Does anyone know if those mosquito machines work? I guess they use a tank of gas and emit CO2 some way or another. The machine attracks mosquitoes and kills them.
I'm considering buying one but don't know if they really work or not.
Thank you.
Darrell
Mosquito Machine?
Here is a picture of the machine I'm talking about.
It's called: "SkeeterVac - Mosquito Exterminator"
This is what I have heard about them Darrell:
Quoting:
Time, August 11, 2003 v162 i6 p65
How to Bite Back: A wave of antimosquito products have hit the market. Do they really work? (Your Time/Lifestyle)(Brief Article) Lisa McLaughlin.
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2003 Time, Inc.
Byline: Lisa McLaughlin
A rainy spring this year produced a bumper crop of mosquitoes, making for a very buggy summer. The good news: whether you are concerned about the West Nile virus or just want to enjoy the outdoors bite-free, there is a fresh crop of products out this year that promise to fight mosquitoes. There are candles, sandalwood sticks, zappers, and traps that emit carbon dioxide (part of what attracts mosquitoes to humans). A Korean cell-phone maker is selling a ring tone that it claims will repel blood-thirsty bugs. The bad news is that the effectiveness of some of these new offerings is questionable.
The only products that have been proved to help people avoid mosquito bites are insect-repellent sprays or creams containing 35% DEET (10% for kids). But a new report from the University of Manitoba in Canada warns of dangers associated with using DEET and sunscreen at the same time. Applying them together may increase the skin's absorption of DEET, leading to side effects ranging from skin rashes to changes in blood pressure. For the safest use, apply either sunscreen or DEET first, then wait half an hour before applying the other. Folks who want to avoid DEET should look for soybean oil--based products, which according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine are effective but for shorter periods of time.
To protect the whole yard from mosquitoes there are two promising options. Sandalwood Mosquito Sticks from New Mountain can repel the bugs from a patio-size area. Like giant incense sticks, the all-natural repellents smolder for three to four hours.
Carbon dioxide traps like the Mosquito Magnet work by emitting a plume of carbon dioxide, heat, moisture and octenol. They do a great job of capturing mosquitoes, but there's a chance they could work too well and attract more mosquitoes than usual to your yard, some of which might bite you on their way to being trapped. --By Lisa McLaughlin
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This article basically says the same as the above:
Quoting:
Newsweek, August 26, 2002 p59
Road Test / Mosquito Magnet: Get The Bugs Out. (device kills mosquitos and other insects)(Brief Article) Weston Kosova.
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2002 Newsweek, Inc. All rights reserved. Any reuse, distribution or alteration without express written permission of Newsweek is prohibited. For permission: www.newsweek.com
Byline: --Weston Kosova
Summer is a season of small pleasures: a light breeze, the kiss of sunshine, the barely audible whir of my backyard death machine. With its propane tank and knobby plastic wheels, the $495 Mosquito Magnet looks vaguely like a gas grill, but instead of cooking up tasty steaks, it fries mosquitoes, no-see-ums and other bloodthirsty insects that lick their tiny chops at the sight of your bare ankles. The science behind this device is truly diabolical. The Magnet emits a warm plume of carbon dioxide, mimicking mammal breath. Believing the machine is a cow--or you--mosquitoes buzz their way up to the trap for a snack. When they get up close, a fan sucks them into a net, where they are left to commiserate with all the other duped bugs until they dry up and die. The trapped mosquitoes can't lay eggs, so in about four weeks, the company claims, the ranks of mosquitoes in your yard will be radically reduced. Take that, West Nile virus! That's the theory, anyway. The Mosquito Magnet works--in my seven-week test it has sucked up thousands of mosquitoes and other critters. But the remorseless vampires just keep on coming. There may not be as many mosquitoes in my yard, but the survivors must be extra mad, 'cause they're biting me to bejesus.
Tip: Peek in the plastic window for a satisfying view of the doomed bugs--but don't toss the DEET just yet.
Mag.Coll.: 111K0874
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These are still coming up as the best methods of protecting yourself from the little devils...
Quoting:
Camping Life, July-August 2004 v7 i5 p60(4)
Insect avoidance: take the bite out of the outdoors. (mosquitos) Dan "Dr. Swat" Armitage.
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2004 Ehlert Publishing Group
"They seek out our carbon dioxide when we exhale, and it's the female mosquitoes that bite," she said. Her response reflected the ever increasing level of insect knowledge I have noticed during my three years of hosting "Dr. Swat" seminars. As the threat of West Nile Virus takes the mosquito from mere pest back to potential health threat, public awareness of the insect's behavior has grown rapidly.
How can you keep from being sucked on, bitten and chewed? While nothing can guarantee absolutely no bites, there are successful avoidance strategies that can significantly cut your risks.
SKEETER SCHOOL
Primarily, it's the female mosquito that is the campground pest, as she seeks out our blood to nourish her growing eggs. It is commonly accepted that mosquitoes identify us by scent, and are attracted to the carbon dioxide we exhale. Some experts believe that lactic acid also plays an important role in attracting these insects to us.
Anecdotal evidence indicates that mosquitoes prefer feeding off men rather than women. It has been suggested that men, due to their higher muscle mass and propensity to sweat, may offer more--or more appealing--insect-attracting lactic acid. This may be especially true for biting flies, as some experts believe the flies may depend more on lactic acid than carbon dioxide as location triggers.
Tests have shown that mosquitoes are attracted by color as well as scent. The color blue, for example, is a poor choice for bug-country attire. But a wardrobe of khaki and other earth tones will be far less attractive to mosquitoes than one of bright, primary colors.
BUG BARRIERS
Full-body "bug suits" featuring fine mesh that thwart the thrusts of a mosquito's proboscis are a popular and effective option for those in heavy mosquito and black-fly country. Screen houses set up over picnic tables and good tents with no-see-um mesh can make camp safer. But your basic bug protection is as simple as the right clothing: long pants, long-sleeve shirt and a hat. If the swarms are really bad, a fine-mesh head net draped over your hat and tightly tucked about your neck can complete the first defense system.
Click for Full SizeCommercial insect repellents use natural and man-made chemicals to keep bugs at bay. Those that tout themselves as "all natural" normally feature citronella or cedar oil as their primary essence or ingredient, but may also include everything from peppermint or vanilla to eucalyptus oil, cactus juice, lemon grass oil, almond oil, juniper and aloe.
Many products feature DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide), a man-made chemical, as their primary ingredient for keeping insects away. Tests conducted on insect repellents over the years have concluded that those featuring DEET are, by far, the most effective at repelling mosquitoes.
Some people, however, are sensitive to DEET and find that they are more comfortable using repellents that rely on natural ingredients. Children can be especially sensitive to DEET, and it is recommended that children use repellents containing DEET concentrations no greater than 15 percent. Permethrin is another powerful and effective insect-repellent chemical starting to be found in commercially available products. Permethrin seems to be especially effective against ticks.
BITING FLIES
Unlike mosquitoes, flies are biting to obtain a meal for themselves, and thus, they attack quicker, more repeatedly and more aggressively than mosquitoes. Flies locate their prey primarily by sight, which explains why scent repellents may not prove as effective against them.
Higher concentrations of natural repellents and DEET have been shown to be effective at repelling biting flies, but when they are aggressive and arrive in great numbers, physical barriers such as bug suits are the best way to avoid being tortured by the pesky bugs.
Full Size Picture
IF YOU ASK
Use all-natural repellents as long as they are effective. Try several different brands and formulas until you find one that works best with your body chemistry.
If natural repellents are not effective for you, try using one with a low concentration of DEET. Move up the chemical-concentration scale until you find a content level that is effective at keeping the bugs away.
Return to natural formulas when the bugs are not as aggressive, but always bring along a DEET-based product just in case. The key is to have effective insect avoidance strategies in place. Then you won't be "bugged" during your outdoor adventures.
Insect Repellent Sources
Avon: 800/367-2866; avon.com
Badger: 800/603-6100; badgerbalm.com
Ben's/Natrapel: 888/258-4696; tendercorp.com
Buggspray: 612/965-BUGG; buggspray.com
Cactus Juice: 877/554-5222; cactusjuicetm.com
Coleman Mosquito Deleto: 800/835-3278; coleman.com
Cutter: 800-332-5553; cutterinsectrepellent.com
Muskol: 888/862-0752; muskol.com
Off!: 800/494-4855; scjohnson.com
Repel: 800/558-6614; wpcbrands.com
Sandhill Safari: 308/848-4485; madeinthehills.com
Sawyer: 800/940-4464; sawyeronline.com
Thermacell Repeller: 866/753-3831; mosquitorepellent.com
3M Ultrathon: 800/749-8425; scs-mall.com
Anti-Insect Apparel Sources
Bug-Me-Not: 800/628-7564; bug-me-not.com
BugOut: 281/444-6454; iqproducts.com
Bug Tamer: 800/852-8058; archerymall.com
Buzz Off Apparel: 800/644-7303; exofficio.com
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Outdoor Research: 888/4ORGEAR; orgear.com
Original Bug Suit Company: 800/998-9096; bugshirt.com
Rynoskin: 800/446-8696; rynoskin.com
RELATED ARTICLE: Deet De-Mystified
After having tested some 11,000 compounds for their insect repellency, DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) was developed by the U.S. Government in 1951, and was approved by the Environmental Protection Agency for commercial use in 1989. DEET is the most common insect repellent available on the market. It is the active ingredient in products used annually by an estimated 200 million people globally, and averages less than a dozen reports of adverse side effects each season. More information on DEET is available at the Consumer Specialty Products Association's website, cspa.org.
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I'm at home so I don't have access to Consumer Reports right now........the above information was courtesty of Moose Jaw Public Library's online *Infotrac*.
Thanks!!! That was a lot of info!!!
Deet seems to be the key, eh? I guess I'll read the labels more closely on what the contents are. Muskol seems to work a little bit better than Off. But maybe there is something better than either one of these.
This will be my first year of having a "Farm Market" set up out here and I'll be outside most of the time. So, I've "GOT" to have something. I won't be able to run from them. lol
You're welcome. :)
Yep I think Deet and maybe a screened Gazebo tent (in my yard anyways) would be money better spent. I saw a screened gazebo in Regina that was 10' x 13' and they were selling it for $179.00 (taxes not included). I'm still thinking about going back and buying it.
Deet was the only thing that worked for me when I was in the arctic. Those mozzies are BIG! I used it even though it would take the dye off of plastic bags. If I had muskol on my hands from putting it on, and handled a plastic bag, the colours would come off onto my hands. Made me think what it was doing to me besides protecting from the bugs. (It didn't work against all the bugs, I still got bit lots, but thats part of the allure of the north, so I'm told)
I think because I'm so close to the woods, ....I'm thinking probably 15 feet from my back door, and maybe 5 feet from the north side of the house....that, that's the reason I have so many in the yard and after me all the time. I'm going to have to cut more tree's down I guess.
So far I have on my list of "Survival":
The Vineger Of The Four Theives
Deet
Citronella Candles
Inscence, Sandlewood I think is the right one.
and I am going to get the MosquitoVac even though it's expensive.
Fly Swater
Baseball Bat
Machine Gun
Darrel, don't forget the atom bomb...
LOL
Linda
The military uses permethrin on uniforms, for people going to Afghanistan - it protects against sand-flies, ticks, etc. Not sure what domestic products it's in, though - ? My favourite is just long-sleeved shirts & long pants, and I'm thinking of getting a mesh-hat too.