DIY mosquito spraying?

[Matt Day]

Mosquitos are really bad where I live. I have a 1/2 acre lot, and the back half is wooded with a stream down an embankment. They were so bad last year to the point that you couldnt go outside after about 5. My kids love being outside, as do I, especially when the summer nights bring some relief from the heat.

Last year I paid a mosquito spraying service to come every 3-4 weeks and spray (organic oils) and it helped quite a bit. But it cost $70 or so each visit and I really needed them more. Seems like there are so many Mosquitos that the normal 3 week cycle is shorter.

I noticed they used Stihl backpack sprayers/misters with a special liquid reservoir, so I did some research and I can get a complete setup (with pesticide or organic) for $750. That would pay for itself and then some in 2 seasons.

Does anyone spray themselves? Any opinions on backpack sprayers - Stihl SR450 v Solo 451?

[Dan Hintz]

Would low-speed fans surrounding the patio work for you? Mosquitos won't fight hard enough against the wind to get near you...

[Lee Schierer]

I've heard that propane powered mosquito traps work well and cover a large area. mosquito.jpg For the $750 for the sprayer you could cover 2 acres and not have the weekly labor of spraying.

[Dan Hintz]

I've heard that propane powered mosquito traps work well and cover a large area. For the $750 for the sprayer you could cover 2 acres and not have the weekly labor of spraying.

Those work by "smelling" like a human (CO2), but that just means your chance of being bit by any one mosquito is reduced because there are more prey for them to suck on. It reduces he number of bites, I'm sure, but I'd prefer if that reduction approached zero rather rapidly.

[Mark Patoka]

I bought a DynaTrap late last summer for my backyard. I can't attest to a reduction in mosquitoes since I got it late in the summer and we aren't overly infested with skeeters to begin with to notice a big difference. It did capture a bunch of moths and other flying bugs though.

[Matt Day]

I talked to my local Stihl dealer and he basically talked me out of a blower/mister. He said I'd have no problem with a traditional backpack pump sprayer (SG 71 - $120). I'm still going to think about it some more.

The in between is the Stihl SR200 at $400.

[Erik Loza]

We're going to invest in a propane powered one soon. Just for the back yard. They can be fierce in our area. The local plant nursery has the propane type and recommended it.

Erik

[Jerome Stanek]

Have you looked at foggers

[Ryan Mooney]

The propane setup also sucks the little buggers in and kills them - basically whiff of Co2, pause then vacuum - at least in theory...

I'm sure they work well in some areas and on some types of mosquitos, but the one time I tried them in Hawaii the mosquitos were of the "sneak behind you and bit your legs" variety so the vacuum was on the wrong side (and the way the system was setup it wasn't easy to change) so you'd see a bunch of them swarming around the back side of the trap away from the actual vacuum. It was kind of frustrating because you could see it almost worked but just not quite...

[Matt Day]

I haven't looked at foggers. Should I be?

[Erik Loza]

I haven't looked at foggers. Should I be?

My mother in law has a fogger system for her back yard and it does seem to work well but my impression was that the initial investment was quite high and also, it will kill ANY insect in the vicinity. My wife and I have butterfly attracting plants in the yard, so that's not an option for us but might be worth looking into if it's not a priority for yours.

Erik

[John Stankus]

Some folks like the Burgess Propane powered fogger ~$70 on Amazon. I haven't used it, but I know my wife's grandmother outside of Houston has some kind of inexpensive handheld fogger.

John

[Peter Kelly]

I set up a Mosquito Magnet Patriot model at my ex's weekend place in the Catskills a few years ago. I'd have to say it worked remarkably well on mosquitos and blackflies but the results aren't exactly immediate as the trap had to be up and running pretty well all summer to really make a noticeable dent in the bug population. I did however notice a big improvement by the end of that summer and the following year though. Mosquitoes don't fly all that far from where they hatch out so once the local population dies out it takes quite a while for them to bounce back.

Great long-term solution.