Mosquitos

[muffin57]

Growing herbs and flowers will help to deter mosquitos.

http://crabapplelandscapexperts.blogspo ... s-and.html

http://www.naturallivingideas.com/11-pl ... osquitoes/

[Happy]

Thanks for those articles @muffin57
I have a few of those herbs planted but probably not in enough quantity. I love easy care bee balm and have lemon balm planted in containers this year because it smells delicious This fall has an over-haul planned for side/back garden for something less reliant on water and care so good timing! I think with the combination of everyone's suggestions I've gotta see some improvements!

[Ontario Chick]

I'm noticing this summer that certain things seem extreme. Mosquitos, earwigs, grapevine, fruit bearing trees, starlings, finches and snakes. Seeing a lot less spiders, frogs, bees, wasps and probably others if I think about it a bit. I'm sure some of those listed as flourishing are at the cost of one of the others...

Just talked about this with a neighbor, incredible number of mosquitoes, large numbers of birds, I guess that follows, even had Blue birds which we don't see very often here, and apple trees still covered, but the apples will be many but small I think.
Almost no earwigs, no wasps, few frogs and few butterflies.

[muffin57]

Essential oils are suppose to be good to repel mosquitos too. There is also a natural citronella bug spray that can be purchased.

[kenya]

We don't have as many mosquitos as other years, swamp and lakes surround us. Some years I have to put on muskoil every time I go out the door, so far I haven't yet this year. Lots of frogs and butterflys this year.

[Skinny rooster]

We are finally seeing a reduction in mosquitoes, it was completely insane. At night the north wall of my house would be covered by clouds of the little bleep bleeps! Now they only come out when the sun sets, but still in unbelievable numbers. Today however, I was being bitten by black flies, the same ones that we see in spring, what the heck was that about?

Last week one of those black butterflies with the white stripe on its wings, landed on my deck and sadly.... that's the only butterfly that I have seen this summer. Even when the lilacs bloomed, there were bumblebees but not a single butterfly. When I was little, the lilacs would be completely covered by the orange and yellow monarchs.

[Happy]

That's what it's still like here Skinny. They literally cover the wall beside my back door. They are worse in the evening but they are out all day. I haven't seen blackflies since May tho (touch wood)
I hadn't thought much about butterflies until OC mentioned it and I don't think I've seen one all summer. I did see 2 monarch caterpillars in my dill patch a couple days ago. I haven't even seen many moths and there were very few June bugs this year. It's very odd!

[baronrenfrew]

Glyphosate (roundup) kills amphibians (frogs, toads, salamanders) for years after a spray and corn and soy farmers use tons of the stuff.

I've read of folks put a low watt lightbulb at a low level in a coop and ducks (muscovy was noted as they catch insects airborne) will stand around and catch mosquitoes. "The next morning their crops/bellies were stuffed full".
This will be my next experiment.

[Ontario Chick]

We are finally seeing a reduction in mosquitoes, it was completely insane. At night the north wall of my house would be covered by clouds of the little bleep bleeps! Now they only come out when the sun sets, but still in unbelievable numbers. Today however, I was being bitten by black flies, the same ones that we see in spring, what the heck was that about?

Same here, including the black flies, a bit smaller but still biting like possessed.
although the mosquitos are so bad, I have to wear a net to collect veggies for lunch, takes some joy out of the harvest.

[Happy]

Glyphosate (roundup) kills amphibians (frogs, toads, salamanders) for years after a spray and corn and soy farmers use tons of the stuff.

I've read of folks put a low watt lightbulb at a low level in a coop and ducks (muscovy was noted as they catch insects airborne) will stand around and catch mosquitoes. "The next morning their crops/bellies were stuffed full".
This will be my next experiment.

It's funny you say that because this is the first year in quite sometime that one of the fields closest to me isn't planted in corn. I have wheat across the road and black beans in the field beside me. There's always lots of corn grown around here though. Typically they rotate wheat, corn, soybean. The black beans are an experiment this year and are for human consumption but they sprayed something along the field perimeter that killed all of that side of the trees...I'm assuming on purpose.