Here in Houston sometimes around midnight, the City dispatches a truck to spray some chemical in neighborhood. The next day, there're less mosquitos. What is that chemical? Can we buy it from any store? Some parks in the city have absolutely no mosquitos. I think they treated the grass and tress with some magical stuff too.
Yong Huang
Yong Huang wrote: ...
Probably Malathion or a mixture ...
It is a consumer-available insecticide, yes...
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Is this a fogger, that sprays into the air rather than spraying the ground?
There are products they use in Maryland, especially on Chincoteague, right in the campground where we were sleeping, that they insist are very safe, safer than older products, and afaik, they are.
Why not call the city and ask what they use? They'll almost surely tell you, because they're spraying your neigbhborhood. If somehow not, look at the trucks to get the department name, or ask the driver where he parks, and go down there and ask around until you find out. Maybe you'll see the drums and you can write down what is in them.
The driver might know what he uses also.
likely resmethrin
The driver will have a copy of the MSDS and HAS to provide copies to anyone who asks. It's the 'right to know' program.
steve
Yong Huang posted for all of us...
It's DDT - we used to play in the fog when I was a kid. Maybe that's why I'm the way that I am? NAH
Yong Huang wrote in news:0a6669d9-05e4-4f56-aa25- snipped-for-privacy@r66g2000hsg.googlegroups.com:
I think it's that cheap s*it my ex used to wear.
=?ISO-8859-15?Q?Tekkie=AE?= wrote in news:X6OdnU7927kK3D_VnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:
That's it!!! That's the s*it she used to wear.
Probably malathion
One thing that can be said with great confidence is that it is _not_ DDT. DDT was banned in the US more than 30 years ago and even in the Third World it's generally only legal for spraying the inside of houses in areas that are prone to malaria.
You can buy your own fogger that works with a small propane tank (the same kind of propane you use for a plumbing tourch). I have one here in Maryland and it works great. To feel safer, I use a mask and gloves and shower right afterwards. I think I bought mine at a local farm supply store.
Thanks everybody. I got in touch with the city health department. The lady told me they mainly use malathion and resmethrin, as some of you said. I'll go to Home Depot and buy some.
Yong Huang
Paulaner posted for all of us...
You should have gotten some horse suppositories while you were there!
Problem is - as you have seen - they have to KEEP spraying it.
If you use DDT (hard to get, but possible), it's with you forever.
Would be nice if it really was--it persists in the environment but it doesn't stay where you need it to be so you have to keep spraying DDT too.
Google: Bacillus thuringiensis mosquito
Mosquito killer.
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