Skeeter Meter
May 5th, 2009 at 2:14 am by Bill Steffen under Bill's Blog, Weather
“Flying predators are often cited in the popular press as means for controlling mosquitoes by predation. However, scientific studies do not support the contentions that bats, swallows, purple martins, dragonflies, or other flying predators are effective, even though these methods might sound appealing and the animals themselves have aesthetic and intrinsic value. One has to bear in mind that predation is a natural process that is ongoing, yet we have mosquitoes anyway, often in large numbers. Actually, birds and bats do not include many mosquitoes in their diets, despite some claims to the contrary. The idea that they eat thousands of mosquitoes per night comes from statements in the natural history literature indicating that these predators would have to eat this many to maintain their existence. Outdoor, electronic bug zappers with ultraviolet lights do not control mosquitoes. So-called “mosquito plants” do not effectively repel mosquitoes, and are not recommended for this purpose despite advertisements to this effect. Other devices such as those advertised to repel mosquitoes by high frequency sound do not actually repel mosquitoes.” (from the Michigan Mosquito Control Assn.)
First bite last nite!
Call Travis Pest Control for your Mosquitoes we kill em dead.
I wonder if that information is at all biased coming from an organization composed primarily of pest control companies? http://www.mimosq.org/industry.htm
One little brown bat can eat 600 to 1,000 mosquitoes in an hour.
http://www.michigandnr.com/publications/pdfs/huntingwildlifehabitat/Landowners_Guide/Species_Mgmt/Bats.htm
I’ve been doing alot of outside work this spring, and noticed mosquitoes as early as mid April
My daughter and some of here classmates are getting bites. They seem to like the back of the neck alot.
I’ve read that mosquitoes are mostly attracted to people who have a lot of protein in their blood/breath. I try to wait until I come in from outside before I eat my banana.
I had a citronella plant two years ago. It did smell like citronella and was cool, but alas it did not work for mosquitos.
why are gas prices so high right now?
So if none of the above “solutions” work, what does?
Three years ago I developed an allergic reaction to mosquito bites. It’s horrible. The bite swells up bigger than the size of a silver dollar and turns into a huge blister. It’s a weird and fortunately rare predicament but if you know anyone else who has a problem like that, Zyrtec does a good job of slowing the reaction.
I apparently have become allergic too. Last year I recieved several bites that did the same thing. I have scars to prove it!
I am telling you folks Travis Pest Control has been spraying my house for years and we get to enjoy our summer. 616-866-1127
Does Travis Pest Control have anything that is effective against spam? That sure can be annoying.
No mosquito bites yet. . . How far will the little buggers travel for a meal?
we have thousands of baby mosquitos around lake bella vista
I have not seen any skeeters yet but I know I will. Just got back in from my walk its still a real nice night out there for the most part but just before I got to my house there were a few sprinkles.
SlimJim
Already saw a dead bird in Wedgewood park in Grandville. Not a good sign this early in the season. Don’t they like to test dead birds for West Nile?
Well at least old travis up there IS licenced in Michigan to treat Mosquitos…….lol or I would have turned him in…..:)
To answer the control question…. garlic. Been using it for 3 years now, after I had bought a mosquito magnet. That was cool, at least you could see all the dead ones, but garlic has been a wonderful thing, I can be catching hundreds of skeeters per day with the magnet and 24 hrs after the garlic application I see only a few in the magnet if any at all.
Not to mention a day after the garlic application I can be outside without getting zapped every second. I am one of those people that attract skeeters like no tomorrow. You know the ones, I can sit in a group of people and be the only one getting bit.
Anyway there are 2 makers of bulk garlic juice, Moquito barrier, and garlic barrier, spray every 2-3 weeks (more with rain) and be skeeter free.
Oh and if you have any neighborhood dogs that visit or roam, like i do, they will love rolling in the fresh garlic smell on your lawn…….hahaha
And the smell, well they say it only lasts for 2-3 hrs, when in fact you can actually smell it fgor about 1 day, but hey who doesn’t like fresh garlic smell……….
In fact I have a gallon scheduled to be delivered tomorrow.
We’ve had a real problem with black flies at our house. My kids and I have welts all over the back of our necks and hairline.
I am originally from the New England area and I remember them being bad out there but this is the first time I have really noticed them in my 11 years living in Michigan.
Must be all of the rain?
arg black fles are worse than skeeters sometimes, odd to see them this early, I usually see them in late July/Aug the worst. They are black/biting flies and not gnats? I know my 5 year old got bit up by gnats along her neck line the other night, and welted up pretty bad.
black flies attack the back of my head when I am mowing, you can about knock yourself out trying to hit them suckers as they land on your head.
I’m pretty sure they were black flies…had the trademark dried blood around the bites.
I’ll never forget my senior class trip white water rafting in Maine. It was rainy and warm most of the time. The black flies were the worst…we could not wait to get back on the bus to go home.
I have been bitten a few times, but not as much as usual. Eat your bananas!! =)
We have the bigger black fly problem too, the worst outside of a deer fly IMO..
This will be my LAST POST from the Fisk Knob Park area. Next time you see me will likely be after May 13th or so, blogging from KENT CITY, MI….on CABLE INTERNET! No more of this terrible Hughesnet. Just a constant 10megs, without this restriction thing.
I’d also like to wish all the Mom’s a VERY HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY this weekend!!!
Take care everyone, chat with you all later =)
Over and Out —–>
I have seen some skeeters already. I am more concern about the West Nile than I am with the swine flu.
I’ve noticed that wasps are now coming out earlier and faster, last year there weren’t too many. We have swallows now that are really flying low around our house so they pretty much take care of the mosquitoes. Is it possible we are going to have a summer with very high humidity?
A new sun cycle…..wooohooo
NASA’s STEREO-B spacecraft is monitoring an active region hidden behind the sun’s eastern limb. On May 5th, it produced an impressive coronal mass ejection (CME) and a burst of radio emissions signalling the passage of a shock wave through the sun’s outer atmosphere. Activity has continued apace today, May 6th, with at least two more eruptions. The blast site is not yet visible from Earth, but the sun is turning the region toward us for a better view. Is a new-cycle sunspot in the offing? Readers with solar telescopes could see it emerge as early as May 7th or 8th. Visit http://spaceweather.com for images, movies and updates.
I have not noticed any mosquitoes yet and have been in the yard working the last few weekends. I think it has been kinda dry which is unusual since we had so much snow and the rivers are really high.
Hey is anyone out there like me. I itch when the mosquito is biting me but I don’t afterward. Have I built up an immunity to mosquito saliva? Anyone else notice this about themselves? Wondering if I have some sort of special power or something…
I’m the same way. I always feel them as soon as they bite me. Then I whack them. I don’t itch later, but I don’t know if it’s because I whack them right away, or I’m immune.
Not mosquitos, TICKS!! I had never seen a tick in my life until 2 days ago. Went camping at the Ionia state rec. area, between 3 people, we had on average 6 on each of us. Found 3 in my girlfriend’s hair alone. Watch out everybody