Have a couple of small, shallow ponds at my camp in the boonies. Two dried up the last two years, killing off most of the dragonfly population. (Takes 'em two years underwater to mature.) We no longer have Combat Air Patrol, fine at our house though. So bad out there that bug spray doesn’t work even if you bathe in it. Never had issues before. Because I had dragonflies. I’m sure the 10" of snow, in Florida upset things just a tad. Fucking global warming.
Anyway, searched a bit and everyone wants to sell me a bug zapper. A) I don’t have power unless I run a genny. B) Those things are indiscriminate and we humans have nuked the insect population as is.
There has to be some way to attract them into a trap. I know they target mammalian CO2 exhalations, and to a lesser extent, warmth. Seems like there should be an easy way to suck the mindless beasts into a black hole. ?
The best way I know to keep unwanted bugs like mosquitoes away without zappers and chemicals is planting lavender. They hate it and will avoid it, while also helping local Bee populations because bees love it. It also keeps wasps and hornets away, as they hate it too.
Well that’s a plan! Haven’t had much luck planting out there though. Typical NW Florida soil, about 2-3" of topsoil, sand all the way to China.
You got me thinking on citronella though! Forgot about that.
That sounds like a pain for growing conditions.
I use planters because I live in an apartment, but my mother in law uses those little kids pools full of soil to get around not having good soil to grow in. The pools seem to work really well, and she even customized how each soil can drain for different crops and flowers by cutting drain holes. I think she is also trying to grow rice in one of them that is more flooded. haha
I was curious and looked it up, English Lavender doesn’t really like to grow in Florida either because of the heat and humidity. But Spanish, French, Goodwin Creek grey and Phenominal lavender all grow well there. Which is now a fact I know. haha
Citronella is a pretty good alternative! I used to use the candles specifically for mosquitoes. The only problem I had with it is it also keeps other things away I don’t want to avoid like bees and such.
“Mosquito Dunks” in a bucket of water. The water attracts females to lay eggs in the bucket. The “dunks” have a bacteria in them that kills the larva after the eggs hatch preventing further generations from maturing.
I put about a quarter of a disk in each bucket and set them up around the yard in problem areas. Need to add more dunk about once a month.
There is a “Mosquito Bits” which is a granulated version of the same thing that might work if you still have ponds but I’m not familiar with the exact dosage
This is a cool solution, I’d never heard of this.
It reminds me of how they deal with mosquitos on an industrial scale, releasing millions of infertile males into the wild to prevent a next generation.
Bought a 20 pack thanks to you!
Good luck! Hope it works out 🤞
Works great for me in Georgia
I can’t edit my posts for some reason, but I wasn’t being sarcastic about global warming. A monster bolus of hot air smacking the polar vortex on it’s ass is what send Canada weather down here. Fucking global warming.
Have you tried “mosquito dunks” in your remaining ponds?
You can make a mosquito trap that lures them to lay eggs in poisoned water and deals with the issue earlier in the year
This is what we do too, minus the poisoned water. It’s just a one-way trap made with some cloth net and plastic bottles.
It takes a while to make a difference but eventually the population of mosquitoes should decrease (unless they are reproducing elsewhere)
https://www.amazon.com/Mosquito-Magnet-MM4200B-Patriot-Plus/dp/B07CLT5D6Z
Cant vouch for this model specifically, but my dad’s had good luck with a similar one. Targets biting insects specifically exactly how you said: CO2, heat, moisture.
Crud, too rich for my blood ATM. Looks much like what I was imagining for an effective trap.
For what it’s worth, they totally work.
I have a friend with a cabin by a lake in the woods, it’s lovely, but the mosquito situation there is no joke. She has a few of these and when she goes to empty them periodically, it’s just a trap full of mosquitos… It’s not other critters, it’s just like a pint of dead mosquitos.
mosquito buckets help a lot but you won’t see results right away.
Best idea I’ve seen yet!
When I lived in Florida I had a Mosquito Magnet
These things are amazing, they output CO2 and have a net on them that traps the mosquitos.
I couldn’t find a pic with the net full but when i emptied mine every day or 2 it looks like a mesh crow royal sized bag, and it’s FILLED with the fuckers every time.
Can’t afford one ATM. :( When I get working I’m all over this.
Are they all dead in there? Or do you release them in the woods?
The nearest body of water is about a mile away from me, I attract dragonflies with tall stem grasses and way too many flies.
Maybe you can encourage them with some tall grass? I don’t remember what kind I scattered, whatever the University of Colorado said to plant here in Denver years ago
Got a few “ponds” at the house, between 10g and 150g. Brings all the boys to the yard! But the dried up ponds at camp set me back a year or three. Since they take 2 years to mature, they won’t be back this year or probably the next.
Yes but they also need 2ft high plants to hunt from. If you cut all your tall grass they will have to hunt elsewhere
Just get fake ones
Mosquitos aren’t exactly smart, you can buy ones to hang off your porch or even off your hat.
Populate the ponds with frogs/tadpoles to start killing the mosquito larvae.
Propane mosquito traps are about the only thing you can use that will make a dent otherwise.
You should see the tadpoles in my house ponds! I’m the only reason we have frogs on my street.
https://www.amazon.com/Spartan-Mosquito-Pro-Tech-Acre/dp/B09B1BP1JH
Not sure how well it works, buy my sister in law has them around her house.
Insect populations dropped by 41% globally since 2015.
No mosquitos will be the least of our problems when every species above in the food chain ends up on the endangered list.
