Any and all ideas about mosquitos

June 15, 2022 4:57 PM

I'm in need of mosquito control strategies. The issue is that there is a 3rd floor balcony with a screen door. The screen door is damaged in such a way as the pets can get in and out, which is good. And also air can get in and out, which is crucial now that it's getting hot. But it's also damaged in such a way as mosquitos get in and out, which is bad.

These loudly buzzing mosquitos are bringing with them these huge, stubborn, annoying bites that don't respond to cortisone cream, benedryl cream, calomine cream, "Sports creme", or any other kind of cream apparently.

So I would be interested in hearing about any and all strategies you might try or have tried for mitigating mosquitos in this scenario. Mosquito bite remedies also appreciated! Thank you in advance!

posted by bleep to Health & Fitness (26 answers total)

Maybe this is too obvious, but is the damaged area small enough to cut out and then replace with a swinging pet door?

As for treating bites, my allergist told me I can take Cetirizine, 20mg, 2x a day (so 40mg total) "for the rest of my life" and it would be totally safe. Since I react badly to bug bites, I just do this daily for months on end. It does take a few days to build up in your body to really notice the effects.
posted by tinydancer at 5:05 PM on June 15, 2022 [4 favorites]

Repair or replace the screen door so that it doesn't allow mosquitoes in but has a pet door which blocks mosquitoes?

A photo might help clarify the context and what exactly you're trying to solve here. Are you owners or renters? Are you willing to spend some money on this problem?
posted by ssg at 5:29 PM on June 15, 2022 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Renters. Also it's a bedroom. I didn't want to provide too many parameters because I just want lots of ideas. I just there want to be no more mosquito bites. I didn't even think of getting a new screen with a pet door, nothing is too obvious for me! And yes willing to spend but we're renters so there's probably some things we shouldn't do. But don't let that limit your ideas!
posted by bleep at 5:37 PM on June 15, 2022

Since coming to india for the longer term I’m deeply deeply grateful for a rechargeable racket for killing them and a 10 dollar pop up mosquito net that fits over our bed. Pretty sure it came from Amazon which is the only thing about it I don’t love.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 5:38 PM on June 15, 2022 [6 favorites]

Can you set up a fan (blowing outward) in front of the damaged portion? I don't think mosquitos will fly into and past the blowing air. (This depends on where/how damaged the door is.) Is it a sliding door? Is it just a hole in the screen or damaged frame?
posted by hydra77 at 5:41 PM on June 15, 2022 [6 favorites]

If you want mosquitos out of your living space, you have to fix the screen door. If you're a renter then ask your landlord to fix this screen door. Any other "solution" is missing the point.
posted by caek at 5:59 PM on June 15, 2022 [12 favorites]

How about replacing the current screen with one like this that opens in the middle and has a magnetic closure> You might have to close it after the pets or it might snap shut you would just have to experiment and see if it would work.
posted by blacktshirtandjeans at 6:00 PM on June 15, 2022 [2 favorites]

How about a Mesh Door Cover Oops jinx!
posted by coevals at 6:01 PM on June 15, 2022

Came here to say magnetic screen door as well. They come with thumbtacks and velcro so you can put it up temporarily. Obviously the real door needs fixing or it's coming out of your damage deposit, but these self-closing magnetic screens are great for pets.
posted by JoeZydeco at 6:03 PM on June 15, 2022 [1 favorite]

Apparently these things from Thermacell work really well, though I haven’t tried them personally.

I don’t know the right search term but I’ve also seen Alaskan and Minnesotans talking about these mosquito catcher things where then you put it in the freezer to Jill them all, empty it, and start it going again. Sorry that I don’t have better search terms.

Also those electrified bug zapper tennis racquet things are amazing. I love mine.

(And of course, as much as you are able, empty and pools of standing water that might be near you)
posted by raccoon409 at 6:06 PM on June 15, 2022 [1 favorite]

Hang a mosquito net over your bed. That’s what they do in the tropics! Ikea used to sell one that hung from a ceiling ring, Maybe they still do- it was usually staged as part of a princess bed. You just have to kill all the mosquitos inside the net before you sleep.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 6:45 PM on June 15, 2022 [6 favorites]

My workplace tried a couple of the CO2 mosquito trap things, but they dudn't work - they may have attracted mosquitoes, but they did not end up trapped. A big fan worked, though it was annoying.
posted by LadyOscar at 7:16 PM on June 15, 2022

Hot spoon trick... run a metal spoon under (very) hot water. Apply hot spoon to the mosquito bite. (The spoon should be at almost, but not quite burning you hot). "Supposedly" the heat denatures the itchy proteins.
posted by oceano at 7:24 PM on June 15, 2022 [1 favorite]

I got a spring loaded curtain rod for outside my front door, it has no screen, for reasons. I hung a lace curtain there. It keeps out most bugs. You could bunch it up over the offending space, and the pets can still go out through it. You can spray your screen and around your screen with something like rosemary oil that they don't find interesting, and is a stronger smell, so maybe it will cover up the fact that your are there for their dining pleasure. The spring curtain rod was like $5.99 recently and I had an extra lace. I will later go for a more loose weave muslin curtain, like they have at World Market. I am sure bug relief was part of why lace curtains came to be.
posted by Oyéah at 7:44 PM on June 15, 2022

I think that a fan blowing outwards is probably your best bet. As for itch relief, I've been using a cheap, generic toothache cream (active ingredients: benzocaine, menthol, zinc chloride) on the really bad bites. It works very well.
posted by mezzanayne at 9:21 PM on June 15, 2022 [2 favorites]

I am intrigued by the Bug Bite Thing. I might give it a shot this summer.
posted by Threeve at 10:46 PM on June 15, 2022 [1 favorite]

In the absence of a mosquito net, a strong fan blowing directly at your body at night will help keep mosquitoes away -- they're bad at flying with any wind.
posted by LeeLanded at 11:04 PM on June 15, 2022

Reporting from Aedes & dengue central: just to support the above ideas with some updates:

- Mosquito nets - in addition to the one sold by Ikea, these days there are the collapsible kinds that are sold by bed sizes, so you should be able to find something that comfortably covers your sleeping area.

- magnetic screens or even just netting that you can then attach with double-sided velcro tape. I use these as a compromise with my cats since I couldn't install at cat door. I also add an additional sheer curtain to that section because at least it's flexible and stays down while the cats aren't using it.

- Mosquito coils (you burn it like incense, and it takes about 8-10 hours per coil) on the balcony area. There are mosquito coil holders as well, that you can hang or just leave on the surface. Because those containers will cover the coil but let the smoke out, you reduce any fire risk. There are versions that you can hang on your person as well (just some random input - hikers and people who do gardening here do use these kinds)

- Citronella or lemongrass oil/candles as well is a traditional method to keep them (and other insects away). Bonus: it smells nice.

- UV light-insect traps seem to also work but I don't use them because they work also by being the sole source of bright light in the surroundings to attract and kill them.

- Camphor-based oils seem to work best in alleviating the itchy sensations I find - western herbs doesn't seem to have the same kick (though yes, minty toothpaste seems to help). The kinds available here comes in formulations that also has things that speed up healing like sea cucumber, but in the Pacific they use tamanu fruit oil for the bites (which i believe is available internationally these days - and i can attest to the speed of healing).

- light-coloured clothing if you're outside on the balcony also seems to help in reducing your likelihood as target. unfortunately have not been able to confirm if a fan helps because I tend to have it on oscillation, and they just come back as they move where the air is better for them.

- ETA: another habit a lot of households have is spraying mosquito spray in key dark/shadowy areas around the house - in this case the balcony - every evening just as the sun sets.

And omg I just realised, have you taken a look at your surroundings? They breed in still pools of water, so make sure your balcony doesn't have spots where water is collecting long-term or little containers or pots with stagnant water. Usually here we have a chemical powder that kills them at larval stage that you sprinkle over (since unfortunately water is also an effective inhibitor against ants, so people used to have food cabinet stools resting on rubber trays of water.).
posted by cendawanita at 12:00 AM on June 16, 2022 [4 favorites]

Until you solve the mosquito problem, I highly recommend the “Bite Away” device. I react very badly to mosquito bites (they get huge and swollen and very very itchy) and this helps more than any cream I’ve tried.
posted by maleficent at 4:38 AM on June 16, 2022 [1 favorite]

The Bug Bite Thing mentioned upthread works amazingly. I normally get massive welts from mosquito bites; if I use that when I first notice it, they are much smaller and don't itch. It's amazing. (I do get hickeys sometimes though, but it's preferable to itching)
posted by Sparky Buttons at 5:40 AM on June 16, 2022

I have one of the Thermacell mosquito repellants mentioned above and it works well; however, I have read that you shouldn't use them indoors if you have cats.
posted by neushoorn at 7:20 AM on June 16, 2022 [1 favorite]

I have a ceiling fan on my patio,and unless it is on "high" mosquitoes can fly around my patio just fine. At high speed, they start staying away, but some still get through.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:36 AM on June 16, 2022

We've come to treat itchy mosquito bites with what we call 'spooning.' Can't remember where I read it, but I did read somewhere that the thing that makes a bite itch are the proteins the skeeter injects in and around the site. Supposedly, those proteins exist in a narrow temperature range, and if you can raise that temp even a little, the proteins die and the itch is gone. So we heat up the back of a spoon under really hot water and tap it, then press it, on the bite. Voila, itch is gone. Every time we share this with people, they're amazed it works, and I can't believe it's not better known. The Bite Away device mentioned above seems to be the fancy version of this. YMMV but it works for my wife and I here in our house in the woods.
posted by lpsguy at 9:33 AM on June 16, 2022 [1 favorite]

Replacing the screen in a door or window should be incredibly simple and cheap if it’s a typical style. Here is a video. Call your landlord / maintenance. It would take them a handful of minutes to do. Or consider DIY.
posted by Crystalinne at 10:31 AM on June 16, 2022

A piece of scotch tape over a bite really alleviates the itch too.
posted by lovableiago at 10:35 AM on June 16, 2022

I use the magnet mesh screen. You should be able to take the screen door off and store it (or, hey landlord, Fix This.) The magnet mesh screen attaches with tacks. Take the time to hang it carefully, if it's lopsided, it won't come back together well. Even the brain-damaged hound we had learned to use it with no trouble. On the balcony, fans help, some plants mildly discourage them. Helpful Wirecutter recommendations.

My window screens aren't perfectly tight, and I need to get a mozzie net for the bed while I try to plan for replacing the crappy windows. I got bit up last night, and I react badly to the nasty beasties.
posted by theora55 at 12:44 PM on June 17, 2022