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Non-toxic Mosquito Control Ideas
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Anonymous
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Any ideas? Would prefer eco-friendly/low toxic because of DCs (of course) and neighbors' pets.
We've tried citronella, individual sprays, foggers and such. We have a small patio with no standing water and few plants. Nothing seems to work for more than a half hour. Someone else posted about some super garlic natural spray called Mosquito Barrier but it didn't get any replies. Suggestions? The city doesn't seem to do spraying like I've heard they do in VA. TIA |
Meconbear
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Member Offline
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We use the stuff from HTO near Tenleytown (it's citronella based and smells really strong) and just reapply every hour (and then take a bath at night).
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Anonymous
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I spent hours and hours trying to research this last summer (but to no avail), but I learned a few things in the process:
1) Most mosquitos only fly 30-40 feet from where they were hatched... so if you have mosquitos, you probably DO have standing water. Check your gutters. If you live near woods, you will probably have standing water. Large leaf plants (like hostas) often have water pool in them. It doesn't take much for a breeding ground (1 tsp.) 2) I have not found a single spray that is really OK to be putting on your skin. The "non-toxic" ones don't work very well IMO. 3) Some people swear by Mosquito Magnets. They're expensive. Others say they don't work for squat. Good luck. I hope you find something that works. If you do, please let me know! |
Anonymous
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The only thing I can come up with is fans. Really strong ones. It doesn't work for playing in the yard, but around the table you can place a few at foot level and blast them.
I tried it last summer and it seemed to work OK, but then the batteries ran out and I never got around to replacing. We had 2 fans - I think you would do better with more. But mosquitos can't fly in the wind and you won't smell bad either. |
Anonymous
| I use bug zappers in the areas where I know they are breeding. Since we have a wooded area, there really isn't much I can do, and I don't want to use poison. Thankfully we do have the lights and electrical outlets on the edge of the wooded area. |
Anonymous
| How about bug bands? They are genorial based and not citrnella. Checkout amazon.com or QVC.com. They either work very well or don't work at all. Depends on the person. |
Anonymous
| Mosquitos hate smoke. I don't think citronella works too well. Studies show that the DEET in mosquito repellent is the most effective. |
Anonymous
| What about picardin? It seems to work. |
Anonymous
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There was a posting on this subject not too long ago on the Off Topic forum. You may want to search it.
I've heard Listerine works well if you can dab/spray it on. Apparently, it is the alcohol that is repulsive to them, but not sure if it really works. Haven't tried it. |
Anonymous
| I have read that downing a shot of vinegar daily makes you unappealing to mosquitos. I have not tried it, nor do I know how I would persuade a child to do so. |
Anonymous
| avon skin so soft repells bugs for some reason...it's like an oil. |
Anonymous
You could go for the English approach and wash down the vinegar with fish and chips.... |
Anonymous
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Find the standing water --
in your yard? In your neighbor's yard? Do you have a lot of pots for plants with saucers? Do you have any pots with built in reservoirs (like Earth Boxes). If you have standing water you can't get rid of, try mosquito "dunks" -- which float in the water and kill larvae. Hope this helps, becky |