this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2023
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To my knowledge there's no stagnant water on my property, I've run water through all my ptraps, and I'm careful to not leave doors open. Yet at any given time there's at least 3 in my house. I can't sleep, i can't sit on the couch, i can't exist in the fear of being sucked dry.

The breaking point is when i watched my dog get bit on her head. I'm ready to do whatever it takes and then some. I will kill a man if it saves me from these demons. Any ideas?

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Dual wield those electric tennis rackets?

If you're talking about a particular area, using fans can help push mosquitoes away.

If you're mobile, use DEET on your skin and permethrin on your clothes and your dog's fur.

[–] nekat_emanresu@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 year ago

Oh, i had a problem like this very recently. The house has an air-vent that i assumed had a screen, but it was just flat out exposed. Because of the house design it just massively funneled the wind and mosquitos inside. I opened the vent cover and put some tissue paper over the inside so that it'd get fixed in place somewhat to "filter" the mosquitos and just instantly went from 5 per night to 1 over the next month.

Can you buy a million sterilized mosquitos and release them into your environment? It's a long term solution but they can compete the fertile mosquitos to death.

[–] FarFarAway@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

We hung one of those uv light Bug zapper lamps outside for use on during the evening hours, as it's too hot during the day for them to really come out. We also got a few of the smaller ones that plug into your regular outlets inside, from Amazon. This has cut down on the ones in the house drastically.

Of course remove standing water, and keep tall grasses trimmed. They actually make thier homes and can reproduce in tall grass esp when you have daily sprinklers (like our aerobic septic system) we have deer that stop by and trim our grass for us.

Our community was built on an endangered toad habitat, which is sad but also helpful. (We really try to keep everything as natural as we can around the house so as not to harm them)

But really the bug zapper were God send

[–] Poiar@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Could a blue light trap work? Idk how mosquitoes work compared to flies.

I read somewhere that smelly cheese attracts the flying leeches. Maybe placing some bait, and swat them when they've fallen into your trap.

I better yet, zap them. Swatting mid-air is hard. I've begun catching them with my hands. Better success rate, as they then don't get blown out the way by the fly swatter's air current.

Ps. I've read about some people having invented an infrared light beam that will fry them mid air. Idk if it's safe, or even something to purchase - just throwing ideas out there.

Pps. If you wanna go totally bananas, you could paint your entire room white, and decorate like a minimalist. They'd have nowhere to hide.

[–] xylogx@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Bug zappers dont work too well. A fan can be more effective in some cases depending on your circumstances.

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[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 8 points 1 year ago

So it sounds like you think your home is sealed already. I assume they're just coming in when you do? You could spray near the doors maybe. Insecticide probably isn't good for you but it's worth considering living in a cloud of DEET if you're that desperate.

[–] aceospos@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 year ago

For those of us that live in the West African tropics, we just settle on how many bites we can tolerate per night lol. Some people apply agricultural pesticides (active ingredient Bifenthrin) down their waste water pipes once a month to ameliorate.

[–] jemorgan@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago

Love opening a thread all excited for some answers only to get 100 repeats of the same unfunny joke.

Here are some answers I’ve found by looking around:

basil, catnip, citronella, lavender, mint, etc. Most bugs don’t like fragrant plants because they can’t smell their prey or predators accurately anymore

If you can find where they’re breeding, establishing some frogs would make a buff difference. Tadpoles gobble the larva up from what I understand. I’ve also read that bats are way helpful, and you can apparently establish a small bar colony in a bat house.

Best of luck, mosquitos are evil.

[–] wizzor@sopuli.xyz 6 points 1 year ago

Here is what we have done

  • A three piece mosquito net AND a cloth hanging at the door. The combination of two barriers is very effective
  • Stainless steel mosquito netting in a removable frame on all windows (no maintenance abd easy to remove)
  • Same net for all ventilation holes
  • A mosquito magnet CO2 attractor outside
  • A UV bug zapper inside (I don't like them outside, as they will mostly kill butterflies and other non-annoying insects)

Anything short of premetherin yard fogging once a month is dicking around.

[–] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago

Give them a perfect spot to breed, like a kiddie pool with standing water or a bucket or two. Then drop a mosquito dunk in each. The mosquitoes will be drawn to this perfect breeding ground but the dunks will kill the larvae. Once the adults die off, there will be no new ones to take their place.

Secondly, if you have a lawn, spray it thoroughly with insecticide. This will kill or repel the ones living in the grass.

[–] Ktheone@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

I just use a electric racquet

[–] casio77@reddthat.com 6 points 1 year ago

Get like 5 pet frogs

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I understand garlic repels them.

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I use one of those plug in repellents. Since they show up in the evening, I turn it on for an hour or two around that time, wait a bit to let the smell leave the room then close windows and doors. Before sleep I do a scoop around the room to find any fucker left.

[–] lntl@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 1 year ago

CRISPr is what you need.

It's what we all need.

[–] kreateer@programming.dev 5 points 1 year ago

I've found that Eucaliptus plants deter mosquitoes pretty well

[–] icepuncher69@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Flamethrower...

Now seriously, you could burn one of those cardboards that come with chicken eggs, i think other cardboards work but the egg one seems to be the most usefull for reppeling mosquitoes.

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[–] S_204@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If you are in the woods, permitherin is the best option.

If you are just sitting around the patio, just set up a fan.

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[–] KrisKao@feddit.uk 5 points 1 year ago

In the region where I leave it would be impossible to not have mosquitoes around, the conditions are just good for them, but I have an electric zapper that is shaped like a tennis racquet and I can zap them as soon as I see them inside the house. I also do the chemical fumigation now and then, but for the most part I use the electric zapper. It is very common in countries and regions where mosquitoes are a pest.

[–] Hikermick@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Did you check your gutters?

Normally, I would recommend citronella, either the grass or the candles, but I believe it is toxic to dogs.

I believe lavender, catnip and basil are safe, but they're all mints and may try to take over your garden or yard. They all grow very well in pots though.

You can also try setting a trap. Put out some soapy water. The females are the ones biting you and they need water to lay eggs. They'll fall in the water and the soap prevents them from escaping. I haven't actually tried this with mosquitos, just other pests, but I have friends who swear by it.

[–] Blizzard@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 year ago

You haven't provided too much information about your location... but a common swift eats 20.000 insects a day and mosquitoes are one of their favourites. If they live in your area, look up online how to build a birdhouse that will suit their needs.

[–] newguy208@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Before you go on an omnicide on the entire species, consider planting Neem tree. These naturally repel mosquitoes. You can also get their oil to burn in oil dispenser etc but be warned it stinks like hell. I prefer to have a small pot of it next to the window and once it grows big enough, put it in a permanent place in the ground.

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