Mosquito tips. For the love of God HELP!!!!

Patrick:

I had a good time at the VINOW gathering in June ...it was a pleasure meeting you and the other board members.

We're going back in January for two weeks...we bought a condo at Point Pleasant (STT not NJ)...hopefully they'll have another get-together.

I live at the Jersey Shore (Brick).

Regards,

F.I.

Kim is the ladies name and this is her e-mai address. She is stateside and sells Avon products, and will gladly get you some fast.......great prices too.

kcr67@bellsouth.net

Teresa,

Oh! The dance! I know it well! Mine involves a lot of cursing and jiggling my keys. I read recently that there is a "syndrome" in India where people shake their legs to keep the mosquitos off....perhaps we can name a VI analogue. 😉

I do have some Skin So Soft, if you want it. Both the citrus and the 'regular' variety- give me a call or drop an email, and we can meet up. I had same experience as Stu- doesn't work for more than a few minutes on me. It's all yours.

RE: what takes care of the mosquito problem in the absence of cold winters- up on the mountain, the winter winds (it got chilly!) seemed to blow a lot of them away. So, it DOES get better- huzzah!

We love the mosquito squooshing game, too 🙂 Award-winning (and highest kill rate) techniques so far: smack the ones on the ceiling with a folded-over T-shirt. Sneak up on them on a vertical wall, and smack them with the palm of your hand (great gore factor there). Spray Raid insect killer directly on them, and watch the mosquito version of St. Vitus's dance. If they are in a corner- karate chop them with the blade of your hand. Spray water on them to make their wings soggy, then step on them. Fun! I have no mercy when it comes to these bloodsuckers.

Fascinating fact, though- they are actually blood pumpers, not suckers. How they do their dirty deeds: 1. Locate you (heat, dark clothing, smell- your breath, your skin). 2. Land 3. That tiny proboscis thing of theirs actually has 4 separate sections! 2 of them get to sawing on your skin, breaking capillaries, then one of them drops down, spits in you (ew! yuck!), depositing an anti-coagulant, and the last one pumps out that itty bitty bit of blood that it needs to reproduce.
Fact #2- they don't actually "eat" our blood- they feed on plant nectar, etc. The blood is strictly reproductive. But oddly enough, some males do bite, too.
All fascinating.....Doesn't make me hate them any less!

HipCrip/Paul/et al.... Re: DEET. I've read time and time again (and experienced, in combo with other methods) that DEET is the most effective common repellant. I know some people have concerns about what it does when absorbed through your skin. I tried another (all natural) blocker that works just as well as DEET for me (though, who knows, maybe different people's skin chemistry works with different products to enhance or negate their effects??). It's called Bite Blocker, and it has worked great for me. Smells better than OFF, too. I intersperse it with OFF/other DEET formulas, and find it works just as well. You can order it direct from their website.

FOG-just like HipCrip, my experience has been that they congregate (at my house, at least) where the lights *aren't* on- i.e., in cool, dark places. They can hang out for HOURS - it's crazy. Bug Zappers, citronella candles, coils, lanterns, the Hammacher Schlemmer device I paid so much for, and a steady diet of citrus have all failed me. Mosquito Magnets work, but you have to put them away from where you are, and it doesn't get them all.

OK, that's the end of the ramble. Thanks to Stu for getting this started, and good luck to all repelling and getting rid of these little buggers!

LR

Some mosquito species are attracted to light while others are not. Try leaving a living room light on at night for a week and see what happens.

I also wonder with some of you if mosquitoes egg rafts are in your bathroom and kitchen drains. You might try putting some poison in them and seeing if conditions improve.

Brilliant! That could be where they are nesting any posin in particular. I'll stop at home depot today to take a look.

I went to dry up every stagnant water location, and I swear there was a white milky substance in one of them. Ummm yes it looked liked hmmmm. uhhhhhh.... Well you know floating in water.

Stu

Check out these websites to get an idea of what is available:
Everything from mosquito dunks, mosquito repellent plug ins (I'm buying 4 from Skeeterdefeater)... you get the point.
Gemblers.com
northlineexpress.com sells the Skeetervac for $300
amazon.com has ratings of different products, check out what they wrote about the Magnet. Skeeter vac $360 no used for sale, that could be a good sign.
skeeterdefeater.com
The upkeep on these machines can be expensive and time consuming.
I am coming down fully loaded and ready for the little bastards.

The plug ins are great and the lanterns work as well but try to find anything on the shelves in the stores right now. Pueblo was out of everything from Off to coils to plug in replacements!
Stu, sorry to say this but after a while here OFF becomes your favority perfume! I have come to actually like the smell of it!
Pamela.

I just came back from Home Depot. Yikes. They had nothing, and I mean nothing. I got some room fogger and thats it. Not even regular repellant, no plugins, no coils, nada. Damn bugs. Damn them all....

Grrrr. I thought we were the superior species. Oh well.

HA! Fellow UPer's...I am from Iron Mountain MI. Land of bugs and snow is right on!!! No snowmobiling on STT!!!! I thought I would be able to handle the bugs and skeeters...from these posts, I'm getting a little nervous but learning a lot!!!

The UP is beautiful this time of year....not going to miss it when I leave in 2 weeks for STT.

Hang in there Stu...chat soon!

cheers!!!

Maegan,
Everyone here can't believe that I won't miss the lovely state of Michigan and its changing seasons. I have lived in Michigan for 43 years and am definitely ready for the change. This morning was 43 degrees out side. September and the furnace is running! UGH!!!!
LeeAnn

Hurricanes have played havoc with mosquito control here in Florida. There's a couple of things my husband and I have done:

1. Yes, its an investment, but it works....American Biophysics Mosquito Magnet. There are some "look alikes" on the market that do not work so be careful. Below is a summary description. There are different prices. There are those that require electricity and those that don't require electricity. We put it in an outside area near the house but away from sitting areas. (The Carbon Dioxide device on the unit attracts the mosquitos so you want the device somewhat away from humans. Don't want the mosquitos distracted on their way to the killing machine.) Our Mosquito Magnet takes about 24 hours to really kick in. Before we know it, we' re mosquito free on our 80x220 lot. When they're really bad, you empty the bag of dehydrated mosquitos into the water and the fish love it.
For Eliminating Mosquitoes, Black Flies, Sand Flies
Designed For The Homeowner Who Needs To Protect Up To 3/4 Of An Acre Area
The Liberty Uses The Patented Counterflow Technology That Emits A Plume Of CO2, Heat & Moisture While Simultaneously Vacuuming The Biting Insects Into A Net Where They Dehydrate & Die
A 50 FT, 12 Volt Power Cord Is Supplied With The Unit
20 LB Propane Tank Is Needed For Conversion To Carbon Dioxide
Tank Not Included
Safe For Children & Pets While Still Allowing Placement Near The Mosquitoes Breeding & Resting Areas
Heavy Duty Plastics & Marine Grade Metals Make It Ideal For Any Harsh Environments
The Mosquito Magnet Liberty Is Quiet, Environmentally Safe & Uses No Pesticides

2. Benedryll. Especially for those who have a bad/allergic reaction. Those little pink pills taken as a preventative and reactive measure will greatly reduce the itching and other side effects from the bites.

All -

While I was sitting here at my computer reading this thread, I was attacked by mosquitos! I think they are reading the info, and coming up with new ways to defeat us!

Max

Benedryll OTC (Over the Counter) comes in both topical and pill form. The topical gel is really good for a person who trys to avoid taking pills. The pills work at a 'systemic' level and reduce the symptoms / effects from the inside out. A friend of mine takes a benedryll pill as soon as she gets to the island; takes one every 6 hours; and she leaves at the end of the weekend in the same shape she arrived - without being one big mosquito-itching-annoying-sleep depriving welt.

FL person,
How long have you owned your Magnet? I read up on this and comments reported that it does work at reducing moquitos but it dies within a year or two and the manufactorer will sell you a refurbished one at a discounted rate of $500. Not a good deal, those things are expensive and the upkeep is expensive. I am really hesitant about buying considering they dont ship to the islands if something should go wrong. I was going to buy some type of product and bring it down with me in Nov. I have also checked out the Skeetervac. Is this one of the immitation brands you were talking about. I didnt find any reviews whether this machine works or doesnt.
Thanks for the info,
Tara

Tara,

There is a Mosquito magnet dealer on the island. Probably lives in a mansion. Anywho, I have heard great things about them until you mentioned they break after a couple of years. I've got to do more research but my old boss said they were the greatest thing ever, and he lived next to swampland and it saved his backyard.

I'd love to hear FL Barrier Islander comments on upkeep and how long they have had it etc.

Stu

We've had our Mosquito Magnet for 6 years. Never had a problem. There's a chemical it uses called "Octonol" (spelling?) that we have had to replace 3 times since we've owned it - not bad. And, we keep our Magnet going 24x7x365. The Octonol is a little pricey but in our experience, the benefits outweigh the costs. I think the last time our little Octonol cartridge cost ~$50. We are able to enjoy screenless outdoors all summer long - even through the rainy season. Ours doesn't use electricity - uses the propane as an energy source to run the little fan/vacum that "sucks" the mosquitos into the bag when they get close to the carbon dioxide source. Propane is a standard available thing. I don't work for this company. I have no affiliation at all. My only "relationship" is that I am an extremely satisfied customer. I can't say for sure about Skeetervac. I just know that some of our neighbors selected other manufacturers that didn't perform. I can try to find out what kind they got. Maybe if the "system" has the basic components similar to Mosquito Magnet - then it would seem it would work just fine.

Well thats optimistic news. Thanks. What type of Magnent to you own? I saw there are 4 types ranging from 350 to 1300. And would recommend buying a refurbished unit? Their own website sells them at discounted prices.
T-

SOLD.... DONE...... SIGN ME UP!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have 2 reliable sources saying these things kick ass. I'll try it. Screenless summers in Florida? DONE!

I know they are pricey but man if you add up the $100 bucks in the last month I have spent on various killers and sprays, it will pay for itself sooner than later. Plus my future kids won't come out looking like a sideshow act. With my genes they need all the help they can get.

Thanks for the reference.

Our model is 6 years old and I suspect they've probably discontinued/replaced with newer model/technology. I don't know the model.....would have to check to see if there's a label on the unit....but I don't know that the model information on our unit would help you. I remember when we bought the device that they didn't have any choices on models.

For what it's worth........you should soon see that those big black hungry ones are quickly disappearing..........at least thankfully they have been from around here. Doors wide open, no screen......no one zooming in to attack me...same yesterday too actually!

So there is hope at the end of the little bugger biters from h!

What a small world!! I grew up in Union Lake!

I've posted on this site several times, my husband and I relocating to the VI's in the next year or so. Wow! Union Lake, nobody calls it that anymore!

http://www.mosquito-trap-depot.com/

Here is a website with the different models and prices.
Let me know how it works out Stu.
T-

Just a reminder if you need immediate relief.....consider benedryl over the counter either topical or pill form.

I like Tequila, lol. Benedryl gives me bad medicine head, making it difficult to operate machinerary and walking and talking and the half life in my system is about 24 hours. This stuff is no good for me, I guess I am just anti-histamine sensitive. I have tried topicals, they only give me relief for about 15 minutes. Tequila, I can monitor how much and when impairment effects kick in and it only last in my system until I wake up the next day and leaving no hangover. Yet another idea on how to cope with the bites. Tequila...

Hee hee. Whatever works. Tequila makes me dance on the tables.....Some memory loss is a good thing.