Instant Survey: Mosquito Management

An respected University of Wisconsin entomologist (bug guy) said on public radio that if you pull down your pants and sit over a citronella candle the mosquitos will not bite the area where the flame touches your skin. Probably any candle would work as well.

I have used garlic tablets in the past, these work rather well. Don't take too many, because then you'll smell like garlic. It is supposed to make you taste bad to bugs. Since I've gone vegetarian, I've also gotten less bites... there might be something to that.

Lavender oil makes a great insect repellent. It's also fantastic for healing cuts and scrapes, and burns too. It's an antiseptic and will kill stinky body odor bacteria, so you can use it as a deoderant as well.

The only problem I've found with the stuff is that some humans seem to be allergic to it. My husband and a friend of mine both get all stuffed up if I use a lot of lavender oil anywhere near them.

When I was an archeologist, in a former life, we swore by Avon's Skin-so-Soft lotion as the best bug-repellent around. Now I see that Avon has cashed in on this belief and is marketing a full line of bug repellents based on their Skin-so-Soft formula.

They work, but you can't use just ONE. You have to encircle yourself in them.

citronella: no.
mosquito magnet: yes. i scoffed at it when i bought it (i had to try) but the thing is worth it's weight in gold. my neighbor came over once and was amazed at the diff between his yard and mine. he now owns one too

You don't have to encircle yourself as much as make sure that the one you are using is upwind.

You have to adjust for wind and air circulation, but they do work.

I have a small balcony above my deck and I put two small candles up there, as well as two on posts so that the smoke will drift towards you.

And Skin-So-Soft is a fantastic bug spray. Not only does it work on mosquitos and flying insects, but it's a great way to keep ants from crashing your party. Just spray a little bit around your blanket or on the legs of the table.

Mike - the mosquito magnet site says they go through propane tanks every 3 weeks. Has this been your case? Do you leave yours running all the time? mosquitos are terrible at my house.

I use a product called smartshield that is a spray on sunblock combo with a cedar based insect repellant as well. It has worked well and is DEET free. Might not be ideal for hanging out in the backyard, but serves me well while active outside.

After the hatch, wear a life jacket in case the skeeters drop you over open water.

Seriously, Consumer Reports recently ran an exhaustive comparison and included some totally new formulations that look benign and more effective than DEET.

From my days of field work, I learned to soak the outer brim of an old cotton wide brimmed hat in DEET, keeping it in a plastic bag when not out and about. Keep in mind that it's the vapors that "repel". What's on your skin does nothing to the skeeters. In fact DEET does not even repel: it randomizes flight patters so only the odd bug will light upon you. True repellants do not exist to my knowledge.

What works for us (and only when your sitting outside) is old fashioned smudge pots. You position them around where your sitting and it does keep away them away. I'm very sensitive to their bites and can tell you I only sit out on my parents patio if these things are burning.

Before you start looking for the tonic that will cure all that ails you, use some preventive medicine. For instance, I always wear pants and closed shoes instead of sandals and shorts when gardening or outside to limit the skin exposed when the mosquitoes are bad. Also always look for still water collecting somewhere and shake the heck out of it or just dump it out. I’ve heard tell that a well placed bat house, a very real possibility in Austin, or fish pond can handle mosquitoes well.

Figured I'd chime in about the sonic gadgets. I've had a little solar powered mosquito chaser for years. It supposedly makes the sound of an angry male mosquito to keep away the pregnant females (apparently the only ones that bite). I've had mixed luck with it (it claims to work on about 500 of the 1500 or so species of mosquito in the world), but when it works, it works pretty well. The bugs don't go away, but they won't bite much, either.

Cintronella and Skin-so-Soft have not been scientifically proven to work.. They may "work" for some people because those same people may not be attracting mosquitos in general.

Picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus are the only two DEET alternatives that the CDC has accepted as worthwhile - and this only happened in 2005. This is a big deal, by the way, because the CDC is not take such things lightly.

last year I tried out this garlic spray next to my house, which is next to a river, and a big frog pond that floods seasonally and a lot of very damp marshy patches.
I thought it worked amazingly well. I resprayed about every 3 weeks. It was particularly dramatic in the nice cool garage, where they would just wait for people to come in. After I used this stuff, it was a real improvement.

And no, I'm not affiliated with these folks. here's their site:
http://www.mosquitobarrier.com/

I've read that mosquitos are attracted to the refined sugars we eat. The outbreak of Yellow Fever started in the sugar colonies....so maybe it's as easy and healthy as that (no need for DEET!), I just read this the other day...I haven't tested it out yet! Good Luck

FlatGreg,

the magnet i have goes through a tank in about a month. 4-5 weeks. mine is the entirely self contained one (no power cord)

runs all the time. that is very important. it takes 3-4 weeks to really make a difference. keep in mind it calls them in and kills them so it basically hurts the local population.
very local...

why does this post not show up on the main page? I only found it through the comments...

If there's a mosquito around, it will find me and let every other bug around know where I am. The only thing that works for me, other than DEET, is the new Cutter Advanced bugspray. No smell, no greasy feel, no poison, no bugs!! I'd recommend it for anyone and everyone who's trying to find a DEET alternative.

The Mosquito Magnet operates by releasing a continuous stream of carbon dioxide (CO2) and scientifically proven attractant to draw mosquitoes to the trap.
Recent scientific evidence shows that the greenhouse effect is being increased by release of certain gases to the atmosphere that cause the Earth's temperature to rise. This is called "global warming." Carbon dioxide (CO2) accounts for about 85 percent of greenhouse gases released in the United States.

I say we stick with the candles.

When I was a wetland ecologist, trapesing around in FL swamps that man was not meant to go in (until they become 7/11s), the only, I repeate ONLY thing that worked well was a blasted mosquito net on my head, with a wide brimmed hat to keep it off my face. Of course, this was an extreme environment...

Something that is slightly more green and more pleasant are mosquito incense coils from asia. They are made from chrysanthemum and contains pyrethrum. King brand is good.

I've used citronella candles, and found them to be very effective in the swamps of down east North Carolina because the air tends to be very still. A slight breeze, or just rowing a few feet, and you're back on the menu. The same holds true of CO2 based systems, they just tend to work over much larger areas than candles, making them suitable for parties. Then there's deet based repellants, which work fine, except then the bastard bugs just hang out six to ten inches in front of your face, which is more annoying than the bug bites themselves. What works better than any of the following combined is good old garlic. You can eat it, and that'll keep the skeeters off you, but then it'll keep everyone else away as well. Then there was some old lady who used to whip up batches of a garlic based scented oil which had a yummy nutty scent, kept the bugs miles away, and dangit if my skin didn't feel smoother. Too bad she died when I was 19, and along with her the recipe. I could be rich, rich I tell you.

We grow lavender bushes around the outside of the house, and cut them back regularly to encourage new growth. Since we planted them, three years ago, we haven't had a mozzy in the house at all.

For a stationary open area where you might use citronella candles, I'd highly recommend cedar incense as an alternative. The bugs instinctively flee the scent of burning cedar, and I think it smells a lot more pleasant and much less overpowering than those yellow candles.

There's a local remedy that has a very good track record in Austin. Rudy's BBQ has large clear plastic bags full of water hung about every 4' from the ceiling on the outskirts of the porch, forming a perimeter. Even with all the BBQ and sweaty people on the outdoor porch, it's usually quite nice. And the mosquitos in Austin can be vicious in the summertime.

CedarCide's spray works for me, and smells great. (It's 1% Cedar oil.) Not sure how long it lasts; I use it around the yard and just spray on a bit more if the mosquitos start to bother me. And, since it doesn't have DEET, I don't worry about putting "too much" on.

(The usual: I don't work for them; just a happy customer.)

Could you clarify what is supposed to do? "Rudy's BBQ has large clear plastic bags full of water hung about every 4' from the ceiling on the outskirts of the porch, forming a perimeter. Even with all the BBQ and sweaty people on the outdoor porch, it's usually quite nice."

I don't understand how it works and what it is to accomplish.