mosquito control????

Avon works... most of the time.

ohhhh interesting! now I need them to come calling. :)

They also have a SSS just for this now - I just ordered a little of this, I hope it works just as good.

You don't need to wait for your doorbell to ring, Aimee. :-) http://shop.avon.com/shop/product_list.asp?level1_id=300&level2_id=303&pdept_id=344&dept_id=344&bnd=1

thanks marylyn!

Boy I wish I could say any and everything works....sadly none of the above work for me.
Talk about *cave*. Yesterday I used Cutter Hose End Bug Spray over 3/4 of my yard in an effort to reclaim my environment......it mostly worked I guess because I only 2 BIG BITES tonight. I have those Itch Sticks or BiteMD all over the place to treat the bites because I cannot stop them. Of course, to have success with any yard treatments your neighbors for 3 blocks each way would have to participate at the same time. I am very allergic and the bites get the size of half dollars and take 2 months to heal. Couple of years ago we purchased one of those $500 machines that is supposed to kill mosquitoes. Forget it. All it did was draw the neighborhood worth to our yard. We took it back and got our money. If we can go to the moon and mars and venus....WHY CAN'T WE FIND A MOSQUITO CONTROL???????


(sorry, not hollering at you)

Lou----lol, I know it right!!!!

Alright, foggers don't work. I know, neighbors would have to work in conjunction. Same with fire ants I think.

I guess I'm stuck. Til I move further west again out of Houston.

Try Okin or any pest service. I'm telling you it works the best I've seen. The 1st time I had the yard fogged by them it did pretty good. I had them come 2 weeks later for free and do it again. I just had my 2nd service and even behind the waterfall where there is dense foliage I'm not attacked while I clean the filter. I'm having my entire 1/2 area backyard sprayed all under the awning to the guest house, carport, around the perimeter plantings to the house. It cost $150 for initial spraying and I signed up for 3 additional sprays at $50.00 ea. and they will come back if there is a problem.

The mosquitoes don't bother me but they eat up the rest of my family.
Jeri

I think as it gets dryer the skeeter problem will calm down a bit. I think we've gone..what ..5 days..and no rain..My drainage ditch is finally drying out.
At least the cutters gave me 2 days peace, I noticed they are moving in again.

We have had rain EVERYDAY for the entire summer. Looks like rain as far as the forecasters can predict.

Hey raggins..how you doin....
It was suppose to rain and thunder today here..but never materialized.
I thought we were in central americas rainy season there for a while!

Thank goodness I didn't put my two papaya trees in the ground this year. I have pampered them now for two years. They are both about 7 ft tall. The last time we talked I had a spider mite problem. I used a "bad" chemical product and burned some of the leaves but it got rid of the mites. I have them on my patio so they don't get all the water. I noticed this morning that the leaves are getting bigger. They probably think they are in their native tropical land. I did plant a baby in the flowerbed this spring and it has not grown much due to the rain but it is alive. As far as I know I am the only one in this part of NE Texas who has a pineapple (has taken over two years) and papaya trees.

I read about this in the paper recently, but have not tried it. I keep meaning to order some.

http://www.mosquitoswallow.com/

Other things I have thought about but have not done:

Place some jars of standing water in the shade and then dump them every 2-3 days or place some jars of water with dunks in them. I figure if give them an easy place to lay eggs but stay on top of it I may cut down the population.

I wear long pants and long sleave shirts. I use old work/dress shirts so the cotton is light. I sweat like crazy but I hate getting bit.

I used Burt's Bees repellent which was okay but pretty oily. I just bought some HerbalArmor repellent which I used today and I think it worked.

Time to order some of those swallows.

David

raggins - I have pineapple and Papaya (avacado and mango too)- but I never let them outside. Do you keep your outside or do you bring them in and out? I have a lime tree and some tropical hybiscus that must live outside... they make it from year to year but never do get too big (3-5 foot)

Mitch, I keep them in my sunroom in the winter and bring out in the spring. I actually started my papaya trees in a flower bed and was afraid that if they survived the winter that the root system was too close to the house. I know now (after killing a few with too much water) that they have a very small root system. I dug them up and put in pots. Actually I put the pots in the ground last summer. This year it started raining so much I just left them on my patio. The pineapple has been in the direct sun and rain all season. I also have an avacado tree that is about 7 yrs old. It has had a tough life because I have moved it from place to place trying to find the perfect place It is not very pretty but you know how we get attached to our babies that we have raised.

Your pineapple has fruit!! Fruit!! I dream of the day..

So are you going to be brave and try the papaya outside? I hear that in CA they are working on Avacados that would grow in our area outdoors all the time..

I build a tent for the lime tree and I guess I could do the same for my other tropical fruit... I lived for several years in Mexico, Costa Rica, and South Africa.. in that time I grew to love tropical fruit. I have palms too... but they dont like to live in the house so I think they might have to fight outside this year.. they are all cold hardy to zome 9 at least and some zone 8...

I have palms too on my front porch. I have had them for 5 years. They are some sort of cheap palms that can't make it through our winters. I also have 2 rubber trees that are over 12 ft tall also on the front porch. My husband built me a greenhouse but I keep adding to my sickness and put the 2 rubber trees in his shop because they are too tall for my sunroom or greenhouse. Each year I say I am not going to add to all the plants I have but you know how it is. I started that pineapple about 2 yrs ago and have started another one this summer. The papaya trees are outside on the patio but don't get direct sun. Last year they were in direct sun buried in the pots in the ground. Right before frost they had about 6 babies but never developed after I took them inside.

ohhhhh stunning... wish for a green house.. no greenhouse here just a few windows...

Yes, I was a bit worried about my Papayas too, which is why I keep the yearlings in a small pot. I had so many papayas from last year though, I just let them fall on the ground, and now there are little papaya trees everywhere. Even had 3 comeback from the killer freeze from early spring.

I noticed the heat is definately dwindling the mosquito population. Not as many moist places to hang out now

We were only in the 80's today so I am thinking we have plenty of those little varmits.

Just now finding this thread...

Wow...don't partake in either, but good to know!, lol...better to offer company a vodka lemonade than a beer!, lol...

We not only check for standing water in buckets and plant pans, but take a look in your gutters. OMGosh! Hubby had to go out and work all day adjusting them to drain better...he said there were horrific numbers of them in areas that the gutters were not tilted towards the drain, enough...

Also, for just a quick session outside, incesnse(believe it, or not!) will keep them at bay. May keep other people at bay, too, lol...but I happen to like the smell.

Also, chiminea wood burning at a slow smoky smolder, will make your garden smell wonderful and will shoosh them away. They don't like any kind of smoke, and this is why the incense works well, too. Incense is quick, but the pinion wood in a chiminea takes a lot longer to get going. It is great if you plan ahead for evenings out, or for company.

If and when we get bit, the benadryl spray works REALLY well to spritz over your bites. Makes them stop itching within minutes...

We also have a product in the garage that we got from Lowes. You are supposed to dilute it, and put it in your sprayer, and spray the foliage in your yard...I've never tried it, because I'm afraid I'd hurt other creatures with it...

So, on my morning strolls in the garden I carry one of those hand-held electric mosquito zappers, and zap the ones that try to pester me. They are also great for knats.

I would not step outside if it were not for our benadryl spray and zapper rackets...
http://koolatrononline.stores.yahoo.net/lentek-electronic-racket-zapper.html

The mosquitos have really diminished with the heat here, as I suspected... I actually was mosquito free hauling 3 tons of pea gravel from the front driveway to the back garden...boy does it sure dress up the garden!

Pea gravel for paths or a mulch?

For paths...the garden beds in the back (very jungle) provide natural pathways...so I'm just putting gravel on the former mud paths

very neat... I love the look and sound of gravel underfoot. T'would have been better work for Nov tho.

It certainly beats mud!
LOL.
..true..but I am happier in heat than cold.

Has anyone tried Badger Balm? I read about it in a magazine today at the salon. It's 100% organic. I just hate using the chemical sprays so I usually just chance it. I placed an order tonight, will post and let you know how well it works after I've tried it.

They had an article recently in the newspaper about BugBand and Mosquito Freedom. Of course, because it was in the paper, all the stores are sold out.