MOSQUITOES!!!

Boozie said:

OK, all you Prince & Princesses of Knowledge .... I need some advice. The mosquitoes love me TOOOO much. When I went out to pick my blackberries this morning I put on LONG pants, LONG-sleeved shirt, socks (to cover my ankles), gloves, and a hat. Well, I got bit on my ankle .... through my sock; on my neck, on my cheeks, and on my ear.

My question is: Is there anything I can spray/fog into this large bush of berries that would kill the mosquitoes, but not taint the berries?

I anxiously await your answers.

Barb in Indiana

Click to expand...

Put some bug spray on you. Deet is best. Doesn't harm the plants.

Ya, deet yourself up. I know this is the green room, but it's effective.

In general- eliminate all sources of standing water in the yard. I actually leave a few and dose them with Bt as a bio-warfare maneuver. The skeeters lay eggs in the water and the larvae get a terminal (natural) disease. Works pretty well.

very large, servo driven sub-woofer. something about 4000-5000 watts.play anything by Victor Wooten. the concussion from the sound wave should cause their little bodies to crumble en-mass....or deet. that works too.

Barb, my mom has the same problem. We can both be working out in the same area of the garden and she gets bombarded by mosquitos and I do not get bit. I researched this back in the beginning of the summer and have read that body chemistry may have something to do with the attraction of mosquitoes. I also make sure that I do not use any perfumes, scented body lotions or scented deodorant before working out in the garden. That is not easy since everything has some sort of scent to it.
I have a friend that swears by using Bounce dryer sheets to ward off mosquitos. She learned of this after a trip down south last year from the locals. They suggested to rub a dryer sheet on exposed areas and tuck one or two in a pocket. I have not tried this technique. There are opposing opinions on that theory. I guess there have been scientific studies that prove it does not work, I don't know because I am not a scientist. However, there are a few scientists here on the board, AP one of them and he suggested DEET which is my mother's choice thus far and she has tried everything.
I am curious if anyone here has had success with using Bounce dryer sheets as a mosquito repellant.

http://www.thermacell.com/
We use these when we are sitting on the deck, or when my wife is working in the garden. Had my doubts when I bought one but they really work.

I got myself a thermacell too. Used a couple times and seems to do a good job.
Dennis swears by them.

Turn the thermacell on, then run out & place it where you'll be picking & leave it for 10 mins or so to warm up. Come back to pick & you should see a huge difference.
As far as I know there is very little health data on the thermacell pads. They use the same chemical as has been used in moquito coils for many years, but at higher concentration & the pads just warm to release it instead of burning like the coils. I'd wash the berries after picking.

Thermacell works. Period. 21.97% d-cis/trans alletrin. Best used in no wind conditions, like said above put it out beforehand for 10-15 minutes. I use this all the time for hunting and fishing, would not go at times without it.

I'll take my chances with Deet. Helps keep the deeer ticks from crawling onto me while I'm picking rasberries.

The pentane,linalool, ethyl acetate, chloroform, camphor, benzyl alcohol and acetate and terpinol in dryer sheets give me pause, though.
Not surprising they work to keep animals (with brains) away.

I've been saying it for years on the Thermacell. They work fantastically!

Barb, good to see you post again. You may be able to find a Thermacell in a local sport shop. Our local archery/gun shop sells a lot of them annually. You can also find them online usually between $20-$25.

Back Woods Off! works fabulously every time. Just a spritz on each appendage works--doesn't take much.

S

I don't know if it works but there is an app for smart phones that is supposed to repel mosquitoes. I have not tried it, but if you have a smart phone, it may be worth it.

Good for you Barb! Glad this worked out as we knew it would. These things are fantastic.

Not cheap to run though.

I've used a headnet all spring and summer with success.

We have averaged less than $20 per year using 2 of them. Some years probably less than 10 and others, like this year a bit more. So far we've spent $20 this year. Well worth it for us!

Barb, because of the time of summer, you may not need any refills this year. Just be sure to buy a pack next spring.....before the skeeter hatch. Also remember to change that little blue pad when it becomes white.

Double post.

I've been noticing that in the last year or so that I don't get bitten up much, especialy when I'm out in the yard with the wife and kid.

Interestingly I've been working in an injection mold manufacturing plant for about that exact same time.

Probably unrelated but two other guys I talked to today suddenly realized that they don't have biting insect problems like they used to anymore.

Maybe not good.