I live in a wooded lot near Atlanta, GA (3/4 acre), with a small stream in the backyard. The stream is always flowing.
My lab loves to play ball every day, and each time I go out, I get eaten alive (unless I cover myself in skin so soft or Off). If I light some torches around me, the mosquitos leave me alone, but is a pain to lug that thing around with me in the back yard.
I would love to have one of those mosquito magnet things, but that is a bit out of my budget for now.
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.
Good luck. Even with the mosquito magnets, it's hard to rid a place completely of these pesky insects. Of course, you want to make sure you're not breeding any extras around your yard. Any type of still or stagnant water is harbourage for them. Water in old tires, bird baths, planters, wheelbarrows etc., is good breeding sites for them. Hopefully with the creek you say is back there, there are no still pools leading from it.
There are types of fogging chemicals on the market for them, however they are VERY temporary solutions, and are more of band-aid treatments.
If it were me, I would keep using repellent and hope for the best.
Jay
Thanks. I was hoping someone knew a trick to it.
SOunds like the spray will be my best defense.
Thanks again.
ccualumni,
I'll second Jay's thoughts and say that if you have taken care of all the obvious sources like standing water you should resign yourself to mosquitos as being the price you pay for a rural existance.
We had to.
Our place has a duck breeding marsh with Beaver and Muskrat behind us and a river across the road. Mosquitos are a small price to pay for being here.
We did the mosquito fogging thing our first year here and it was relatively inefective as Jay said and I didn't realize at first that I was also killing the beneficial critters too.
For about 10 years I had the worst mosquito problem here that I had ever seen. I searched everywhere for breeding places and could find some in the spring when a wet area had water in it, but the mosquitos were here the year around. On 3 sides of my house I had pasture and weeds. On the 4th side I had heavy forest. We had very few birds, many mosquitos, many grasshoppers and many other damaging insects. I clear cut and began mowing the forest area, and the mosquito problem suddenly became a totally seasonal thing. Since the cutting of the forest, I have begun attracting Blue Birds and have many of them along with many other types of birds that were not here when the forest was here. I have watched the birds feed. Their choice feeding ground is mowed lawn. Evidently the insects are easier to see on mowed grass. They also have a clear view of predators such as hawks, so they feel more comfortable here. I believe the birds are part of the solution, but simply removing the trees worked wonders. I still do not fully understand how that made such a difference.
Have you considered attracting Purple Martins. It is widely believed that Purple Martins eat mosquitos by the handful. I do not know whether that is true or not, but it might be worth a try.
W.A. McCormick
I am planting seeds for these which are documented as helping minimize insect pest populations including mosquitos. Any lemon scented plants will help. Plant them along your borders and in the beds by the house, and anywhere you like to sit out in the yard.
Have you ever considered installing a bat house on your property? I have had a lot of success with these after reading about it 2 years ago. While it doesn't get rid of ALL mosquitoes, I think it is the most economical way of reducing the mosquito population dramatically. No chemicals involved. ***********
Michelle, welcome to the forums! Hopefully in 4 years they got it solved, but maybe not. Bat boxes are a good way of doing this, and I would have suggested the same. I live in north Georgia in a 6.5 acre valley, and we sit on our porch watching the bats at dusk zoom in and out, knowing they are doing their job. I have 2 or 3 houses for them, and they stick pretty close.
Now you tell me this??? You guys waited 4 years to tell me.
Just kidding.
I have since moved and no longer have a wooded lot. The mosquitos are gone as well, so it sis very nice.
Thanks. If they come around here, I will get some bats going.
Did you do like me.....move from the ratrace in Atlanta? You must have been on Nancy Creek. Very famous for the view and mosquitoes.
Tags: mosquitos, yard, about years, many other, mosquito problem, Purple Martins, them along, were here
