My father had one. He said it sucked and he returned it.
These guys work very well, I have three 12 room houses full to capacity. I think they're leaving soon. We also have barn swallows, which I encourage to nest in out eaves. They are on their second broods now.
Bat house are good.
Google up BCI or Bat conservancy International. As a spelunker I can attest to their voracity.
I tried two different brands, the "Mosquito Magnet" and another brand which name escapes me..The first one was very expensive, like 400.00 at Home Depot..We had it about two weeks and it attracted about a dozen skeeters..It went back to the store..Then we bought the other one at costco for right at
200.00, and it was even worse! I did some research and from what I read, different strains of mosquitos are more or less attracted to them..Something about lactic acid or something like that..Down here in south central Texas we have the Asian Tiger and they don't seem to be at all attracted to them..I have talked to several people who have tried them and they all got returned...I was most disappointed, as the idea was great...Just didn't work here so you might check around your area..Also the Mosquito magnet was more quiet, the other one made a hissing noise every few seconds sorta like a soda fountain..Guess it was a valve opening to allow the gas into the burner..Was most annoying... Good luck! John
I recently killed a skeeter that was almost half an inch across wingspan. It was on my calf eating me alive! It was striped and BIG. The biggest I ever saw here in South Texas.
We put minnows in our cattle troughs to help keep the skeeters down a bit. The Martins and Swallows and Bats are helpful too.
On Tue, 06 Jul 2004 16:43:34 -0400, "Mike (remove XX's to reply)" wrote (with possible editing):
I have two large "Mosquito Magnets" manufactured by American Biophysics. We've used two of them for about 5 years now (0ne has been replaced). Yes, they do work and everything said above is true. The downside is that they become very hard to start after about the third year. American Biophysics must know this as they have a regular trade-in program. They each use a tank of propane in about 3 weeks (cost about $10.00 for a refill) plus Octenol replacement cartridge (cost about $5.00) plus you are supposed to replace the net (forgot what they cost). So, they're not cheap to buy and they're not cheap to run, but... they do work.
MOTH BALLS!
Get a bat. Not a baseball bat....a real bat. They love mosquito's.
:) Get a bat. :) Not a baseball bat....a real bat. :) They love mosquito's.
Interesting article from the Texas Mosquito Control Association site
Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!
It is said that the early bird gets the worm, but it is the second mouse that gets the cheese.
Hmmm...
For more bat information...
Go to the, already mentioned, Bat Conservation International at:
The largest bat population in the world is in a cave in Central Texas, Bracken Bat Cave. I have visited there many, many times. Bracken is a nursery colony, the females give birth and raise young there, most of the bachelors are under the Congress Stree bridge in Austin. These are Mexican Freetails.
Estimates of insect consumption per year are well over 6,000 tons.
According to several studies of Purple Martin behavior and stomach contents, they eat larger insects, not mosquitoes.
- Joanne
Swallows tend to retire at the times of day when mosquitoes are most active.
- Joanne
Understood, but we have nearly no mosquitoes and 36 pairs of Martins and at least as many Swallows at our ranch house, not including yearlings. We have had record rainfall (21 days straight) this summer with lots of standing water. SOMETHING is eating them. I hold that the Martins and Swallows are contributing. The nighthawks help too. There are only a few bats.
Just trying to kill a myth. It's good to encourage animals to live around your homes, but purple martin colonies require careful maintenance, swallows can be a health hazard, and bats can carry rabies. They don't have significant impact on mosquito populations, so people should be aware of that before installing bird/bat houses to attract them. They will make a dent in the population since all do eat mosquitoes as part of their diet, but they're not the magic cure.
I have posted links on the purple martin and swallow myths earlier in the thread.
Study from 1950's touting bat's mosquito control locked them in a room with no other food choices
- Joanne
There is no magic cure to eliminate large numbers of mosquitoes in your yard without repeatedly spraying your yard with insecticides, as many cities in this country have resorted to doing. It does work, though - my parents who now live in Florida say there are less mosquitoes there (where spraying is a common occurrence) than there are in Iowa.
First I'll discuss some things that DON'T work or have very little effect:
Electronic repellers. Studies have shown that female mosquitoes do not flee from male mosquitoes and mosquitoes as a whole will not flee the area from dragonflies. They will not prevent mosquitoes from biting.
Bug zappers. They look cool and can be cheap entertainment on a summer night, but studies have shown that biting insects only make up around 1% of the take. Reasons not to get them include killing beneficial insects and potential spreading of disease by exploding insect bodies (NEVER place these near areas where there is food or people eating).
Citrosa plants. Mosquitoes will land on it, proving that it does not produce enough citronella oil to repel insects.
Citronella candles or incense. They only work for the area downwind of the smoke. One study showed citronella candles being 42% more effective at preventing bites on people near the candles versus no candles, but even ordinary candles were 23% more effective (the incense was no more effective than the regular candles).
Bats/purple martins/swallows. Purple martin colonies need maintenance while swallows and bats are potential health hazards. All for creatures for which mosquitoes make up only a small portion of their diet at best (they are opportunistic and will go for larger prey like flies, dragonflies, and beetles before settling for huge numbers of mosquitoes).
What DOES work:
Knowing your enemy. It's easier to kill them in the larval stage than in the adult stage. While some mosquitoes can travel upwards of 30 miles, the Culex mosquito (thought to be the primary carrier of the West Nile Virus) will only fly .5 to 1.5 miles from their breeding site. Some won't go farther than 200-300 yds from where they breed. Also see if you can find out (from your local public health department?) what species are most active. You can have dozens of species of mosquito in the same area, all with different behaviors (day vs night biters, whether they bite or not), risks of carrying disease, and breeding behavior (some need a puddle, some need a wet piece of ground that will dry out and get wet again).
Go on a thorough mosquito-proofing venture in your home and neighborhood. Eliminate places where water is left standing (old tires, trash left outside, blocked gutters, buckets, childrens swimming pools, tarps, flowerpot saucers, pet dishes). Birdbaths and wading pools should have their water changed at least once a week. If you have ponds, stock them with mosquito fish or treat them with larvicide. Cover or drill holes in the bottom of any containers that must remain outside (like garbage cans or tire swings). Fix leaking hoses or water pipes. If you have depressions where water collects (old stumps, low areas in your yard), fill them in. If a puddle of water lasts undisturbed for 4 days near your house, it can potentially breed mosquitoes. Be careful of taking any action on ditches near your home as they may be protected wetlands.
Mosquitoes rest in weeds and vegetation during their inactive periods, so keep your yard and surrounding areas mowed and use a weed whacker to eliminate tall grass from around your house that your mower may not be able to reach. You can apply residual insecticides to vegetation (like flowers) that you can't or don't want to eliminate.
Foggers can provide temporary relief by killing mosquitoes in the vegetation. It will not work in the long-term but works great if you're having a planned family gathering. Spray during the early morning or evening as rising air currents from the heat of the day will make the fog rise and be ineffective. If you have an event, spray the morning before, evening before, and the morning the day of for maximum effectiveness.
A pesticide-free way to protect family gatherings outside is with electric fans. Mosquitoes hate strong wind currents.
Mosquito traps. They do work, but they are expensive and there is still a lot of debate over how much area they really protect (I wouldn't give them any more credit than a few hundred yards downwind). They are also not a method of sole mosquito control. If you are depending on them as such, you are wasting your money.
- Joanne
If everyone in the country would spend just one afternoon finding and eliminating sources of standing water around their homes, there would be a massive decrease in mosquito populations.
Agreed. I have had the Mosquito Magnet for 3 years. My first one ran fine until about half way through the second season, when it quit. They replaced it free of charge. The second one never worked at all, but the third one seems fine. The "quick-clear valve" thing seems to have alleviated the dirty valve problem. Mine keeps my city lot essentially free of mosquitoes. Before, I couldn't use my back yard. It's located away from my deck, so the skeeters are attratcted away from me.
Never replaced a net. I just wash 'em. My goldfish love the dehydrated bugs.
Raymond
I don't know how big the piece of property you are talking about.
For my residential yard I plant scented geraniums. I have 3 large plants in the front and 3 around the patio in back. At your local nursery they can show you the one to buy It is called the mosquito plant.
It won't kill the mosquito but they don't like the scent, or whatever the reason they don't come around. Believe me here in hot humid florida that are millions of them. just a suggestion. It works for me.
Pat
Okay, not exactly what I asked for, but can I make smoke with "hickory chunks" and such and hope that it will chase mosquitos away>?
i
Anyone know if these things live in MD?
Smoke would be better than nothing and that's about all that can be said on the matter. If you're going to do smoke, why not try tiki torches with citronella-treated oil around the perimeter?
Personally I would suggest candles, electric fans, and plenty of DEET-containing insect repellent.
- Joanne (who is currently scratching several bug bites from the July 4th weekend at the cabin)
Sorry if someone already mentioned this, which I read on a household tips page last week (I haven't tried it): "Put some water in a white dinner plate and add a couple drops of Lemon Fresh Joy dish detergent. Set the dish on your porch, patio, or other outdoor area. Not sure what attracts them, the lemon smell, the white plate color, or what, but mosquitoes flock to it, and drop dead shortly after drinking the Lemon Fresh Joy/water mixture, and usually within about 10 feet of the plate. Check this out---it works just super! May seem trivial, but it may help control mosquitoes around your home, especially in the South and elsewhere where the West Nile virus is reaching epidemic proportions in mosquitoes, birds, and humans."
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