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PostPosted: Thu Aug 19, 2004 11:24 am 
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I've tried Cedarcide, Skeeter D'feeter and Cintronella Repella, each enough to determine that they don't do squat on my property. This season alone I've spent just short of $300 divided amongst these three products and it's been as effective as burning the cash in a brazier in the hopes that the fumes would keep them at bay. :x

I ensure there's no standing water on not only my property, but I also instpect 3 of my immediate neighbors' yards regularly (they don't mind). My gutters are clean, I don't have any piles of leaves and I only water once a week. What I do have are two large beds with asian jasmine in the front yard and large beds heavily lined with liriope in the back. They are the only two areas I'd say are prime mosquito breeding environments on my .4 acre property.

When one product has proven ineffective I've switched. I've added surficants (coconut oil or soap) in order to increase "staying power" on recommendation from my organic pest control guru. I've added orange oil in order to increase effectivness for the products that don't have it already. I've tried heavier concentrations than recommended. In addition to covering my turf and beds, I always cover fencing, brick siding, under the (covered) deck, everything but the roof. On another recommendation from an organic nursery, I've even sprayed in two day intervals for a week (3 applications total) in order to put a dent in them. Nothing has worked. On any given day at any point during this battle we are inundated with mosquitos minutes after we step outside - even immediately following a spraying the previous evening. At least it smells good for the remainder of the week...

And don't get me started with our experiences with natural personal deterrent formulas/sprays. The only thing we've tried that works for any of us, unfortunately are deet products. :(

I realize some of you here have had success using some of these products, but for some reason they aren't effective for me in my particular environment and/or situation. For those of you who ARE using any of them successfully I'd love to hear how you do it! :o

~Dave


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 19, 2004 2:15 pm 
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Assuming you still want use something safe rather than DEET and the other toxic chemicals, our most current research shows that plant oil sprays or mists (Bioganics or Eco-EXEMPT) and a monthly spray of garlic is the most effective program.


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 19, 2004 6:46 pm 
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has anyone tried the repellents that are supposed to use high frequency sound to repel mosquitos? I've seen some that you clip on like a keychain and some that are tabletop. Sounds too good to be true, so it probably is, but I thought I'd ask


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 19, 2004 10:35 pm 
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hg wrote:
Assuming you still want use something safe rather than DEET and the other toxic chemicals, our most current research shows that plant oil sprays or mists (Bioganics or Eco-EXEMPT) and a monthly spray of garlic is the most effective program.


Thanks for the recommendations, Howard.

Eco-EXEMPT IC appears to be a rosemary-based product. That's the same active ingredient that my pest control service (Rid-ALL) uses in their general purpose exterior spray. I'll have to look into that. Odd that they recommended (and use themselves at their own homes) a cintronella/orange-oil based product.

I'll give these two products a try next year. For now I'm tired of dumping money into what, in my experience, have been products that don't deliver on their claims.

~Dave


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PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2004 10:27 pm 
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I feel for ya, DC! Skeeter D'feeter works for me for an outdoor party for about 1/2 hour, and that's after a drenching of all grass and hedges.

Then I send everyone inside for 15 minutes and fog w/ Yard Raid or Cutter Fogger. It may not be PC here, but since I am 200% organic already in everything else I do, I do not give one fiddler's twit what anyone else has to say about it.

And I, my guests and my yard are no worse off for it. However, YMMV... good luck! :wink:

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 2:49 pm 
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I'm not sure any product was going to work the first part of the summer with all the rain we had. Unfortunately, we had our annual Fourth of July party at the peak of the rain and mosquito breeding. At dusk we all went out to our ranch by the lake to set off fireworks. Well the mosquitos were so happy to see us! :D YUM

Many of our guests had deet products, skin-so-soft products or nothing. Well those that brought the skin-so-soft products for their children were sorely disappointed. I brought a large spray bottle of orange oil spray and used it up on me and my guests with just as much or more luck than the deet products. The only problem with the orange oil is you MUST cover every teeny bit of skin because those pesky mosquitos will find that one square centimeter you missed. One thing I did notice was that the mosquitos still landed on me but didn't bite.

As you can imagine the parents asked questions about orange oil and where to get it. The deet users also wanted to know about it since it seemed to work.

On a side note, I've heard dragonflies eat mosquitos and that purple martins not only not eat mosquitos, they eat dragonflies. Can anyone back this up as fact?

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 6:52 pm 
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Billusa99 wrote:
Then I send everyone inside for 15 minutes and fog w/ Yard Raid or Cutter Fogger. It may not be PC here, but since I am 200% organic already in everything else I do, I do not give one fiddler's twit what anyone else has to say about it.


:lol: :lol: :lol: Now, don't hold back, tell us what you really think :wink: I understand completely, though I haven't resorted to that measure, sometimes "you gotta do, what you gotta do".

Mosquitoes have been a particular problem for us this year, many finding their way into the house. We have used Skeeter D'Feeter, as an indoor repellant, with no great success. For personal use we have used Skeeter D'Feeter and Cactus Juice. When in the mountains of Colorado in the wooded areas and around the rivers/streams/and creeks, I have had to resort back to a DEET based product from REI called Jungle Juice. Though the SD and CJ smell much better, I was tired of getting eaten up.

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 24, 2004 9:01 pm 
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Bill - that's a very sad report. You seem proud of using the toxins. Please explain to all of us what it means to be 200% organic. We're all waiting.


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 9:13 am 
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Howard,

I understand Bill's point of view, but I'm not sure that it should be labeled as a pride in using chemicals.

We, as as followers of organic methods and remedies to common problems in gardening and, in this case pest control, really do want the organic approach to work. We choose to follow the organic approach because at some level we know it's the preferable path compared to the alternatives. That's why we spend time here exchanging experiences, tips and ideas, time listening to people who are well versed in the subject, time researching things in literature and on the internet.

We learn about methods to control diseases, to promote healthy environments in our soil, alternatives that allow us to feel good about what we're doing, and ultimately to beautify and protect our own little corner of the planet. But what happens when the methods, products or what have you don't work for us as they appear to do for everyone else? In some cases, perhaps many, this might be attributed to not following the prescibed method(s) exactly, or perhaps that the desired end result takes effect over a longer periods of time than someone expects it to. That's not the fault of organics, but is rather a problem of individuals making mistakes and understanding the process fully. That's why I posted this question here, in the hopes that perhaps I'm missing something in the application of the methods I have tried.

In this particular case of mosquito control, I've found myself sorely tempted to give in and cross over to chemicals. Why? Because, as near as I can tell, I've come close to exhausting all of the non-chemical methods available to me. You've pointed out to me two other products which I wasn't aware of that I'll try out next season, but to be honest I'm skeptical because so many of the "tried and true" products that I've had many people who "should know" tell me will work, yet which have not even put a dent in the mosquito population on my property. The products I've tried, I've used repeatedly and in various ways in order to make them work somehow before moving on to the next. I begin to doubt the claims and the hype surrounding these methods even though I really do want to stay the course.

If I do find an organic method of control that works for me personally, I'll be here trumpeting it's virtues from the highest mountains as well as passing it on to my family and neighbors. I'll also state that it worked for me alone and that others' experiences might not be the same. If, on the other hand I run the course of available organic control measures, and feel sure that I've explored every possible means of ensuring that they were applied properly, and am left with the problem unchanged in the end then I will be crossing the chemical line in order to solve it. It's either that or choose to abandon our beautiful yard and the deck we've built for entertaining friends and family.

I'm not trying to speak for Bill here by any means, but I believe that I've described pretty closely the frustrated feelings on the subject that some people might be having concerning the issue of mosquito control.

~Dave


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 10:58 am 
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Is there a period after the initial application of garlic pepper spray before it starts to have a repllent effect on mosquitoes, or is it supposed to work pretty much immediately?

~Dave


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 11:46 am 
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I'm a little confused about Bioganic/Eco-EXEMPT mosquito control products. Initially I misinterpreted Howard's recommendation above, thinking he was referring to an outdoor spray offered by either of these product lines. After doing some research I found out that the only mosquito related product they (Bioganic or EcoPCO - which are divisions of the same company) offer is Bioganic's ShooBug insect repellent for personal use. I then re-read the post and discovered my mistake. Doh! :oops:

However, listed in an article here on the web site from July of this year it's stated that:

Quote:
3. Spray for temporary control adult mosquitoes with orange oil-based pesticides or other plant oil products such as Eco-EXEMPT, Eco-PCO and Bioganic. Broadcasting finely ground cedar granules also helps.


This seems to be implying that there's a pestiside product offered by them that is intended to be used as an "lawn and garden" type spray solution that will handle mosquitoes. I've called and they don't offer anything other than the personal spray ShooBug that deals with mosquitoes. Unless I'm missing something, this needs to be clarified a bit.

~Dave


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 2:42 pm 
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Dirt Doctor: Bill - that's a very sad report. You seem proud of using the toxins. Please explain to all of us what it means to be 200% organic. We're all waiting.

No pride involved... don't know where you picked that up from.

Dave nailed it.

And if -- in this case -- the organic method is useless, for the comfort of my guests and the avoidance of West Nile, I fog. It's the same reason I had to use Deet instead of Cactus Juice (which usually works for us) the 4th of July.

Now, if this forum is not for the posting of contrary, experiential comments in the face of personal evidence, then please kill my ID and I will gladly stay away.

I drink coffee that isn't always free trade, I don't eat organic beef all the time either. I prune my crapes and my vinegar likely comes from petroleum distillates. My car uses gasoline and I'm about to build an ICF home using concrete from ozone-laden Ellis county. There's equally valid, justifiable reasons for all those personal choices.

You may disagree, but kindly leave the value judgement of pride out if it.

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PostPosted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 2:25 pm 
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I don't know, Bill...sounded a little cocky...

It's not that you can't have a comment that differs with others here, it's that you, in your own words, "do not give one fiddler's twit what anyone else has to say about it."

You know, of course, that West Nile as diseases go...is overblown.

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PostPosted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 5:31 pm 
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kentobrew wrote:
I don't know, Bill...sounded a little cocky...

It's not that you can't have a comment that differs with others here, it's that you, in your own words, "do not give one fiddler's twit what anyone else has to say about it."

You know, of course, that West Nile as diseases go is overblown.

Whatever... but I suggest you note how the post was ended with a :wink: Perhaps then you will "hear" it differently.

And yes, I am 200% aware (darn, there's that %-age again) that West Nile, as diseases go, is waaaaay over blown. However, the perfectly dead, perfectly unruffled bluejay that was on my sidewalk may beg to differ. Even John Cleese would have bought it had I had an extra perch and some crazy glue handy at the time! 8)

Beyond that, it's simply valid, justifiable reasons for personal choices and I will now say goodbye because Dave and I feel the same pain... and I have guests arriving in an hour... :!:

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 Post subject: Mosquitoes
PostPosted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 6:09 pm 
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Our most effective repellent is birds, especially barn swallows. When they leave in the late summer, the mosquitoes return. The night hawks and swallow-tailed flycatchers, as well as the hummers also help, but the barn swallows seem to make the most difference.
QMJ


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