounds.

It is my understanding that some cities routinely spray down their entire district as a matter of routine mosquito/west nile virus control with this stuff. You just don't know about it.

I live in one of these cities and you absolutely know about it. They are required to send you a letter informing you of it, you are allowed to add yourself to a do-not-spray list (maintained by the state), and have to change your status in writing with them if you want to be sprayed in the future (they still send you the letter each year).

You wouldn't know about it if you were visiting. Say the OP went to falls church to get away from her house and her MS spraying neighbors. IF Falls church sprayed (i'm not saying it does, have no idea, just an example), no one would opt out of the playground and she wouldn't know about it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your dog got sick. BS, they use a similar product the is in frontline or other flea treatments.

+1

They put it small amounts in human shampoo, conditioner too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those of you who use mosquito squad despite the sock puppeting:

You say "oh yeah, the sock puppeting is bad, but..." does it not concern you that if a company is that deceptive on a website, that its employees are sock puppeting (and from the amount of times it appears to happen on many websites, not this one, my guess is that it is systemic and encouraged by the owners), the company might be more inclined to cut corners, lie to the customers in other ways (because that's what they are doing - lying to customers and potential customers, and no less), or otherwise behave as they have led you to expect they'd behave? Are you concerned that if you have a complaint with this company, they will treat you with as much respect as they've treated these anonymous people on a website? That they might SAY they've fixed the problem but haven't, really?

Are you home when they spray? If you're paying for the natural service, are you SURE they're not using pesticides? How would you know? (The pesticides are cheaper, btw). If you're asking them not to spray your children's toys, are you SURE they are not spraying that? Are you SURE they're doing what they're supposed to do?

You have nobody but yourself to blame if you're getting more chemicals than you bargained for from this company, or chemicals in places you don't want chemicals, etc. There have been a number of posters who have complained on these forums that Mosquito Squad people have come to their house and routinely just spray indiscriminately, without waiting for the homeowner to close windows, spraying down children's play equipment, etc.

And you trust these people to spray your house / yard / belongings with toxins?

They leave a note each time showing what chemical they used, if more than one was used they write down all of them, and who was the employee who sprayed and what time. It's very detailed. Unless you are accusing them of deliberate lying and fraud, you have no idea what you are talking about. You have no experience with them.

I don't like their sock puppet tactics but guess what? They aren't the first and they won't be the last. Business is brutal and they are trying to survive. It tells me they are aggressive in their marketing. I hate those placards they leave on my lawn even more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband used to run after the DDT fogger truck spraying his neighborhood when he was a child. They thought it was fun to chase after the fogger! Now DDT has been banned, but I'm just giving you perspective, OP. I think keeping your kids inside for a week b/c you are afraid of what was sprayed next door is over-doing the protectiveness.

It's all good to be knowledgible and cautious with chemicals, but your kids aren't going to get cancer or fall apart from such minimal exposure. DH seems normal 50 years later.

We did this, too!!

They should bring DDT back, it would clear up the problem ASAP. DDT saved millions of lives by killing malaria-carrying mosquitoes, and it got rid of all these damn bedbugs and lice. Banning DDT was one of the biggest hippie scams of the 20 century.