Mosquitos are bad!

Considering some of my family members contracted Malaria (living on JD Miller Road, by the way), and known individuals who have died from West Nile contracted here, along with families who have lost loved ones due to Encephalitis, or been seriously and permanently damaged, I consider the increase of Mosquitoes to be a threat to not only humans, but also animals.

Please remind me of those people's names who contracted West Nile in South Walton, and died. I must have missed that news story.

florida girl, I find it rather interesting that you consider "mosquitos to be a threat ... to animals," when you suggest that the solution to mosquitos is spraying poison over everything. Seems counter productive, if you really care about animals. If you are really concerned about contracting Malaria, West Nile, etc, why don't you just wear that Skin So Soft or Backwoods Off with lots of Deet? You can also wear long sleeves, light colored clothing and a mosquito net headgear, but stop spraying poison on me and all of the other animals to "protect" yourself.

I breed Gambusia Hoolbrooki (Mosquito fish ) as part of my job and will give them free to anyone who wants some. they will help control future mosquito's, I say help because if you have a bad problem that is all they will do and they only eat larvae not adults, they will definetly help they eat larvae like its candy and they are prolific breeders just a few dozen can turn into a thousand in just a few months and they can survive in most any water from stagnant to brackish. Downfall is animals and birds think their tasty too!!. Also you want to make sure they do not get into an area (run off or flooding)that has a Native fish species where some Gambusia are not natural because they are very aggressive and will eat all the other fish eggs and food. Bats are not a good idea i have tried you have to have the right enviroment and the hardest part is trying to get a few to come to your little box they love lots of company.but i can send some plans for a simple bat house if anyone wants them. they usally get taken over by some type of bird

Don't tadpoles eat mosquito larvae? Seems that they would be better than introducing exotic species like Gambusia Hoolbrooki into our environment.

Also, you will hear people saying remove standing water from your yard, which does help, but not if you have leaves like the Live Oak on the ground. Thousands of little water trappers. I've also found that the clumps of native grasses in my yard act as water trappers and the mosquitoes love to nest in them.

Mosquito Barrier - Facts & FAQ's

This is the product that SWMCD was going to test. I never heard if the conducted the test, and if so, whether the garlic product was effective.

I can say with absolute certainy, however, that I used a similar product some years ago (bought it at WalMart, I think it was a Martha Stewart product) in my completely wild, never-cut (hundreds-of-years-old oaks etc.) acre yard in Pt. Washington, full of decades of vines and understory growth. I don't know how or why it worked, but it got rid of mosquitos and they stayed away for weeks, maybe a couple of months. There was a faint garlic scent in the yard for about a day or so, then no scent. The mosquitos stayed away even after several rains. I really don't know how it workd but it did, and that was the buggiest place I ever lived.

On the page I linked above, they give a recipe for bug repellant that I think I'll have to try. Soybean oil and Palmolive liquid soap. Hmmm.

Actually Gambusia Holbrooki are Native to the south east and in some fresh and brackish waters are very common. you will find them in most fresh water ditches we use them in local ornamental ponds and foreclosed homes swimming pools in these tuff economic times these are becoming a big problem. Yes some of the big tadpoles eat mosquitoe larvae but the smaller ones are mostly herbivores.

Thanks, Susan Horn. That article brings to mind the thought that liquid dish soap breaks the surface tension on water, and if a drop was applied to standing water, the surface tension of the water, breaks, and any insect, such as a mosquito, attempting to land on the water to lay eggs, will fall into the water, thereby not laying eggs. How simple is that? On the surface, it sure sounds more environmentally friendly than spraying poisons into the ditches.

Indeed! Oil and soap are two main ingredients in lots of natural gardening sprays for various problems -- aphids, scale, etc. I don't know if this brew would work as a spray in yards, etc., but might be worth a try. The downside -- it would kill lots of other critters too, like ladybugs and green lacewings and possibly praying mantises, all regarded as beneficials.

I think the idea here was something to put on one's own skin.


Is there an all natural mosquito repellent I can put on myself that works?Yes. Excellent results can be obtained (up to 5 or 6 hours of protection) by using some common household items in a simple mixture you can make yourself! Simply mix 1 teaspoon of soybean oil (available from your grocery store) and one quarter of a teaspoon of Palmolive liquid soap into one cup of water. Mix well and spray onto your arms and legs and wipe on your face and neck.

Hey Joe
wish it was that simple. what about all the other surface feeding/dwelling insects. such as Giant waterbugs,whirligigs and water striders who mosquito larvae is part of their diet,they are part of the ecosystem too. maybe i can get my boss to let me do a study on this. I am all for natural ways over any man made products unless its a Health or severe economic threat.

You are very, very prone to exaggeration. Although these news pieces are a bit dated, they show just how RARE it is for malaria to be contracted in the US.

From 1957 through 1994, 76 cases of locally acquired malaria were reported in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said.

The CDC Annual Summary of Malaria for 1996
(January 3, 1997) reports a total of 1,542 malaria cases
in the U.S. (Figure 2). This compares to 1,419 cases
reported in the U.S. in 1995. In 80 cases of malaria
reported in Florida, all but two were acquired outside
the US.

Of the more than 50 cases reported in 2007, 42%
reported travel to Africa and were predominantly infected
with P. falciparum. The remaining cases reported travel to
areas of Latin America or Asia and were primarily infected
with P. vivax.19

Also, mosquitoes do not spread hepatitis.

This data may be good, but my family came to South Walton about 1912, long before this data was recorded. My grandparents, dad and his sister contracted Malaria while living on JD Miller Road, long before 1957. Why this is an issue, I don't know.

Well I wonder if bats could manage amongst the trees? I don't know much about bats.

Maybe a little fish pond would be your best bet, with those skeeter-eaters in it, or a baby pool if making a pond is too much work!

There are lots of bats here, and yes they manage quite well amongst the trees. And yes, having minnows in every standing body of water is the solution, however, Mosquitoes can breed in Magnolia leaves, and any other thing that holds water.

My great grandmother homesteaded in a soddy in S. Dakota - about as pertinent to this discussion as people getting malaria over 50 years ago! :roll:

P.S. I think Floridagirl's family carries malaria, not mosquitos!

Please remind me of those people's names who contracted West Nile in South Walton, and died. I must have missed that news story.

florida girl, I find it rather interesting that you consider "mosquitos to be a threat ... to animals," when you suggest that the solution to mosquitos is spraying poison over everything. Seems counter productive, if you really care about animals. If you are really concerned about contracting Malaria, West Nile, etc, why don't you just wear that Skin So Soft or Backwoods Off with lots of Deet? You can also wear long sleeves, light colored clothing and a mosquito net headgear, but stop spraying poison on me and all of the other animals to "protect" yourself.

Considering the Confidentiality laws, I'm not sure that telling the name of this person is a good idea. The individual told me themself of their situation, before they died.
Mosquitoes carry heartworms. And yes, I do wear a version of Skin So Soft, however, if I'm outside for any length of time, it comes off. If I wear Off, I enevitably get it in my mouth! Kind of amazing to me, that the ones who are most affected by the no spray policy, don't actually have any say about it. Those are the ones who have to work outside, and don't actually live here. Cruel and unusual treatment? Part of the job description?

Considering the Confidentiality laws, I'm not sure that telling the name of this person is a good idea. The individual told me themself of their situation, before they died.
Mosquitoes carry heartworms. And yes, I do wear a version of Skin So Soft, however, if I'm outside for any length of time, it comes off. If I wear Off, I enevitably get it in my mouth! Kind of amazing to me, that the ones who are most affected by the no spray policy, don't actually have any say about it. Those are the ones who have to work outside, and don't actually live here. Cruel and unusual treatment? Part of the job description?

I only know of one case here in South Walton, and West Nile was not his cause of death. Do you know of others?

Hey Joe
wish it was that simple. what about all the other surface feeding/dwelling insects. such as Giant waterbugs,whirligigs and water striders who mosquito larvae is part of their diet,they are part of the ecosystem too. maybe i can get my boss to let me do a study on this. I am all for natural ways over any man made products unless its a Health or severe economic threat.

That is why I stated ,"On the surface, it sure sounds more environmentally friendly than spraying poisons into the ditches." It is more environmentally friendly because it isn't dumping toxins into the soil, but it does drown many other critters other than mosquito larvae, which try to land on the water to take a drink. Also, "detergent," such as Palmolive, is not chemically the same as "soap," and there may side effects and unintended consequences. I'd rather see you guys spray yourselves with DEET everyday.

florida girl, if you cannot offer proof that West Nile caused any deaths in our area, it will be difficult at best that people will believe you. You went from citing multiple cases, now down to only one, and no doctor in our area has reported any cases as far as I can tell.

and known individuals who have died from West Nile contracted here,

florida girl, if you cannot offer proof that West Nile caused any deaths in our area, it will be difficult at best that people will believe you. You went from citing multiple cases, now down to only one, and no doctor in our area has reported any cases as far as I can tell.

I am not a Walton County Health official, don't claim to be. West Nile has infected one idividual that I know of here in Walton County, that I know because the person infected told me. This person has passed away. It would seem to me that this disease, as in any other acquired by any individual, the severity would be determined by the health of the individual, would it not?

Floridagirl,

Try Microlift's liquid BTi (Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis). It's in a concentrated form. I have Mixed with water and sprayed on my yard. This way it has a better chance of getting around those oak leaves, etc. It will last several days if it is in the shade and temps aren't too high. (Can apply maybe once a week) A little goes a long way.

It is, as you likely know, a natural organism which is not toxic to mammals, birds, fish, butterflies, honey bees and most insects - in other words pretty specific to mosquito larvae. (liquid form of the mosquito dunks)

In the bottom of a pond spores can remain dormant for months or until eaten by larvae.

I've had luck using it sprayed on my yard and in flower beds. Give it a try.

Note: BTk (Bacillus thuringiensis variety kurstaki) will kill Butterfly caterpillars. Don't use that.

.

Years ago, the goal of the Mosquito Control was to eradicate the Mosquitoes. Now, reality is that it can't be done. There are too many acres of undeveloped land. The point of the ditches was to drain off low lying areas prone to breeding Mosquitoes. The wetlands were isolated and managed by digging canals around them, and keeping the water flowing, and well stocked with minnows.

I am not a Walton County Health official, don't claim to be. West Nile has infected one idividual that I know of here in Walton County, that I know because the person infected told me. This person has passed away. It would seem to me that this disease, as in any other acquired by any individual, the severity would be determined by the health of the individual, would it not?

Provided that we are discussing the same person and we must be, as his is the only case of West Nile that I know of here in South Walton, this is fairly irrelevant. He contracted the West Nile in 2003, was treated and recovered. He did not pass away until 2006, from causes unrelated to the West Nile. It is now 2009. How many cases of West Nile have we seen since?

I breed Gambusia Hoolbrooki (Mosquito fish ) as part of my job and will give them free to anyone who wants some. they will help control future mosquito's, I say help because if you have a bad problem that is all they will do and they only eat larvae not adults, they will definetly help they eat larvae like its candy and they are prolific breeders just a few dozen can turn into a thousand in just a few months and they can survive in most any water from stagnant to brackish.....................

.
You all should take flyguy up on this offer!! The nursery I worked at sells them for almost $3 each. Maybe "two fers" if they were small. Nice offer flyguy...

.

Provided that we are discussing the same person and we must be, as his is the only case of West Nile that I know of here in South Walton, this is fairly irrelevant. He contracted the West Nile in 2003, was treated and recovered. He did not pass away until 2006, from causes unrelated to the West Nile. It is now 2009. How many cases of West Nile have we seen since?

We seem to have 2 different issues here. My issue is not whether or not the disease is deadly, but that diseases are carried by the Mosquito, and it needs to be controlled. I do not know whether the family of this person approves of the release of this information.

We seem to have 2 different issues here. My issue is not whether or not the disease is deadly, but that diseases are carried by the Mosquito, and it needs to be controlled. I do not know whether the family of this person approves of the release of this information.

No, I believe the issue is whether the mosquito needs to be controlled by methods of which you approve. It is irrelevant whether the diseases are deadly, because the diseases you keep mentioning do not seem to be a prevelant issue in this area (as evidenced by the numerous posts with data supplied).

There have been many alternate methods mentioned in this thread for the removal and prevention of mosquitos. Personally, I am not as passionate about the alternate methods as some (although I certainly appreciate your views, SJ and Susan), but I believe that it is time for you to give it a rest. You have consistently provided faulty or skewed information, apparently intended to scare others into your way of thinking. Check your facts before you post them or, better yet, find a new bone to pick.

We have heard from you a number of times on the subject and, clearly, we are no closer to resolution than we were with the last 10 threads. And for the record, that person was family to me. Thanks!

Maybe someone who knows can tell us if there is any value in bat houses. We already have plenty of bats here - in the summer time, you can see them flying around. So I wonder if we have the species that would appreciate a house?
I have a cat that used to catch two or three bats every summer. He would go up on the roof and snatch them out of the air.
He's older now and his bat catching days are over, thankfully.

Bat house for existing bats, good idea

Bat house for place with no bats bad idea LOL

Lower Sugarloaf Key, Florida - Perky's Bat Tower
The Bat Tower was built to house bats. A guy by the name of "Perky" decided he wanted to open a resort on , but the mosquitos were so bad he realized that nobody would want to stay there. Perky heard that bats eat lots of mosquitos so he built this tower to attract bats. Perky imported bats which promptly flew away, never to return
full story
Lower Sugarloaf Key, FL - Perky's Bat Tower

Whatever can be done to make less of them is alright by me
step up "control" to "eradication" LOL