Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
maryliz_gw

Mosquitoes!

maryliz
16 years ago

Here in the southern lower peninsula of Michigan, we have had stifling heat and dry, dry conditions ever since spring. Lately, it has become humid and rainy. The mosquitoes are absolutely VICIOUS!

My poor kitties have bites all over the tips of their ears, but they don't want to stay inside, and fortunately, the bites don't seem to bother them at all, except for the occasional itch. I have to keep wiping the mosquitoes off my dog's face when I walk with her outside. Good thing I have them all taking a heartworm preventative!

If it weren't for walks with the critters, which we all enjoy, I wouldn't even want to step outside, because most of the time I have to drive away those nasty blood-suckers by twitching and swatting. I tried dabbing my exposed skin with essential oil of lavender, but maybe I need to get some citronella instead.

Hope it isn't so bad in YOUR neck of the woods!

Comments (27)

  • nickisews
    16 years ago

    Here in Northern IN they'll carry you away right now. The dog doesn't even want to go potty. My new perfume is OFF. My sons football game is tonight...I hope I can stand the skeeters. They bite through the DEET. I could go the industrial route with the stuff but I'm leary of that too. West Niles vs. chemicals?

    Maryliz if you find a solution for the dog let me know. I hate seeing our doggy carried away. She cries when they bite.

    Nicki

  • glassquilt
    16 years ago

    Years ago I worked as cook at a camp and the only place I did not wear repellent was in the shower. Since everyone had it on nobody minded the smell.

    I sprayed my schnauzers from the neck back & down. I'd spray my hands and rub their heads.

    There are too many mosquito-borne diseases for me so I'll take my chances with chemicals.
    Encephalitides: St Louis, Eastern equine,Western equine, LaCrosse West Nile.

    Here is a link that might be useful: CDC mosquito-borne diseases

  • nickisews
    16 years ago

    Glass

    My dog licks herself alot thats why I haven't sprayed her. Any ideas to stop that or will the taste of the repellent deter the licking? I went to my sons game tonight and I covered myself. I still have bites but not as many. I guess I could have used the 100% deet my DH uses in the woods when hunting and fishing but thought I'd be ok at a football game with regular spray. I'm with you I'll use the spray I just try to use the least powerful that I have to.

    Nicki

  • lindaoh_gw
    16 years ago

    Mosquitoes are horrible here in NW Ohio also! We are puppy sitting our DD's pup so we have to take lots potty breaks. My older dog doesn't need to go out as often except when she sees the puppy going out, she wants out too! I can hardly stand to see the mosquitoes on them. Let's hope for an early frost.
    Linda OH

  • love2sew
    16 years ago

    I live right in the West Nile outbreak so we wear heavy shirts and pants in the evening and spray with DEET. They have baited here all summer so we don't have many mosquitoes but they are all carrying WN. I read that if you carry a sheet of bounce in your pocket, it will ward off the beasts. Would you doggies tolerate one tied to their collar?
    Jean

  • maryliz
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Oh, yeah, I heard that before, about the Bounce. It's worth a try. I'm sitting here scratching my latest mosquito bites. I have one on my thumb! It's hard to leave that one alone.

    Oh, and I have found that essential oil of lavender helps take the itch away from bites. I bet ANY essential oil would work, but I like the smell of the lavender best.

  • glassquilt
    16 years ago

    That NoBite stuff has ammonia in it - I can smell it. So I tried my ammonia it on a q-tip and it works for me.

  • cannahavana
    16 years ago

    Being in the midst of a nasty drought here in the south, I guess one positive thing is no skeeters. I have been bitten a few times, but usually right after having a rare brief rain shower. The city sprays for mosquitoes every year, but this year they have not had to do the spray program.

    Rebecca

  • allycaz9
    16 years ago

    On the news last night they said we have the most cases of West Nile virus in the US in this county (Kern) and several fatal cases - so please wear your Deet, stay in early morning and evening when you can, and be careful. The have done aerial spraying and did a search and found 1200 stagnant swimming pools in town(due to so many people losing their homes, and being vacant). Well, that's all the good news I have for now! Be careful out there!!!

  • suellen_delawares
    16 years ago

    I live in Southern Utah and I am fortunate not to have very many if any mosquitoes. We do have a lot of flies. I found a bug spray that is organic, EquiSect Fly Repellent, that I use on my goats. I even use it on my 7 month old baby goats. It has a very nice scent. I spray a rag and wipe it on them and the flies leave them alone. I also lightly wiped it on the underside of my chickens and it cleared up their lice.
    MORE INFO:
    "A water-based repellent spray approved for horses, dogs and cats. It utilizes a new botanical repellent, Pyganic, and natural oils of citronella, clove stem, thyme and commint to control horn, horse, stable, house and deer flies, mosquitoes, lice and gnats . . . listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) as complying with the USDA National Organic Program's standards."

    Good luck with the mosquitoes!
    Suellen

    Here is a link that might be useful: organic bug spray

  • maryliz
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Last night I reluctantly let hubby spray me down with Off. I put a towel over my face and held my breath. I told him I felt like a toxic waste dump--I certainly smelled like one--but it actually did keep the mosquitoes off me until we could complete our outdoor chores.

    I'm gonna try to find some of that EquiSect stuff!

  • suellen_delawares
    16 years ago

    Maryliz, if you try the EquiSect stuff let me know how it worked for you. It smells better than OFF. It comes in a spray bottle but I find that on the goats spraying is too much so I wipe it on with a clothe.
    Suellen
    The caption wasn't readable so I typed it in.


    "Pull out, Pull out! you've hit an artery"

  • maryliz
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I just ordered some. I'll let you know how we like it!

  • stashie
    16 years ago

    I've had great success with AVON's skin so soft bath oil. I apply a light coat on all exposed skin and no bites for hours. My father even puts in on his outside dog.

  • suellen_delawares
    16 years ago

    The other thing I've used is vanilla extract
    Suellen

  • nana24
    16 years ago

    I've always thought we in the south and near water had the most mosquitoes but I see others are plagued also. Actually, we have been dry and not too many mosquitoes. We also have a spray program and it has continued.
    With the rain we are getting as the results of Humberto we may have an outbreak. I'm going to remember all your solutions.

    Sally

  • janice__indiana5
    16 years ago

    We had our first confirmed report of West Nile in mosquitoes in our county today :(

    Janice

  • fatquarters
    16 years ago

    I know 6 people with west nile in our area. If I know 6, I wonder how many there are!!!!!!!!!!! People are soooo tired. Spoke to 2 of these people and they are saying that they can't seem to sleep enough. Terrible fatique.

  • lindaoh_gw
    16 years ago

    My DH was sick last week and we were worried it was West Nile. He is feeling better now so I think it just a touch of flu. That seems to be going around.
    Linda OH

  • maryliz
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Well, wouldn't ya know--as soon as the EquiSect arrived, the weather changed and the mosquitoes virtually disappeared. But suddenly it has been sticky and humid again. Time to test the new stuff!

    I tried the EquiSect for the first time tonight. It sure smells a lot better than Off! Quite pleasant--like citronella. I just sprayed it on my hand, rubbed my hands together, wiped it down my arms, then rubbed a bit onto my dog's face. It seemed to work only where I covered my exposed skin with a light coat. I forgot my neck and the little buggers tried to land there. Even hubby said it seemed to work, and he's more skeptical than I.

  • polardream
    16 years ago

    The mosquitos are HORRIBLE in Colorado - and we are an ARID state! If you look at all the reported cases for 2007 in Colorado - we have had 440 so far, and 5 deaths. Even spraying with DEET does not seem to deter them - I picked raspberries yesterday, long pants, long sleeved shirt - 5 bites ...
    YIKES
    The scrary part about West Nile that "they" are not telling you is that it seems like the symptoms may not appear for up to a year! A friend's hubby didn't have any symptons for close to a year - then got the fever, weakness & has been off work for almost 6 months! Pretty scary stuff.

  • maryliz
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I already found another use for the EquiSect. I have a variegated ficus that I started from a cutting, taken when we were on vacation. Somehow, it has scale insects. I tried rubbing them off by hand. They kept coming back. How aggravating! The plant is healthy otherwise.

    Yesterday, I stood it on the porch and drenched it with the EquiSect. After all, it contains 0.1% pyrethins. Perhaps the scale insects can be killed that way. I'll know in a few more weeks. In the meantime, I won't have a houseplant that smells like Raid!

  • suellen_delawares
    16 years ago

    Maryliz - I'm glad the EquiSect is working for you. Here in Southern Utah I am not getting mosquitoes. I use this stuff for biting flies. I really like it and the goats, chickens and dogs don't seem to mind it.
    Suellen

  • biwako_of_abi
    16 years ago

    Here in extreme So. Cal., we see 1 or 2 mosquitos a year and seldom have a fly in the house, though people near lakes and reservoirs do have these 2 pests. Having suffered a lot from both in my 35 years in warm rainy Japan, I sympathize with those who are miserable now. The downside of our dry climate here is that we hear rumblings about a water shortage and as yet there is no consensus on what to do to prevent it. I have always felt uneasy about the lack of rain here.

  • laurainsdca
    16 years ago

    Ladies, I would use the DEET, everthing I have read says it is safe. It is not an insecticide, rather it is supposed to make you "invisible" to the mosquitos and mask your scent. Below is a link to an article about it and youc an Google it too.

    I grew up in an area where many people were very much into "all natural" and "chemicals are evil." And I never questioned it. For years I had an innate aversion to anything "chemical." But as I've gotten older I've taken an interest in WHY people are so avoidant of chemicals and reading up on things it seems that in many cases of the fear is in our heads.

    The topic of mosquitos is one that REALLY upsets me. Here in the US people have the CHOICE of using chemicals to decrease their odds of bites. Plus we have easy access to information to help us decide for ourselves.

    But here is a statistic from 2005 about malaria:
    In areas of Africa with high malaria transmission, an estimated 990,000 people died of malaria in 1995 Â over 2700 deaths per day, or 2 deaths per minute.

    And from what I've read, the reason they still have malaria in places like Africa is because someone in the early 60's got hysterical about using DDT even thought there was ZERO EVIDENCE it hurt humans and the environmentalists took it up as a cause and got it's use stopped. Well, the malaria was pretty much gone in the US by then but the undeveloped countries suffer to this day.

    How very tragic to think ALL THESE DEATHS are avoidable and the result of UNFOUNDED fears by those who "think they know better." It makes me so angry my head wants to spin off my body when I think of all those people dying due to political correctness. So I will stop ranting and raving now... Here are a couple links about malaria if anyone cares:
    9 most dangerous myths about pesticides:
    http://www.cgfi.org/materials/speeches/nine_myths.htm

    Malaria facts:
    http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/facts.htm

    Sorry. Mosquitoes vs. chemicals is a a topic that REALLY gets me going. Here in San Diego they are not bad but my Vet said heartworm IS on the rise -- he never used to see it now he sees a few more cases every year.

    Here is a link that might be useful: is deet dangerous?

  • nickisews
    16 years ago

    Laura,

    I agree and use the DEET on myself (and family) but I have an extremely DUMB dog. I was looking for a solution to her being bitten that was safe. (She most likely would have licked the DEET) Luckily the skeeters have calmed down here (some), she is on heartworm preventative yearround and we use "Frontline plus" for ticks and fleas. The pet meds are not cheap but I don't want a sick baby either.

    Nicki

  • laurainsdca
    16 years ago

    Nicki,

    Below are some people talking about keeping mosquitos off dogs. If you read down it seems pet stores have some sprays just for dogs.

    I noticed one person mentioned Garlic and I have wondered about this 'cause I consume a LOT of garlic in my regular diet and it seems I don't get bitten much when others around me do.

    Here is a link that might be useful: remedies to keep mosquitos off dogs

Sponsored
Art Masonry Inc.
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars132 Reviews
Loudon County's Hardscape and Landscape Expert in Outdoor Living