Peter -- You should do a search on Google's Usenet archives for "mosquito" -- there's been plenty of discussions on these over the last few years here. Irritatingly enough, I no longer have my own posts -- when I reinstalled my system that was the one folder I did not carry over.
Mosquito bites can be quite painful depending on the species of skeeter. We have some tiger striped buggers here in SW Ohio (USA) that are out all day and night, and let me tell ya -- when they bite you it's like getting bitten by a bloody horse fly.
There are a number of devices out there to combat mosquito problems. I've focused on two -- the Mosquito Magnet line and the Mosquito Deleto.
The concepts are basically the same -- create heat and carbon dioxide, couple it with octenol, then capture the mosquitoes. The Mosquito Magnet uses a vacuum whereas the Mosquito Deleto uses the rough equivalent of fly paper.
Since I don't have the bucks to get a Mosquito Magnet (although it would have been my first pick) I went with a Mosquito Deleto. To date the performance has been impressive. New units cost around $150.
We had not gotten around to picking up a canister of propane this year until late in the season. Any time we took a step in the back yard we were instantly under attack. We hooked up the Mosquito Deleto and I was bitten only a handful of times afterwards. The one thing commonly noted about this device though is that there are never any mosquitoes on the sticky paper. I don't know where they get all those skeeters in the commercials, but I never see any on there. I had a garter snake get on there once though. :) More oft than not, the mosquitos dessicate and there's just nothing left of them.
Simple fact of the matter -- without that thing going we're eaten alive, with it running they leave us alone. That's good enough for me.
Coleman also makes a Mosquito Inibitor. This gives off a citrousy scent and uses little foam inserts soaked in an oil repellant. FWIW, these things are great for patios to drive away any others -- we have one in the front yard and never get bitten when we have it out. Only down side is that the cost of refills is nearly the same as the whole unit.
The Mosquito Magnet uses the same basic concepts as the Mosquito Deleto but instead of the sticky paper it has a vacuum with a sucker right near the octenol attractant. Mosquitoes check in but they don't check out -- as they fly up to the device, they're sucked in and dropped into a bag that is attached to the unit. The company makes several models ranging in price from about $300 to over $1000 (all USD). These puppies are widely reviewed and very well considered. Effective ranges are 1/4 acre to a full acre.
FWIW, I've also a measure of success with the Off Lamps in small, relatively enclosed areas (such as the front yard which is surrounded on 3 sides and sits far back from the road). These cost about 15-20 bucks, give or take.
Coleman's website has info on the Mosquito Deleto at
formatting link
and you can buy online there as well home improvement stores. The Mosquito Magnet can be found at
formatting link
and are widely available at home improvement stores like Home Depot, Sears, and Target even.
Lastly, there are a number of sprays manufactured that you simply attach a hose to the sprayer then treat your yard/patio areas. One uses Cedar oil while the other uses Garlic extract. The latter is called Mosquito Barrier
formatting link
and runs $22.45 for a quart and is purported to cover about an acre ($84.95 for a gallon which covers 5 acres). So far, the only place I've found this one available was online at their web site. (There's another "Mosquito Barrier" product marketed by Victor Pest, but it is nowhere near as concentrated although it's equally difficult to find). The other, Cedarcide
formatting link
is the one I went with -- I found it locally at a garden supply store (couple, actually) and it was less expensive for more. Cedarcide worked pretty well -- I hooked my hose to the sprayer, sprayed all about the house, and the skeeters stayed away. These treatments will wear off after a couple of good rains but in the interim they do very well and do not involve any mess or bad odors. One thing I really like about them is that I can spray the house (around windows and doors for example) and the buggies stay outside.
So that's how I combat the bloody things. It works too -- we only get a few bites each month compared to many more withot them.
James