Same here, we're all covered in bites, I have no less than 30 on one calf alone. The Off only works for about 10 minutes, then you have to reapply and even then it only works so so. I couldn't take it anymore and sprayed outside, both front and back. Didn't do a darn thing to the good or bad bugs as far as I can tell. I put out one of those uv light electronic things with bait and that doesn't seem to be doing anything either. It's bad enough I can't garden in the heat but add the bugs to it and we just can't step outside anymore!!

I went to an organic gardening seminar and the speaker suggested using cedar pellets cast about in your garden beds and lawn. I have not tried it myself although I will probably break out the checkbook this weekend and splurge! Anyway, this guy swore its the best thing for mosquitoes, cinch bugs and also ants. I asked if would hurt the beneficials and the answer was nope.

At my local farm and home store it was 14.75 for a 10 pound bag. I think a 10 pound bag would give A LOT of coverage.

I included a link to show you what I am talking about. It's expensive through this site so I would suggest calling some nurseries and farm stores first to see if they have it available at a more reasonable cost.

I hope that helps!

Rebecca

Here is a link that might be useful: Pellitized cedar

Hi...

I know it doesn't sound appealing in any manner; but these have been known to work. I believe it's the Tobacco Juice that's supposed to be the best.
Depending on how desperate you are, you might want to go ahead and conduct an experiment to try them out.
Regular White Vinegar of at least 5% should do.

Regards,
Ed VA
edv7028@yahoo.com

Be careful with the tobacco juice because nicotine is a poison.

I read an article recently that also suggested using shredded cedar products such as Yard Gard or Cedarcide. There is extra cedar oil soaked into the bits of cedar that make it more effective. They say to sprinkle it all the way around the foundation of your house.

Rebecca - Do you think cedar animal bedding would have a similar effect? I have lots of it on hand for my ferret.

The mosquitoes here have dwindled for some reason. But I have seen hundreds of frogs leaping around in the grass at night. They eat mosquitoes right? Anyway, I tried bti dunks in the creek behind my house, but the inoculated water just washes away with the rains.

Oh, I forgot about cedar! I used it one year, around my back door, and it did seem to help, although it didn't wipe them out or anything. At least it smelled really good. On the vinegar, do you spray it everywhere? I don't think I'll run across any tobacco juice.
Thanks everybody!

Be careful with vinegar out in the yard because it can be used to kill grass and weeds,though not at 5%. I would still think it may make them sick though. I read on the internet that you can use borax in the house for fleas but also again not outside because it will kill plants. I put diamataceous? earth around the foundation for ants and bugs, haven't seen too much lately. Knock wood! Try dumping out standing water to keep mosquitoes from breeding. I found larva in some of my plant saucers!

I am going insane from them. I have 4 bites right now from one that just got me here at my desk, INSIDE!
I wish I could get an honest review of the mosquito systems, misting or magnets. All the reviews seem liked planted reviews my the vendors.

I don't have any suggestions for getting rid of mosquitos, but I do have something that controls the itch and makes the welps go away. Claritin.

A few weeks ago, I was working in the yard of a house we are restoring that is the center of the universe for all mosquitos. I came home covered in bites and could not stop scratching. A neighbor suggested Benadryl, but I didn't want to go to sleep. I popped a Claritin Redi-tab and within 10 minutes, no more itching. By the next morning, my legs looked normal.

Sorry, I can't help solve the problem, but I can stop the itch!

I make a paste of meat tenderizer and a little water for the bites. Just dab it on the bites, and it stops itching right away. Works for stings, too.

The mosquitos aren't as bad here as they were last week, but they're still out there. We've had fruit flies appear all over the place this week, and I can't figure it out. We had a huge load of mulch dumped recently, and all this rain, of course, so maybe they're breeding in the mulch or something? They're making me nuts, because they can squeeze through the tiniest spaces and get in the house.

Im glad somebody else is saying Off! doesn't work on them. I go out early all lathered down in Off! and within a few minutes I am miserable w/ the itches. They don't touch my DH and he doesn't wear off! It's either too hot or too wet or too many mosquitoes to go out. I'm trapped!

Greenlight makes several products as does cedarcide.com (the original inventor of the product I believe) that are made with the juniper virginiana (Sp) what we here in the Hill Country call cedar. There are several variations of the product out there and types of cedar used. Some are concentrates that can be diluted for a multitude of uses in the home, outside the home, on your pets and on yourself. I used the cedacide Yardsafe 10 lb bag (it covers between 2000 and 4000 su. ft. according to the label. I used it in the garden center scattering it around the about 40'x100' area and had a few pounds left over. That was about a week and a half ago. We had about 4 inches of rain a day or two after I applied it. The chiggers and fire ants were getting bad and this really slowed them down. I plan on putting some down at home tomorrow. Next I am planning on using some of the concentrate to see how it works for other pests as well. Supposed to be good for a multitude of biting and plant damaging critters. I don't know enough about it yet to say how effective it is going to be for all situations but I would rather try this type of approach as opposed to spraying pyrythrins or a slew of the other mosquito products which of course include malathion which I refuse to use and haven't for neigh on 20 years.
Check into it and if you do try it post your results back here for others to see how it worked or didn't work for you. I promise to do the same.
I am happy so far but still am experimenting so I will see where it goes from here.
Good Luck and Happy Growing David
P.S. The first thing I do to keep down mosquito bites is to wear long pants and since I have hairy arms I don't have too much exposure area for them to bite. Not a cure all but bare skin is asking for trouble no matter what when it come to skeeters ):

I was out front yesterday and the skeeters were so bad I thought they'd carry me away. I came inside and put on Bite Blocker this stuff is great and works wonderful. It is all natural using plant oils and extracts. I has no deet great for using on kids. I got it at a wildbird food store in Keller or Watauga on 377.

Here is a link that might be useful: welcome to bite blocker

This is what I used last year, and will do again probably starting this weekend.
Into my 30 gal. garden hose sprayer, I put 1 cup epsom salts, 1 Tablespoon regular (original) Dawn liquid, and then filled it to the top with the gold Listerine (I use the cheap dollar-store brand). I spray my entire yard and garden, plus the lower half of the house (it's brick), around the doors, and my porches. I usually use 2, sometimes 3 sprayers-full of this solution. I put it on pretty heavy. It did really good last year. I sprayed in the evening time because I wasn't 100% sure about the mouthwash's alcohol effect on plants in the sun. It didn't hurt any of my plants. I also made a "concentrated" bit of the solution to rub on my legs and arms. It's a bit "sticky" - but it worked.

Hope this helps.

Kat

p.s. - Fleas hate the original Dawn too! I bathe my dogs with it. And I do a final rinse on them with the Listerine. It works!!

missinformation, we accidentally figured out how to kill fruit flies after a late night party. Take a half full bottle of el cheepo red wine and leave it out. The fruit flies will fly down in it and get drunk, then drown. Works great and is uber easy.

I read in another thread here on TX GW about citronella torches. We've never used them before. I went out and bought one to try. Worked great. So I bought more and put them all around our back patios. I can once again enjoy morning coffee on the patio!

Next trip to WalMart I'll get a few more to place further out in the yard.

I also picked up one package of those citronella wrist bands. Pretty pungent but they do work. While working in the yard I either wear it on my wrist or my ankle. While sitting here at the computer (where I sometimes get bite) I just place it on a coaster on the desk. I don't even have to wear it and those pesky things don't dare come near me.
Last time I looked they were sold out. Next time I see them I'll buy more.

NOTHING but 29% Deet will keep them off me. Still one got behind frame of my glasses & bit, next morning eye was so swollen I hardly see out it. I slather it on, rush out to do what must be done & come for a shower right away.

Spraying does no good here...except for 2 days, it's rained every day (at least once) for over 30 days. I keep granular "donut" stuff in covered patio plant saucers & birdbaths.

While the itching is horrid, the fear of West Nile Virus is even worse, and as soon as rain goes away I use whatever it takes to kill 'em.

Suzi

Averagejoetx, I would think cedar animal bedding would have a similar effect, maybe not as strong but wouldn't hurt to try. Besides, use what you got and make do, right? If it doesn't seem to be working you could always try the granules afterwards.

I picked up a 1.25 pound jar of Natures guide Insect repellent cedar oil formula for about 5 bucks. 1 pound covers 1,000 square feet. It says all kinds of cool things on the back, if anybody is interested I'll type it up for you. I applied it last night and I had WAY less mosquitoes hanging out on my foyer walls. And I do mean WAY less.

As far as frogs eating mosquitoes, yessiree bob they love 'em. I know this from sitting out on my front foyer watching them feast away. I also saw the frogs eating ants(who knew) and grasshoppers(woo hoo!). And don't think that just because some frogs are small they can't eat the big bugs! They can pack away a bug half their size very easily.

There were a lot of great suggestions here. But I have a question for michellesg, what is leftover wine? I have never heard of such a travesty!!!!!

Have a wonderful day everybody and don't worry, the monsoon can't last forever:-)

Rebecca

Great ideas, and I'm certainly going to try them. Probably ALL of them. When I did use cedar, I bought it at a feed store. They seem to be cheaper than the garden stores for stuff like that. I've also read that taking a lot of B1 (vitamins)makes you smell unattractive to mosquitos. Probably to people, too.
Let me share an experience regarding ticks--I went camping in a two-person tent with a friend of mine. I had been having back pain and had been taking a good bit of Advil. The next morning, she was covered with ticks, and I, who usually represent a banquet to all insects, had not a one. Who knows, it COULD have been the Advil.

I saw this online and thought that it was a pretty clever idea:

Here is a link that might be useful: Skeeter Bag - mosquito trap

I don't know if it hurts other bugs, but the best thing we have found is old fashioned Pics burning near us on the porch or patio. I found them online. I spray Yard Guard every evening right outside my front and back door to keep them from coming in the house. Maybe doing both helps....but last nite we sat out on the porch till way after dark and no bites....and DH is a skeeter magnet. Spray alone does not keep them off him because we have a lot of foilage front and back. The more we clean out beds/overgrowth..the less skeeters we have tho. When the grands are here and get bites from being out on the trampoline, I daub their bites with Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar. Itching stopped immediately, and we could not find the bite the next day.