I recently moved into a new home in Grapevine. Our yard was sodded with St. Augustine right after we moved in (about a month ago). Our back porch is wonderful but we can't sit on it because within seconds we are overtaken by mosquitoes. When I walk out the back door, they are all over the siding on the house and when my dog walks through the grass, I can see them flying everywhere. I've tried Skeeter Defeater but with all the rain we've had, it doesn't seem to help. Everyone I've talked to in the area says the mosquito problem is terrible this year, I guess because of all the rain. Is there anything out there that can give us some relief so we can at least sit out on the back porch for a little while? Thank you.

New here,
Lisab

Since you can't get rid of them, one by one, why not just put something on YOU to repel them? Skeeter Defeater has a spray that you put on yourself as well. You're not going to be able to control them until we dry out a bit more....which is right down the road.

Thank you very much for your response. I did not know Skeeter Defeater had a spray I could use on myself. I'll look for it at my garden center.

Lisab

CK this link from the home page. It gives you more options.

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/view_question.php?id=1033

Thank you very much for all the information. I truly appreciate it. I just hate it that I can't sit outside for more than 2 minutes.

Lisab

Posted on June 2:



Ha! I think we've been jinxed--so much rain, so many bugs.

I have heard callers to the radio show talk about using vanilla and other household scents to repel bugs. Has anyone tried it on dogs? What proportions? I need something to keep the flies off of them. I'd also like to work in the yard more if I could keep them off of me. I dislike the chemical repellents, I always seem to get them in my eyes (I know better than to put it near my eyes, but I seem to manage to get it in them anyway).

Northwesterner

Yes, vanilla and water works to repel.

Mix 1.5 - 2 oz. of vanilla in a spray bottle, like the ones you can buy at Home Depot. After mixing, it will look like ice tea. I have sprayed it on my dogs, one likes it, the other make a run for it the second he sees the bottle in my hands!!

Try dusting the back yard with dry garlic, it will drive them out of the area and it smells good too!!

Don't be shy about how much garlic you put out.

I'm not sure about dogs, but I have had great success in keeping mosquitoes off by applying a product that contains geranium oil as an active ingredient. It is called "Quit Bugging Me". It comes in a green bottle. There is another kind in a purple bottle as well (do not know the name off hand). You can get it at Whole Foods and other places or make your own with essential oil and some grape seed oil (or the like). Products in the lotion form are going to stay on better longer than thin sprays.

Put mosquito dunks in standing water. This may include places such as your emergency water shut-off valve, under manhole covers, any place that contains moisture. Keep your gutters free from debris as it will collect enough water for mosquito breeding. It doesn't take much!

Thank you, both!

Lotion might be okay for me, but I don't want to try it on the dogs' coats. They don't get baths very often (every six to eight weeks seems to be enough) and a spray just seems easier.

I will report back.

Northwesterner

Like I said, I don't know about dogs... I would think that lotion on a dog would be a big mess, though! My aunt raised dogs for show and she had a dog that would eat garlic cloves. The dog never had fleas. You might try to get your dog to eat garlic. It might be good for him!

They would love the garlic! They ate the dry stuff, but I think the consistency got to them, and they threw it up. I just now went out with a couple of cloves--the blue heeler spit it out but the pit gobbled it up. And the pit is the one who needs it most.



Someone was asking how to put images in threads in another thread (to do with tomatoes). Here are my girls. I call this one "Yin and Yang," and I use Photobucket.

Northwesterner

Great dogs!

Patty

What can I put in the standing water in the bar ditches around my small plot to keep all the pesty critters from developing into swarms of critters that will descend on the neighborhood as the clouds of locusts in the old testament. before I became organic I used motor oil, now I'm not sure that is the best thing to be using

For standing water, do what NADINE suggested at the post listed above on 6-19-07 (mos. dunks).

Looked for 'Quit bugging me' 'Skeeter Defeater' & some of the others but could not find them. Only went to Target & Wallyworld tho. Bought lemon eucalyptus & it worked!