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LPT: Adult mosquitos in general can be difficult to kill, but their spawn are easier to eliminate.
Get a home depot bucket and a pack of "mosquito dunks," ~$10 for a pack of 8 pucks. Mosquito dunks are used typically for birdbaths, fish ponds, basically any standing water you'd have on your property. It ~~is a chemical that~~ targets the larvae and prevents them from growing to full on mosquitos. It does not harm any other bugs or animals.
Fill up the bucket halfway, throw in some dead grass to attract the egg laying mosquitos as the grass decays (think swampy water, mosquitos love it), and throw in 1/4 of a puck (do half or the whole thing if you want, but 1/4 is enough for a 5 gallon bucket). Refill water and add new dunks once a month.
Boom, no more babies born around your house. I have 4 of these buckets around my yard. You can use a flower pot if you are worried about esthetics. If you're worried about birds or other critters falling in, throw a stick in there so they can climb out or cover with chicken wire.
I noticed a HUGE decrease less than 10 days after setting up. Some people say that once a female has touched the treated water to lay eggs, any other water she touches will also become treated.
These are perfect and you should do this But just adding it's not a chemical.
It's actually a larvae that eats the mosquito eggs, but it's completely safe for animals so you don't have to worry about that
They also sell them as mosquito bits instead of the dunks which are easier if you're using less than a whole donut for the water source.
Do it today and in 10 days you'll have no mosquitoes. It's so worth it
It also works well for killing fungus gnat larvae. I mix the granulated version in warm water and then water my house plants. After using that and sticky traps to catch the remaining adults, I hardly ever see them.
It's not an instant solution but it works well. I forgot to mention that there are also powdered BTI products or you could break up the full sized mosquito dunks and soak it in a watering can if the granulated version is too annoying. Some people also use a type of nematode to eat the larvae.
It’s worked with every caterpillar I’ve used it on. Thing is that it needs to get in their mouth so the spray must contact them directly. May take several applications.
Ah. I'll stick to my "kill them with fire" approach. Kidding'-- I snip off bits of branches (or the caterpillar, if solo) into a bucket full of water & dish soap.
My god, browntails are awful. Getting too close to them (or an open cocoon) is like spending a day rolling around in 70s-era fiberglass insulation. Worse, even.
BTI is a specific subspecies of BT found in mosquito dunks or bits. Reading about GMOs that produce BT was interesting though, thanks for mentioning it.
Mosquito dunks might not always work. There is an issue with the heat in the semis stripping away their usability when it’s in transit. But as far as I know, the mosquito bits work well. Whatever has BTI as their main ingredient. It’s a target specific bacteria that only targets mosquito larvae.
And making sure before you lay your trap, that you empty out any other shallow water around your yard like buckets or wheel barrows, ext.
But in general, targeting the larvae before they even grow to full size will be a big winner
I did this for the first time this year and I think it's working. I've definitely seen the larvae in the buckets because they're the wigglers. I have put dunks in about 8 buckets around my 1/4 acre and I've noticed fewer mosquitoes than in years past. I can't control what my neighbors do but it's always been bad. This year I'm not seeing that many at all.
In Florida, we absolutely do stuff like this. We elect a mosquito officer same as sheriff and mayor. Their department drives trucks around that spray pesticides. But they also distribute free fish to put in ponds to eat mosquito eggs. They educate people on preventing standing water.
And the coolest thing they do is monitor mosquito populations and diseases, using various methods, including **sentinel chickens**. Basically they periodically test chicken blood for mosquito-borne diseases. Since chickens are outside all day, it's likely that mosquitos will find them, even if no humans have contracted the disease yet.
We also have genetically engineered sterile mosquitoes that mate with the fertile mosquitos to prevent them from laying eggs.
But it's difficult to eradicate *all* mosquitoes, since it would require killing all of them everywhere all at once. They reproduce so quickly, and all they really need is a puddle.
I'm using this technique this year and I'm here to say it works amazingly well.
I've noticed probably 99% fewer mosquitoes than last year.
Another add-on to the excellent technique listed above: Buy some of the dunks granules and scatter them in gutters and areas where water stagnates after rain. This helps kill off the bloodline of the few wise ones who choose not to lay their eggs in the buckets of treated water.
You'll be amazed by the results.
I'd set 4 of them around the property. Try to put them in shady areas as that's where mosquitoes like to hang out. There's no minimum distance from where people gather, as once the mosquito lays eggs in the bucket, the larvae die and no mosquitoes come out of the buckets. Try to think like a mosquito - where would you like to lay eggs? Sounds silly, but it works.
That being said, this might come into play - the buckets can start to smell stagnant, and that's actually a good thing because the skeeters love that smell. So if the smell bothers you or your guests, just move it farther away.
Dunks usually work for about 20-30 days. Also a whole dunk is good for 100sqft so you can break it up into small pieces and use it a lot more that way.
Maybe I'm dumb but why not just remove standing water from your yard? I walk the yard about once a week and get rid of any standing water. A bucket lid, puddle, anything that holds any water. Takes me 10 minutes and I haven't had a mosquito here in like a decade. And I live in the humid southeastern US. Mosquitoes are plentiful here, just not my yard.
Because mosquitoes can fly up to three miles to find a spot to lay eggs. If you can induce them to lay on your property but kill them it will have a bigger effect
I moved to a wooded property with a stream that is often stagnant. I am a mosquito magnet and was sure I'd be eaten alive. But I read about this tip just as we moved in, and tried it out. The first bug bites I had all summer were last weekend, when I went to visit my parents. It REALLY works.
My parents have one of those that has a small UV light on it. They keep it on the charging stand, light attracts the bugs and you just hear a random zap every so often at night.
Do you add something different cause I’ve threw in the trash mine because it attracted everything except mosquitoes and I kept it in my bedroom not even outdoors
Why throw it out though? I wouldn't want to have things flying around me when I sleep.
Unless you keep a window open without a screen, the light on mine isn't strong enough to attract anything from outside.
I didn't do anything different, we are just blessed with lots of mosquitoes when entering/ exiting the house and sometimes they get in.
Ours is inside the cabin, in the bed area (it's a small cabin). I've rarely seen anything other than mosquitoes and the odd deerfly.. though this is in Quebec
Mosquitoes are weak fliers. Using an oscillating fan on a high setting works great for me. I've tried lavender and lemongrass and those haven't worked.
I was working outdoors and the company had a really good /powerful fan pointed towards me (it was really hot weather) and while working i could see the mosquitoes trying really hard to land on my skin but even if they succeeded the fan blew them away almost instantly. Didn't get bitten once.
The reason fly swatters have holes is to prevent disturbing the air, which the insects can detect. I’m curious to know how taping the paper wouldn’t be sensed.
That's of course a joke because it's impossible, but interestingly that's why whips are so loud! The tip actually breaks the sound barrier, creating a sonic boom.
If you have a mosquito inside your house, the best way to kill them is to vacuum them up with your vacum. Leaves no marks, kills them instantly and is just so, so satisfying.
The best swatter I ever used was a riding crop. Used to ride horses so had one, and flies are common in barns and one day I was bored. With like 20 minutes of practice I realized I could hit with really good aim, and because it's so narrow and "snappy" it's too fast for them to react.
In another 10 minutes I'd killed over 50 flies.
I trained mine by pointing to the mosquito and screaming KILL IT KILL IT I think they realised I don't like mosquitoes and think I'm afraid of them so they kill them, this worked on my dog too.
> In August 2021 a 7-year-old Texas boy reported to his parents that he had been bitten by a bat. In the absence of bite marks, no rabies postexposure prophylaxis (PEP; rabies immunoglobulin and a vaccine series) was given. Two months later, he developed symptoms suggestive of rabies and a diagnosis was made; ultimately, he died 22 days after his symptoms began.
Found the mosquito posting anti-bat propaganda!
You're of course right that tragically bat scratches or bites aren't always noticed compared to those of other rabid animals, and this leads to sad outcomes. But rabies kills less than ten people in the US per year, counting all sources, with bats only accounting for 1/3 of the reported cases.
Mosquitos are *far* more deadly. West Nile Virus kills 130 per year. And that's just *one* disease mosquitos transmit. Malaria and Dengue are two other terribly dangerous examples.
Look I'm with filling our houses with bats, but then I'd want our babies to get routine rabies vaccines and adults to get routine rabies boosters.
As is recommended if you have any contact with wild bats.
Sorry, but this is just oh so much BS colored with just a grain of truth. Yes, the color you wear may matter when it comes to mosquitos being attracted to you (you will want to wear white clothes) but the color of the swatter won't matter. and there are no available scientific studies to support that the swatter color matters. What is more:
* Mosquitos are slow, much slower than flies. The reason they are hard to kill is that they are harder to see than flies.
* Covering the swatter's holes with tissue paper or with anything will reduce its effectiveness since this will increase the change in air pressure that the bug senses as the swatter moves in for the kill.
* Your "evidence" is just one person's experience, an anecdote, hardly enough for a scientific study or for a recommendation here.
So sure, use a white fly swatter if you're so inclined, but I don't think that it's going to help you that much.
Badminton rackets are extremely efficient at killing flies and mosquitoes. It seems like they have a low hit rate since it has a bunch of holes but they are actually pretty good.
At least 90% hit rate if you can hit them. They are pretty aerodynamic so flies don't/cant really dodge them. Better than a fly swatter which requires them to land. Maybe not as good for fruit flies.
Another tool I use is a butane torch. Those mid sized ones that takes the big long cans of butane. Get one with a trigger that releases gas and sparks the ignition. Usually the trigger releases has at half press and sparks the ignition at full press. You can just ignite them and they usually can't fly fast enough. I can release the trigger fast enough where I burnt flies on my roll of paper towel. Usually their wings burn up in 0.001 seconds but they are still alive. It's better than that bug-a-salt thing. But this is technically a fire hazard, I'm not responsible.
Just vacuum them. Not joking, just turn on the vacuum cleaner and approach the mosquitoes (very) slowly, they won’t fly away and they will get sucked. Have been using this technique for years and it works really well with any kind of flying insect (flies, mosquitoes, moths, etc). I have a cordless Dyson, so it’s easy to go around the house and vacuum those suckers.
I just uh…grab it by my hand and squash it. I got pretty good at it. I hike, mosquitoes love me and only me. My mosquitoe grabbing still would put Saitama to shame.
But honestly, just get an electric swatter. It’s very effective. For flies, you can get an electric zapper trap that emits a light to attract them in.
I fill a spray bottle with water and add a drop of dish soap. Shake it up a bit and spray whatever insects fly around. They will stop flying when they get wet and the soap will slowly suffocate the insect. You get the satisfaction of watching the Mosquito that has been tormenting you writhe in pain as it draws its last breath.
I then get to get a tissue, wipe up the mosquito and soapy water and get to say I cleaned something today as well.
I would like to just add to this thread an additional LPT
UV (ultaviolet) bug zappers don't work on mosquitos. Also they don't work on most pests. **Pollinators** are attracted to UV. Check the dead bug tray next time and count how many pests you got versus how many bees, wasps and moths and think carefully about who exactly you're trying to eliminate.
Hair spray, the ones with strong hair fixation. One short burst in the direction of an insect turns the mf into a statue in seconds. Also works with flies.
I have 5 flies come into my house every time I open the door. I've killed probably 10 just today. I would have salt everywhere and that is much more annoying
Not sure if it’s been said yet, but when I was younger I used to put foamy hand soap all over my hands (you can use regular soap just get it to a foamy consistency) and swat my hands to get the mosquito stuck in the foam. No clapping/ real hand accuracy needed. This was the easiest way for me to get those buggers
I just use a handheld stick vacuum cleaner. They're so small and light that it's really easy to just suck em right up. No bloody mess on the wall or furniture to clean, and honestly just quicker and easier in every way.
Not sure on mosquitos, but flies sense the vibrations through the air of your hand/swatter which is why they seem to able to move out the way.
If you move extremely slowly, you can actually get close enough to poke a fly before it flies away. They also take off in a backwards/vertical motion, so aiming your swatter there is good. So move slowly to close the distance, then act in a targeted, quick motion.
Another technique is to hit "slow". When you try to hit fast and hard, the wind from your attack can push flying insects away from whatever you're using to hit it. If you try to hit slow with minimum force, no wind will be produced and you can get closer to the flying insect and even trap or crush it at will.
I crush flying insects with my hand this way. I just slowly reach out to the flying insect, and then close my hand to crush it. Of course, I use soap and water to wash my hand right away.
Mostly they stick to the wall and you just wipe them away! Since I discovered this method I can take out all the mosquitos in my bedroom. Its very convenient to clean a room of them with this method. :D
Finally a good LPT. I was by the park just now. I had my windows down and my phone was bright -it attracted mosquitoes.
I actually got most of them with a white wet wipe 🤯
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Would also like to know, I moved recently and some nights I get tons of mosquitoes in my bedroom, it sucks.
I put on some repellent before going to sleep, but I don't want that to be a long term solution. I've tried to make a homemade trap with vinegar and dish soap I found online but it didn't do anything...
I'm thinking of buying a bunch of carnivorous plants and put them near the window, and an oscillating fan so they can't fly near me while I sleep.
I got flack for posting this way weeks ago. Rinse a jug with soapy water, trap the mosquito on a wall and it will try escape, land into the soapy bubbles / water and die. Works where i am in the UK as i dont see them too often
We stopped paying for mosquito treatments and started doing buckets this year. The difference is unbelievable. We had our first bbq of the season and no mosquitos at all! I also filled my deck with potted citronella, rosemary, marigolds. That helps too!
Fun fact…
burning paper drink trays from Burger King or McDonald’s keeps mosquitoes away better then any big dope or device I’ve found. (Light the corner on fire and blow it out get a “heater” it’ll smoke for a while.)
If you don't have a lot of mosquitos, like 10-30 and if you can take the heat, wear long sleeves and pants. Leave your feet open. Get electric racquet zapper.
Stand on a white surface, with plenty of light so you can see the mosquitos. Just sit/stand still and they'll come to you due to the sweat and CO2. Use a weak fan to fan our breath to attract more mosquitos. Squat away.
Move to a location close by, rinse, repeat.
I recommend the bucket trap if you have more mosquitos. It's labor and time intensive if you have more than 30. I kill 20 per day and only get 1-2 bites later on.
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LPT: Adult mosquitos in general can be difficult to kill, but their spawn are easier to eliminate. Get a home depot bucket and a pack of "mosquito dunks," ~$10 for a pack of 8 pucks. Mosquito dunks are used typically for birdbaths, fish ponds, basically any standing water you'd have on your property. It ~~is a chemical that~~ targets the larvae and prevents them from growing to full on mosquitos. It does not harm any other bugs or animals. Fill up the bucket halfway, throw in some dead grass to attract the egg laying mosquitos as the grass decays (think swampy water, mosquitos love it), and throw in 1/4 of a puck (do half or the whole thing if you want, but 1/4 is enough for a 5 gallon bucket). Refill water and add new dunks once a month. Boom, no more babies born around your house. I have 4 of these buckets around my yard. You can use a flower pot if you are worried about esthetics. If you're worried about birds or other critters falling in, throw a stick in there so they can climb out or cover with chicken wire. I noticed a HUGE decrease less than 10 days after setting up. Some people say that once a female has touched the treated water to lay eggs, any other water she touches will also become treated.
These are perfect and you should do this But just adding it's not a chemical. It's actually a larvae that eats the mosquito eggs, but it's completely safe for animals so you don't have to worry about that They also sell them as mosquito bits instead of the dunks which are easier if you're using less than a whole donut for the water source. Do it today and in 10 days you'll have no mosquitoes. It's so worth it
Bacteria* and it only affects the mosquito larvae. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_thuringiensis_israelensis
It also works well for killing fungus gnat larvae. I mix the granulated version in warm water and then water my house plants. After using that and sticky traps to catch the remaining adults, I hardly ever see them.
Thank you so fucking much
Omg if this works at my house you’ll be my hero
It's not an instant solution but it works well. I forgot to mention that there are also powdered BTI products or you could break up the full sized mosquito dunks and soak it in a watering can if the granulated version is too annoying. Some people also use a type of nematode to eat the larvae.
You’re literally my hero for sharing this
THIS is the correct answer, the bacteria creates a toxin that destroys the digestive system. Also works on caterpillars.
I wonder if it works on browntail moth caterpillars? Those things are assholes.
It’s worked with every caterpillar I’ve used it on. Thing is that it needs to get in their mouth so the spray must contact them directly. May take several applications.
Ah. I'll stick to my "kill them with fire" approach. Kidding'-- I snip off bits of branches (or the caterpillar, if solo) into a bucket full of water & dish soap. My god, browntails are awful. Getting too close to them (or an open cocoon) is like spending a day rolling around in 70s-era fiberglass insulation. Worse, even.
Yikes!
Neat, biological warfare against mosquitoes.
We don't know who struck first, us or them. But we do know it was us that put 1/4 of a *mosquito dunk* in the bird bath.
BT, it's the same bacteria gmo corn produces, just so we're clear
BTI is a specific subspecies of BT found in mosquito dunks or bits. Reading about GMOs that produce BT was interesting though, thanks for mentioning it.
BTI, baby!!
I didn't know that, I appreciate the information!
One of the best examples I’ve seen of the more useful LPTs being in the comments! Thank you!
Mosquito dunks might not always work. There is an issue with the heat in the semis stripping away their usability when it’s in transit. But as far as I know, the mosquito bits work well. Whatever has BTI as their main ingredient. It’s a target specific bacteria that only targets mosquito larvae. And making sure before you lay your trap, that you empty out any other shallow water around your yard like buckets or wheel barrows, ext. But in general, targeting the larvae before they even grow to full size will be a big winner
I did this for the first time this year and I think it's working. I've definitely seen the larvae in the buckets because they're the wigglers. I have put dunks in about 8 buckets around my 1/4 acre and I've noticed fewer mosquitoes than in years past. I can't control what my neighbors do but it's always been bad. This year I'm not seeing that many at all.
Why couldn’t this be used in a large scale to stop ALL mosquitoes?
In Florida, we absolutely do stuff like this. We elect a mosquito officer same as sheriff and mayor. Their department drives trucks around that spray pesticides. But they also distribute free fish to put in ponds to eat mosquito eggs. They educate people on preventing standing water. And the coolest thing they do is monitor mosquito populations and diseases, using various methods, including **sentinel chickens**. Basically they periodically test chicken blood for mosquito-borne diseases. Since chickens are outside all day, it's likely that mosquitos will find them, even if no humans have contracted the disease yet. We also have genetically engineered sterile mosquitoes that mate with the fertile mosquitos to prevent them from laying eggs. But it's difficult to eradicate *all* mosquitoes, since it would require killing all of them everywhere all at once. They reproduce so quickly, and all they really need is a puddle.
What would happen if I just threw the 8 in like a lake or pond? Would I just be mosquito free for the summer?
If you have a whole pond, just toss in some fish!
I'm using this technique this year and I'm here to say it works amazingly well. I've noticed probably 99% fewer mosquitoes than last year. Another add-on to the excellent technique listed above: Buy some of the dunks granules and scatter them in gutters and areas where water stagnates after rain. This helps kill off the bloodline of the few wise ones who choose not to lay their eggs in the buckets of treated water. You'll be amazed by the results.
How far did you place them from gathering areas? I have 1.4 acres, how many would you suggest I set?
I'd set 4 of them around the property. Try to put them in shady areas as that's where mosquitoes like to hang out. There's no minimum distance from where people gather, as once the mosquito lays eggs in the bucket, the larvae die and no mosquitoes come out of the buckets. Try to think like a mosquito - where would you like to lay eggs? Sounds silly, but it works. That being said, this might come into play - the buckets can start to smell stagnant, and that's actually a good thing because the skeeters love that smell. So if the smell bothers you or your guests, just move it farther away.
It's apparently a bacteria that produces toxins which kill the mosquito larvae, so your original comment is pretty much true.
My property doesn't get much standing water. Will this still help me?
How long does this bucket last? I have fly issues. They seem to have gotten worst around me in the last 2 years in the summer.
Dunks usually work for about 20-30 days. Also a whole dunk is good for 100sqft so you can break it up into small pieces and use it a lot more that way.
Maybe I'm dumb but why not just remove standing water from your yard? I walk the yard about once a week and get rid of any standing water. A bucket lid, puddle, anything that holds any water. Takes me 10 minutes and I haven't had a mosquito here in like a decade. And I live in the humid southeastern US. Mosquitoes are plentiful here, just not my yard.
Because mosquitoes can fly up to three miles to find a spot to lay eggs. If you can induce them to lay on your property but kill them it will have a bigger effect
I have spots on my property that gather water that I can’t just get rid of. A couple of tree holes and drainage ditches out front. Those get dunks!
Holy shit! You’ve convinced me. I’m ordering some now!
Me too! The bits are on sale on Amazon right now! I really hope they work.
The real LPT is always in the comments.
I moved to a wooded property with a stream that is often stagnant. I am a mosquito magnet and was sure I'd be eaten alive. But I read about this tip just as we moved in, and tried it out. The first bug bites I had all summer were last weekend, when I went to visit my parents. It REALLY works.
I heard yoghurt works too
Also works amazing for house plants with critters flying out of the soil!
how?
I break off a ¼ of a donut ring. Let it mix in water overnight night and use that to water my plants the next day!
Will pucks kill fish if I put them in a koi pond? I don’t want to kill the goldfish
No, using them in fishponds and birdbaths is what mosquito dunks are actually made for.
I got electric racquet zappers and I love them. They zap while on the base and they're cordless for outdoor zapping.
My parents have one of those that has a small UV light on it. They keep it on the charging stand, light attracts the bugs and you just hear a random zap every so often at night.
Yep, that's the kind I have. The sound used to startle me but now makes me smile.
Few of the insects zapped are mosquitoes, plus you're bringing bugs to the yard that wouldn't be coming otherwise.
🎵 My zapper brings all the bugs to the yard🎵
🎵And they're like, its brighter than yours🎵
🎵Damn right, it's better than ZAP🎵
🎵 I could zap you, but it needs to charge 🎵
I keep the zapper indoors but take it out when I water my garden. They are mosquitoes.
Do you add something different cause I’ve threw in the trash mine because it attracted everything except mosquitoes and I kept it in my bedroom not even outdoors
Mosquitoes are not attracted to UV lights.... That's why.
Possible. The light on the one my parents has is purple, so I figured UV. But I assure you mosquitoes go to it
Why throw it out though? I wouldn't want to have things flying around me when I sleep. Unless you keep a window open without a screen, the light on mine isn't strong enough to attract anything from outside. I didn't do anything different, we are just blessed with lots of mosquitoes when entering/ exiting the house and sometimes they get in.
The problem is that the bugs they attract aren't typically the biting ones
Link?
doesn't it kill the good bugs too then? seems irresponsible.
Ours is inside the cabin, in the bed area (it's a small cabin). I've rarely seen anything other than mosquitoes and the odd deerfly.. though this is in Quebec
Indiscriminate insect killing
I love how they add the sense of smell to the whole fly killing process. Really makes you feel alive! ;)
This is the best (and most fun) answer. I keep one by the door to the back porch and you can clear out a crowd of them quick.
Mosquitoes are weak fliers. Using an oscillating fan on a high setting works great for me. I've tried lavender and lemongrass and those haven't worked.
I was working outdoors and the company had a really good /powerful fan pointed towards me (it was really hot weather) and while working i could see the mosquitoes trying really hard to land on my skin but even if they succeeded the fan blew them away almost instantly. Didn't get bitten once.
The reason fly swatters have holes is to prevent disturbing the air, which the insects can detect. I’m curious to know how taping the paper wouldn’t be sensed.
Swing faster than the speed of wind.
That's of course a joke because it's impossible, but interestingly that's why whips are so loud! The tip actually breaks the sound barrier, creating a sonic boom.
Possibly because tissue paper doesnt completely block air flow
This is correct. Flies can detect change in air pressure and that is the reason they have holes.
Not sure about this but I line up the shot and just smack with full power so I guess it's not noticable to them in time.
I think you just disproved the whole study about "Flies can detect the disturbance in the air"
If you have a mosquito inside your house, the best way to kill them is to vacuum them up with your vacum. Leaves no marks, kills them instantly and is just so, so satisfying.
It also works with flies.
Couldn't you just buy a white fly swatter?
And have it get dirty? /s
Or maybe, just maybe they already had a colored one available at home.
Yeah, basically read about it, took my blue swatter and tried it out and in few days got 5/5 mosquitoes.
If you see them they're easy to kill. The hard part is finding them before they bite.
Oddly enough it's the other way around from my experience
The best swatter I ever used was a riding crop. Used to ride horses so had one, and flies are common in barns and one day I was bored. With like 20 minutes of practice I realized I could hit with really good aim, and because it's so narrow and "snappy" it's too fast for them to react. In another 10 minutes I'd killed over 50 flies.
But did you get 7 in one blow?
Leave their sex life out of this.
Dragonflies is the answer.
Dragonflies don’t fly at night, so they only eat certain spices of mosquitoes during the day.
That's why you need Mexican dragonflies. They can handle their spice better than Caucasian dragonflies. /s
Their larvae also eat mosquito larvae.
Dragonfly larva need a lot of water though, so they aren’t always in the same waterways.
That's why you need bats. Cover all your bases.
My army of cats kill any mosquito that gets into my house.
Lol I have 2 cats and they couldn't care less.
The duality of cat
How do you train your cat to attack mosquitos?
I trained mine by pointing to the mosquito and screaming KILL IT KILL IT I think they realised I don't like mosquitoes and think I'm afraid of them so they kill them, this worked on my dog too.
RIP doggo
Lmao
Poor doggy
I usually squish them with a little piece of toilet paper.
Do you pop them with your fingers?
That's how you explode a tiny west Nile virus filled bomb, don't do that
In summer camp we learned that if you see one land on your arm and wait for it to bite and then flex, they pop.
Does this really work? Hate those damn things
How to kill mosquito's what?
Make a mosquito death bucket! https://youtu.be/jB3TztUFFNQ
He waited too long to change dunks here. 6 weeks he said, but should be done every 3-4 weeks.
Bats. They will eat them all.
Unfortunately no they won't. The bats seem to realize that it takes more calories/energy to catch and eat a mosquito then they get for eating the bug.
Bays feast on mosquitoes. They will eat around 1000 insects in an hour, a lot of those being mosquitoes.
> In August 2021 a 7-year-old Texas boy reported to his parents that he had been bitten by a bat. In the absence of bite marks, no rabies postexposure prophylaxis (PEP; rabies immunoglobulin and a vaccine series) was given. Two months later, he developed symptoms suggestive of rabies and a diagnosis was made; ultimately, he died 22 days after his symptoms began.
Found the mosquito posting anti-bat propaganda! You're of course right that tragically bat scratches or bites aren't always noticed compared to those of other rabid animals, and this leads to sad outcomes. But rabies kills less than ten people in the US per year, counting all sources, with bats only accounting for 1/3 of the reported cases. Mosquitos are *far* more deadly. West Nile Virus kills 130 per year. And that's just *one* disease mosquitos transmit. Malaria and Dengue are two other terribly dangerous examples.
Look I'm with filling our houses with bats, but then I'd want our babies to get routine rabies vaccines and adults to get routine rabies boosters. As is recommended if you have any contact with wild bats.
impossible market wrench cover squealing placid encourage continue bow shaggy
What a pathetic infant
Swatters for flies, slaps for mosquitoes
Sorry, but this is just oh so much BS colored with just a grain of truth. Yes, the color you wear may matter when it comes to mosquitos being attracted to you (you will want to wear white clothes) but the color of the swatter won't matter. and there are no available scientific studies to support that the swatter color matters. What is more: * Mosquitos are slow, much slower than flies. The reason they are hard to kill is that they are harder to see than flies. * Covering the swatter's holes with tissue paper or with anything will reduce its effectiveness since this will increase the change in air pressure that the bug senses as the swatter moves in for the kill. * Your "evidence" is just one person's experience, an anecdote, hardly enough for a scientific study or for a recommendation here. So sure, use a white fly swatter if you're so inclined, but I don't think that it's going to help you that much.
I’ve never found mosquitoes hard to kill with my hand. I kill like 98% of them with a slap. I don’t know what yall need contraptions for.
Someone please share a photo of a effective setup for mosquitoes
Let's start by killing that apostrophe.
Badminton rackets are extremely efficient at killing flies and mosquitoes. It seems like they have a low hit rate since it has a bunch of holes but they are actually pretty good. At least 90% hit rate if you can hit them. They are pretty aerodynamic so flies don't/cant really dodge them. Better than a fly swatter which requires them to land. Maybe not as good for fruit flies. Another tool I use is a butane torch. Those mid sized ones that takes the big long cans of butane. Get one with a trigger that releases gas and sparks the ignition. Usually the trigger releases has at half press and sparks the ignition at full press. You can just ignite them and they usually can't fly fast enough. I can release the trigger fast enough where I burnt flies on my roll of paper towel. Usually their wings burn up in 0.001 seconds but they are still alive. It's better than that bug-a-salt thing. But this is technically a fire hazard, I'm not responsible.
Found the pyro. I imagine you're popular at BBQs
Mosquitos are slow in general and can be killed by swatting them with your hand or even 'clapping' while their midair
Just vacuum them. Not joking, just turn on the vacuum cleaner and approach the mosquitoes (very) slowly, they won’t fly away and they will get sucked. Have been using this technique for years and it works really well with any kind of flying insect (flies, mosquitoes, moths, etc). I have a cordless Dyson, so it’s easy to go around the house and vacuum those suckers.
I just uh…grab it by my hand and squash it. I got pretty good at it. I hike, mosquitoes love me and only me. My mosquitoe grabbing still would put Saitama to shame. But honestly, just get an electric swatter. It’s very effective. For flies, you can get an electric zapper trap that emits a light to attract them in.
The best thing I’ve found is the shop fan & window screen trap. You’ll get a TON of mosquitos.
If you cant hit a mosquito with a fly swatter you need some help.
I fill a spray bottle with water and add a drop of dish soap. Shake it up a bit and spray whatever insects fly around. They will stop flying when they get wet and the soap will slowly suffocate the insect. You get the satisfaction of watching the Mosquito that has been tormenting you writhe in pain as it draws its last breath. I then get to get a tissue, wipe up the mosquito and soapy water and get to say I cleaned something today as well.
I have a electric zapper tennis racket thingie. The electric pop sound it makes is so satisfying. Best $10 I ever spent.
I would like to just add to this thread an additional LPT UV (ultaviolet) bug zappers don't work on mosquitos. Also they don't work on most pests. **Pollinators** are attracted to UV. Check the dead bug tray next time and count how many pests you got versus how many bees, wasps and moths and think carefully about who exactly you're trying to eliminate.
Hair spray, the ones with strong hair fixation. One short burst in the direction of an insect turns the mf into a statue in seconds. Also works with flies.
What is it that has made everyone unlearn how to pluralize words?
I'm not a native English speaker so it was just never learned in the first place lol
You're excused... but I'm seeing this more and more with native English speakers.
First don’t use apostrophes incorrectly
Second, do use commas correctly.
While I agree, I think the apostrophe error is more egregious. Now, let me know if I made any mistakes.
Get a [Bug-A-Salt](https://www.bugasalt.com/pages/shop-collections)
And have random salt all over my house
Keeps demons away ![gif](giphy|3ohz6rQ4YyZLUV8m8E|downsized)
but its worth it. killed 5 house flies so far this summer.
I have 5 flies come into my house every time I open the door. I've killed probably 10 just today. I would have salt everywhere and that is much more annoying
Need me the bug a salt 3.0
Honestly it is fun and it works. It's definitely not a long term solution.
This is a basically a useless post
Not sure if it’s been said yet, but when I was younger I used to put foamy hand soap all over my hands (you can use regular soap just get it to a foamy consistency) and swat my hands to get the mosquito stuck in the foam. No clapping/ real hand accuracy needed. This was the easiest way for me to get those buggers
I just use a handheld stick vacuum cleaner. They're so small and light that it's really easy to just suck em right up. No bloody mess on the wall or furniture to clean, and honestly just quicker and easier in every way.
Sounds like a pretty smooth way!
Not sure on mosquitos, but flies sense the vibrations through the air of your hand/swatter which is why they seem to able to move out the way. If you move extremely slowly, you can actually get close enough to poke a fly before it flies away. They also take off in a backwards/vertical motion, so aiming your swatter there is good. So move slowly to close the distance, then act in a targeted, quick motion.
The basic swatter available here in Finland is always red. Research has proven that mosquitos are particularly keen on the colour red.
Another technique is to hit "slow". When you try to hit fast and hard, the wind from your attack can push flying insects away from whatever you're using to hit it. If you try to hit slow with minimum force, no wind will be produced and you can get closer to the flying insect and even trap or crush it at will. I crush flying insects with my hand this way. I just slowly reach out to the flying insect, and then close my hand to crush it. Of course, I use soap and water to wash my hand right away.
Put your phone flashlight on, and you can just sqaush them easy with the back of ur phone!
Sounds a bit disgusting to have al over your phone lol but I'm gonna try it anyway if I don't have anything else available.
Mostly they stick to the wall and you just wipe them away! Since I discovered this method I can take out all the mosquitos in my bedroom. Its very convenient to clean a room of them with this method. :D
Generally it's quite easy unless they already got your blood, then you get this bloody spot on the wall 😅
Finally a good LPT. I was by the park just now. I had my windows down and my phone was bright -it attracted mosquitoes. I actually got most of them with a white wet wipe 🤯
Glad to hear it helps!
I tried it earlier in the day! and it worked...then I read your your tip 😍 . It works!
How to kill mosquito’s WHAT? Or did you mean to type mosquitoes? 🙄
Befriend a lil froggy and let it rest in your head and eat those bastards
Clearly you have never been to Wisconsin. Short of hellfire missiles, nothing stops our mosquitoes.
I just punch them out of existence when they land on someone.
Does that someone get punched out of existence too? 😂
It is a sacrifice I'm willing to make :D
What if the mosquito is on your own face though 🤔
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I just wear pants and a t shirt to use my arms as bait. They’re splattered while they enjoy their fine meal.
Get some dragonfly floats. Lady bugs A thermacell unit to repel the buggers up higher so the predatory bugs can get to them easier.
Anyone know any tips for mosquitos inside the home?
Would also like to know, I moved recently and some nights I get tons of mosquitoes in my bedroom, it sucks. I put on some repellent before going to sleep, but I don't want that to be a long term solution. I've tried to make a homemade trap with vinegar and dish soap I found online but it didn't do anything... I'm thinking of buying a bunch of carnivorous plants and put them near the window, and an oscillating fan so they can't fly near me while I sleep.
Me no a upzopozdoossososossodpoz
I got flack for posting this way weeks ago. Rinse a jug with soapy water, trap the mosquito on a wall and it will try escape, land into the soapy bubbles / water and die. Works where i am in the UK as i dont see them too often
We stopped paying for mosquito treatments and started doing buckets this year. The difference is unbelievable. We had our first bbq of the season and no mosquitos at all! I also filled my deck with potted citronella, rosemary, marigolds. That helps too!
cant say I've ever had issues killing mosquitoes with my hands, they are generally super easy to hit.
That's so weird for me to hear, from my experience they are easy to find but hard to hit. They just always seem to sneak out just in time
Fun fact… burning paper drink trays from Burger King or McDonald’s keeps mosquitoes away better then any big dope or device I’ve found. (Light the corner on fire and blow it out get a “heater” it’ll smoke for a while.)
If you don't have a lot of mosquitos, like 10-30 and if you can take the heat, wear long sleeves and pants. Leave your feet open. Get electric racquet zapper. Stand on a white surface, with plenty of light so you can see the mosquitos. Just sit/stand still and they'll come to you due to the sweat and CO2. Use a weak fan to fan our breath to attract more mosquitos. Squat away. Move to a location close by, rinse, repeat. I recommend the bucket trap if you have more mosquitos. It's labor and time intensive if you have more than 30. I kill 20 per day and only get 1-2 bites later on.
Buy a couple hundred dragon flies - release them. They're nature's #1 apex predator and absolutely rip mosquitoes to pieces by the hundreds per day.
use bright sky blue!!!
LTP: Those $5 electric fly swatters are worth every penny, even for crawling bugs. No more squished guts.
To catch one mosquito \bug , use a vacuüm cleaner. Quickly point the tube without the nozzle and suck it in.
...kill mosquito's what?
Anything for flies? This year we have flies everywhere
For flies red works better apparently, and they take off backwards to confuse prey so aim there to increase your chances
How to kill a mosquito’s what? Drive? Will to live? Lust for life?
Collect about a quart of blood in a Ziploc bag, and add a couple shots of tequila. Boom.