Due to a unusual amount of rain, I’m battling mosquitos this spring. Any tips for someone who usually doesn’t have this problem? What are you using to drive these pests away? Do citronella candles, etc. work? Are there any electronic devices you can recommend? Other than smothering myself in DEET, is there anything I can do to make myself less tasty to these awful creatures?
When we are eating dinner outside we have found that the Off candle latern and a fan work best. Citronella did nothing. If I am just sitting out I spray the chair with Off deep woods. Then it is not on me but seems to keep them off anyhow.
Ooh, spraying the chair is a great idea! Wouldn’t have come up with it myself. Thanks!
Spray non skin items (clothing) with repellent containing DEET and your skin with Cutter Skinsations.
Love the chair idea!
We started srpaing the chairs with the pool lounge chairs since you don’t want insect repellent in the pool. . Keeps the nats down too.
Another vote for a fan blowing in the area. It has worked fairly well for us.
Call your local govt health dept and check if they’ll come out and spray by your home. Ask them too if encephalitis is danger in your area now…if so, don’t go outside more than you have to. Check around your house for standing water that skeeters breed in…eliminate any standing water. Get a screen-room tent if you want to sit out in your backyard now.
lizard, the mosquitos aren’t THAT bad; it’s just that I live in Colorado, where we usually have very few of them. However, this year, we’ve had rain (lots of it) every day since May, and suddenly, here they are. Good reminder about standing water, though. I’ll poke around the yard.
Good, glad things aren’t too bad with the mosquitos. Hope the mosquitos aren’t swimming in the water Coors makes their beer from!
If they are, no worries. Denver is a top micro brew city, much to Coors’ disappointment. More artisanal beer here than pot dispensaries. And that’s saying a lot.
I just read online that Johnson and Johnson Creamy baby oil with aloe and vit e repells them. I have not tried it.
Supposedly tying some unused fragrant dryer sheets to your belt-loops, or chairs will repel them, too.
the Avon SSS is supposed to repel…I think it just masks your human smell, not sure.
Actually, DEET dissolves many synthetic fabrics. Not a good choice for clothing.
Insect/tick repellent clothing is treated with permethrin. You can buy factory treated clothing with brands like BugsAway and Insectshield. LLBean and Ex Officio are two options. Very pricey.
Or. you can treat your own, usually with spray bottle. You hang the clothes outside, spray til damp, and let dry. It lasts for multiple washing and multiple weeks of sun exposure. Once dry, it’s completely (or nearly completely) odorless. Long sleeves, long pants, and hat, treated with permethrin, will keep you mostly skeeter free without DEET.
Back in the day we used to use Skin So Soft. It kept the state bird (mosquito, in Wisconsin…) and flies away, was good to the skin, and didn’t stink.
There are some bands and other things you wear on your belt or around your wrist that are supposed to repel mosquitoes. Have no personal experience on how effective they are. Have a friend who is collaborating with a U on another wearable band that repels mosquitoes WITHOUT chemicals. Don’t think his is on the market yet but preliminary tests are VERY positive.
Permethrin treated clothes do repel against mosquitoes, ticks, etc. I was in the Amazon forest last month for a week, no bites whatsoever.
However, there’s a slight odor after the clothes are sprayed. I bought my tops from Ex-Officio (buzz off) and they don’t have any odor. I sprayed my pants and socks with permethrin myself to save some money.
When you look for standing water, it helps to be completely OCD. We had corrugated tubing extending from our downspouts and the water that sits in the corrugation is enough for some mosquitos. I put a “condom” on the end - really a knee high stocking - so they couldn’t get in.
There are also traps you can make, involving large soda bottles and yeast, that emit carbon dioxide and they will attract mosquitos. Look around on youtube to find them.
This is also interesting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqIllCxn4YE
I’ve tried the OFF belt clip thing and it worked a bit. I also tried something that emitted a whine that was supposed to mimic an aggressive male mosquito and it worked a bit. I don’t like slathering myself with DEET but that works the best. Still, I’ll just cover up rather than do the chemical dip or just swat away. I’m lucky to live in a place with lots of dragon flies and lizards and they take care of most of the mosquitos.
If you have plants that create some standing water (like bromeliads), you can add a drop or two of detergent so that the environment is hostile to mosquitoes. It’s labor intensive, but that’s how they keep mosquitoes from breeding in the garden at the local CC. Have never heard of the CO traps from large soda bottles. Fascinating.
I also once put a bit of salt in the water that collects in the base of a gate post.
I like the tip about the bromeliads! do you dilute the dish detergent first or just put a drop in each watery spot?
Yes, I have a few ExOfficio adventure shirts with the factory treatment. Deep discount at Sierra Trading Post made them almost affordable ($40 instead of $89). Zero smell. No way to know they are treated at all, except for the label. This the same factory soak/dry treatment that Army uniforms get.
I actually buy bulk bottle of Permethrin and mix up my own spray. Costs almost nothing, so I treat all the socks, pants, shorts, shirts, hats, shoes, backpacks, chairs. and tents that I use outdoors. The factory permethrin should last forever, for all intents and purposes. The spray treatment probably should be re done once a year, maybe twice a year in climates where bug season is more than a few months.
Then I spray a little 100% DEET on exposed arms, legs, neck, ears, etc.