mosquitoes...the VA state bird

[0rion]

This will be our 5th year going to VA Beach for vacation. It's great and we always have such a good time. It's a great family experience. The skeeters are always bad...particularly last year. There were a couple nights where you just couldn't stand to be outside after dark. I realize there's not a ton to do but if anyone has any tips/tricks that work I'd love to hear them. We had so many chemicals on everyone last year I'm surprised someone didn't grow a 3rd arm. The chemicals really didn't help. Thought about maybe a screen room at least to eat outside in but I imagine with everyone going in and out it would only be a matter of time before it's filled with skeeters not too mention the extra space one takes up on the trip and time setting up and taking it down.

[rolling_rhoda]

This is what we have.
bug fogger

[0rion]

PA12DRVR wrote:

0rion wrote:
how much propane do the burners go through? I was at a friends house over the weekend and he lives near a swampy area and was saying he's going to try a propane burner next summer but wasn't sure how much propane he'd go through running one.

Sorry that I can't really help you on that question. The one that I had was tee'd into a 100# propane bottle. FWIW, our (former 😞 ) house in Los Anchorage, while not in the worst of areas, had a spruce bog on 2 of the 4 sides: We used the fogger for an entire summer in the back yard and noticed only a 3" drop on the 100# tank....measuring by the very scientific method of seeing where the condensation was on the outside of the tank.

Gut feel is that you'd burn through some propane, but (IMO) not enough to avoid trying the solution.

thanks and I agree that it's worth a shot. We'll probably use the 8 pronged attack and use several different things to see if they help. I'm not looking for a mosquito free trip but just a reduced mosquito trip would be a huge improvement. I'm an outdoors guy and can deal with some mosquitoes but when they're so bad I have to go inside to eat my dinner then it's time to do something about it.

[PA12DRVR]

0rion wrote:
how much propane do the burners go through? I was at a friends house over the weekend and he lives near a swampy area and was saying he's going to try a propane burner next summer but wasn't sure how much propane he'd go through running one.

Sorry that I can't really help you on that question. The one that I had was tee'd into a 100# propane bottle. FWIW, our (former 😞 ) house in Los Anchorage, while not in the worst of areas, had a spruce bog on 2 of the 4 sides: We used the fogger for an entire summer in the back yard and noticed only a 3" drop on the 100# tank....measuring by the very scientific method of seeing where the condensation was on the outside of the tank.

Gut feel is that you'd burn through some propane, but (IMO) not enough to avoid trying the solution.

[Bigdog]

Worked on a boat in S.E. Alaska in the early 70's and we had no-seeums that would crawl right thru the screen door screens, untill the mosquitoes would ripe it off and then the black flies,the mosquitoes and the no-seeums would have their way with you. We couldn't even out run them as the Anna Jackman could only do 10 knots wide open.
I was stationed at Dover AFB in '62-'65 on KC-97 tankers and there were several times when I tried to stick the boom up the nose of a marsh mosquitoe instead of the B-47 I was s'posed to be refueling. Those things really got upset when you sprayed them with JP-4.

[0rion]

how much propane do the burners go through? I was at a friends house over the weekend and he lives near a swampy area and was saying he's going to try a propane burner next summer but wasn't sure how much propane he'd go through running one.

[rolling_rhoda]

Our town does a pretty good job of treating standing water and running sprayers up and down the streets (thank you West Nile Virus). However, we live next to water and brush. When we entertain, DH gets out the propane fogger morning and evening for a couple of days before company comes, and while they're here. Everyone still uses bug spray, and expects to get bitten if sitting in the shade, especially at twilight.

[bucky]

The mosquitoes and the green head flys have their Super Bowl every year At Assateague National Seashore. Just saying 🙂

[Padlin]

A somewhat smokey camp fire works okay, as does limiting camping to the fall, at least in our clime. We tried citronella candles, they may work a little but not enough. Thermacells haven't seemed to make any difference, but only tried one a couple times. A fan works okay, but it has to be blowing on you, we carry a 12v Endless Breeze but bigger would be even better. We actually tried the head nets Old-Biscuit shows when hiking, certainly do the job but they are hard to see through and get too hot, not to mention how they look.

So for now we use Deet of the appropriate strength when we're out and about. After dinner and showers we cover up as much as practical, use the fan if it's warm enough, or FWIW a citronella candle or 2. When it gets too bad for those we go inside. I'll probably try the Thermacell again next year.

[Old-Biscuit]

0rion wrote:

Dog Folks wrote:

0rion wrote:
right....this isn't a thread to see who can brag about how bad they have it haha. I'm looking for solutions.

O.K. Here is the solution:

There is none, except don't go there :W

quality post right there....you've been helpful.

Hey you posted:
The skeeters are always bad...particularly last year. There were a couple nights where you just couldn't stand to be outside after dark........The chemicals really didn't help

There isn't anything affective with 'hordes of mosquitoes' except not being out amongst them

OR suiting up

[frankdamp]

The skeeters in VA were one of the main reasons I left NASA to go back to Boeing. We have very few skeeters in this part of Washington. So the winters are kinda crappy, our local airport is often saying "800 broken, 1500 overcast, vis 0.7 miles, 40F, rain and fog" between mid November and early March. It can get on your nerves a bit, but it's not that much different from where we were born and raised in NW England. At least it doesn't stay below freezing for weeks on end, and the only place I see negative Fahrenheit numbers is in the kitchen freezer! 25F is about as low as it gets overnight. Daytime highs below freezing are rare.

The summers are gorgeous, highs stay around 75F with humidity about 20%. Overnight drops into the mid 60s and we get several weeks of clear and sunny. None of the dull, overcast, 95F and 90% humidity we got in VA. No afternoon thunderstorms either. It can rain for 24 hour here and we get maybe 0.5".

The only negative, if you're a salt-water swimmer, is that the water is really cold. At our local beach, in knee-high water, it's probably 50F. Your legs go numb in 10 minutes.

[TomB_]

Water-Bug wrote:
But does VA have Black Flies ? Skeeters are no fun unless you have Black Flies too. 🙂

Not only do we have skeeters that can stand flat footed & stare a full grown rooster in the eye.:E But we do not have black flies, however we do have the infamous blue tail fly, that can bite one on a knuckle & cause the whole hand to swell to 3X the normal size.:S

DW & I are moving south come spring....

[bukhrn]

CANAMKID wrote:
The mosquitoes up here in MN. don't go away in the winter, they get
fuzzier.

What we use is a dry powder put down before dusk. Don't remember
the name 5er is in storage. Farm store sell the stuff:B

:B:B

[CANAMKID]

The mosquitoes up here in MN. don't go away in the winter, they get
fuzzier.

What we use is a dry powder put down before dusk. Don't remember
the name 5er is in storage. Farm store sell the stuff:B

[PA12DRVR]

0rion wrote:
right....this isn't a thread to see who can brag about how bad they have it haha. I'm looking for solutions.

Ok, I'll say that Alaska has the worst.. but for solutions:

1) I've found that in many places except Alaska, the propane powered foggers work in still air for a limited radius. Not very good in the wind.

2) Haven't bought any for a couple of years, so it might not be made any more, but if you want to lather up, Bens and Muskol make/made a variety that was 100% deet. Kept the bugs away. Stinks and is greasy.

....and the most effective solution, but takes getting used to:

Headnet and/or Bugsuit...both made of netting. FWIW, headnets are required emergency gear for pilots flying in Alaska.

[TurnThePage]

bukhrn wrote:

0rion wrote:

Dog Folks wrote:

0rion wrote:
right....this isn't a thread to see who can brag about how bad they have it haha. I'm looking for solutions.

O.K. Here is the solution:

There is none, except don't go there :W

quality post right there....you've been helpful.

Helpful or not, that's our solution, we Never go to Va Beach. Has more to do with number of people vs mosquitoes, We head to the mountains, that's where the black flys get you.

I have to agree. There's a great lake side camping area only 30 minutes from home, that unfortunately gets very infested. We normally choose to go further away, typically to river side locations (no standing water). No standing water, no mosquitos. It's much drier here than most locations "back east", which I'm sure makes a huge difference.