Mosquito Control

GaryKH wrote:
Just keep in mind that permethrin is highly toxic to aquatic species (ie. fish) & also bees. I have also heard that it is toxic to cats, but have no evidence of that. I don't know about the rest of N/A, but here in B.C. the bees are having quite the struggle after just about being wiped out with mites. Use it wisely!

http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/metiram-propoxur/permethrin-ext.html

Thermacell doesn't use Permethrin, it uses Allethrin which is a member of the pyrethroid family. Allethrin is also used in mosquito coils and other insect repellents. It's a synthetic copy of a natural insect repellent, Pyrethum which is extracted from a variety of a Chrysanthemum flower. Allethrin has a low toxicity to bees. Permethrin, also a member of the pyrethroid family, on the other hand is highly toxic to bees from spraying of the chemical and resulting direct contact, from bees drinking contaminated water and/or from bees gathering pollen from contaminated blossoms/flowers. Spraying Permethrin on crops and fruit trees is common and I imagine kills a lot of honey bees.

A Thermacell vaporizes the Allethrin and it's effectiveness is limited to a very small localized area around the Thermacell (about 15x15'). I don't think there's any info. or evidence out there that indicates a Thermacell is toxic to any species, but I'd be interested if there is any.

Did a test with those Ryobi fans...with batteries (18v lithiums) I already had, I got 5hours on high and about 10 hours on low. With the two new batteries (which appear to be a better battery), I got 8.5 hours on high and 17.5 on low. I'm impressed.... great little fans...and you can plug them into an extension cord as well.

2012Coleman wrote:

Where do you get stale beer? :H :P

Any place you find cheap beer! :B
Barney

Just keep in mind that permethrin is highly toxic to aquatic species (ie. fish) & also bees. I have also heard that it is toxic to cats, but have no evidence of that. I don't know about the rest of N/A, but here in B.C. the bees are having quite the struggle after just about being wiped out with mites. Use it wisely!

http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/metiram-propoxur/permethrin-ext.html

BarneyS wrote:
Found this on Facebook but have not tried it yet. Sounds like it would be great for a weekend campout.
Barney

Mosquito Yard Spray
1 big bottle of Blue cheap mouthwash
3 cups of Epsom salt
3 stale 12oz cheap beers

Mix those three ingredients together until the salt is dissolved.
Spray anywhere you sit outside. Will not harm plants or flowers.
Mosquitoes gone from that area for approx. 80 days!
Mosquitoes and bugs hate it. Nice mint smell. :)

Where do you get stale beer? :H :P

Nothing much helps with mosquito control for me. Bug spray, Skin So Soft, and Thermocell are ineffective. A fan helps but then I freeze. I am doomed to having many mosquito bites during the summer. Spouse never gets bit.

Consumer Reports periodically tests mosquito repellents. In the last article I read they rated products containing DEET or Picaridin over anything else including Skin-so-Soft.

Native Americans used to cover themselves with bear grease as an effective bug repellent. Apparently insects will not land on or crawl over the greased areas. Unfortunately I don't know of any commercial products containing bear grease but perhaps applying enough Skin-so-Soft is a good imitation.

Permethrin is one of the pyrethroid family of insecticides. It is marketed as a repellent but actually kills mosquitoes, ticks, etc.

myredracer wrote:

wbwood wrote:
For one butane cartridge and 3 pads, you are talking about $7 or so... and that's only for 12 hours.

If you shop around, you can get one cartridge and 3 or 4 mats for under $2. You can also refill the cartridges yourself and can use "ARS mat 12" mats as an alternative for only about 20 cents each as explained on this vid.. We came across a bunch of the Thermacell refills on sale somewhere for cheap over the winter and stocked up.

Personally, skitters don't bother me because I show no fear. :) DW is deathly afraid of them and they go for her instead and she gets some nasty looking welts. :(

Wasps are what I'm afraid of because I'm allergic. The last time I got bitten, a wasp got inside a can of pop and I ended up with a huge swollen lip.

Looked around and the cheaper t I saw was $5.88 with $4.97 shipping.... Not worth my time to have to shop around to save a few more dollars...especially when you gotta add shipping. And refilling butane cartridges is an accident waiting to happen...Not how we chose to do things...especially when it only protects such a small area...instead of protecting each person individually...

got the ryobi fans today...they work great!

Found this on Facebook but have not tried it yet. Sounds like it would be great for a weekend campout.
Barney

Mosquito Yard Spray
1 big bottle of Blue cheap mouthwash
3 cups of Epsom salt
3 stale 12oz cheap beers

Mix those three ingredients together until the salt is dissolved.
Spray anywhere you sit outside. Will not harm plants or flowers.
Mosquitoes gone from that area for approx. 80 days!
Mosquitoes and bugs hate it. Nice mint smell. :)