Natural mosquito control

[shoes]

We've just bought a house and realized that the backyard is infested by mosquitos!!!!!! Massive amounts of those nasty little things all day long! We've scouted out the yard for standing water and there doesn't seem to be any. (I think there are WAY too many to be just an issue with our yard anyway) I was searching the internet and found this...

http://www.mosquitobarrier.com/

Sounds great! Mosquitos don't like garlic... brilliant!

Has anyone used this before? Or better yet, made their own? it sounds simple enough. Could I just cut up some garlic and throw it around our yard every once in a while?

Any ideas for me? (and it doesn't have to be anything to do with garlic either. )

[janasmama]

All of my answers for bugs lately seems to be neem oil...but it really is great. It's totally organic and safe, it's not harmful to birds, pets, fish, etc. and it kills mosquitos.

Check it out. But if you don't know where they are coming from that could just mean you have to keep spraying but it is inexpensive.

[delly]

I saw this a couple weeks ago and asked on this thread. Someone here posted a DIY recipe too! Also asked around on a gardening forum.

I got a couple of encouraging responses... not enough to convince DH yet though. : He says it sounds like it couldn't possibly work, but I'm still working on him. I figure it's less $ outlay than the propane thingie he wants and it's not toxic, so how much can it hurt? But he still doesn't wanna spend money on it. sigh.

[Redifer]

the only two things i know about:

1. don't eat bananas. for some reason, mosquitos are attracted by banana-blood

2. fans. mosquitos cannot fly in direct wind. you may sometimes see porches in mosquito-heavy areas with standing circular fans on all corners of the porch; this is why.

[snozzberry]

Get beneficial nematodes at your local gardening shop and spread them in your yard. They're microscopic organisms that feed on mosquito larvae, but they're completely safe for pets & kids. They also eat fleas. We use them every summer about once a month.

I heard that thing about bananas is a myth? Something to do with the fact that they don't know what's in the blood til they taste it?

I've also heard of mosquito "dunks". They have a bacteria in them that kills the larvae but is safe to humans & pets. You put them in any standing water/gutters. I haven't used them, but they sound popular.

[littlelessons]

Ugh. Mosquitos gross me out.

If I may add, if you have any pets that go outdoors, make sure they're current on their heartworm preventative.

[janasmama]

Originally Posted by snozzberry

Get beneficial nematodes at your local gardening shop and spread them in your yard. They're microscopic organisms that feed on mosquito larvae, but they're completely safe for pets & kids. They also eat fleas. We use them every summer about once a month.

I heard that thing about bananas is a myth? Something to do with the fact that they don't know what's in the blood til they taste it?

I've also heard of mosquito "dunks". They have a bacteria in them that kills the larvae but is safe to humans & pets. You put them in any standing water/gutters. I haven't used them, but they sound popular.

Mosquito dunks work great if you know where the source of larvae is. I have used them on several occcassions with excellent results, they are non-toxic.

[bunnybartlett]

take niacin(b3)

supplements...mosquitos do not like the smell.

[DaMajha]

Originally Posted by bunnybartlett

supplements...mosquitos do not like the smell.

That is interesting! We are going to Florida this month and I'm going to try this!

[freeflykami]

Citronella plants. They are geraniums. I had 3 pots of them I would move around my deck last year while I was pregers to keep them away. Maybe you could plant them all over your yard ;0)

[shoes]

Originally Posted by freeflykami

Citronella plants. They are geraniums. I had 3 pots of them I would move around my deck last year while I was pregers to keep them away. Maybe you could plant them all over your yard ;0)

ugh, I read somewhere marigolds and already bought some. I bet geraniums would be even better! I also found another homemade recipe I'm going to try this week with 1/3 stale beer, 1/3 listereen (sp?), and 1/3 epson salt, spray over your lawn. I'll let everyone know how that turns out for me!
We spent a while outside today and I cover us head to toe in massive amounts of mosquito repellant, lit citronella candles, and had fans going on the patio.... my little baby got bit 6 times! My 3 year old I counted about 5 and me 3. : It is seriously out of control! If the lawn spray doesn't work, I'm seriously considering buying one of those expensive propane things. Well, me not buying it. My very well off inlaws still owe us a house warming present... :

[janasmama]

Have you tried neem oil yet? I'm telling you, this stuff is like gold when it comes to the garden.

Read more about it at wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neem_oil

[shoes]

Originally Posted by janasmama

Have you tried neem oil yet? I'm telling you, this stuff is like gold when it comes to the garden.

Read more about it at wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neem_oil

Where do you buy it? I have never seen it or heard of it before.

[janasmama]

garden supply stores. I'm not sure if places like home depot carry it but any local nursery supply would have it. You can also buy it online.

[shoes]

Thanks!!! I'll look for it tomorrow! I think I'll try that first, save me from having to make up my own concoction every time it's time to respray.

[janasmama]

That's great. I've never had a mosquito problem that I needed to use it but we are going to spray it as a barrier around the house for ants. Let us know how it works for you.

I love that it's not very expensive. Maybe $10 for a bottle of concentrate that will go far. Plus you can use it for a bunch of other stuff too!