What mosquito mitigation systems, products or curses work? We live near a pond and some marsh area, and the mosquitoes are already out. Our daughter is allergic, and gets golf ball sized bites, so we are very motivated to get rid of them. Having a fan on the deck is helpful, but we need a solution for the yard. We tried dragonfly larvae last year without any observable change. Thanks!
posted by Nickel Pickle
on Apr 29, 2013 -
20 answers
I have a serious mosquito problem in my house, there are literally 10 or so in every room almost all the time. Every night before I go to bed I have to lay there and spray each one as it flies by me, it takes about 5 minutes and the spray smell lingers for ages. In the morning they are in the bathroom where the door has been shut and no windows are open, I have no idea where they are getting in. I leave my back door open a crack for my dog at night and I have a mozzie zapper in the laundry where the door is. It doesn't seem to be helping. I also have those plug in mozzie repellers but also not helping and very expensive. I don't have a pool or pond and don't know of any neighbours that do. Please help, this is really getting me down, not only the killing of them but the 30 or so bites I have right now. I am in southern Australia where it's hot now, but not humid.
posted by Youremyworld
on Feb 16, 2013 -
21 answers
On Monday night, I woke up to a mosquito buzzing in my ear and two giant bites. Since then, it's terrorized me all week. I have trouble sleeping anyway, and being woken up by this thing is not helping. Early this morning, I saw it perched on the wall (after getting yet another giant, swelling bite on my cheek), and tried to swat it, but missed. Help! How can I track it down in my studio apartment today? And how can I make sure to kill it when I find it?
posted by three_red_balloons
on Nov 10, 2012 -
23 answers
I've had two weird similar incidents that appear to be
bug bites/stings. I have lived in Minnesota all my life, including in the far northern rural area, and never had anything like these. You are not my doctor, but maybe you've had similar issues and have an idea of what is biting/stinging me?
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posted by superna
on Jul 25, 2012 -
16 answers
I am like a magnet for mosquitoes. I am going camping in two weeks on Assateague Island. I need every single repellent idea, stat!
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posted by amicamentis
on Jul 20, 2012 -
57 answers
I have a 2 gallon clear plastic fish tank. I just put a couple of water hyacinths in along with the tiny aquatic snails they harbored and a handful of compost for nutrients. I also want to add a few small fish that will feed on mosquitoes. What would be the best commonly-available species, or mix of species? This is all just for fun, by the way. I live new Atlanta, Georgia.
posted by gray17
on May 20, 2012 -
6 answers
Last weekend in New York State, I got about 200 insect (ie, mosquito or fly? I don't know) bites on the same night. It's been 9 days and they're still bothering me- in fact, they're getting worse. What to do?
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posted by anonymous
on Aug 23, 2011 -
19 answers
Is there anything that actually works for huge, ugly, swelling, allergic mosquito bites?
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posted by vanitas
on Aug 2, 2011 -
24 answers
I just found what looks like mosquito larvae in my cat's water bowl. I use one of those
automatic waterers where there is a gallon or so of water in a upside down container, feeding a small bowl of perhaps 2 cup capacity. In the large upside down container, there was actually one live, flying mosquito. In the small bowl that my cat actually drinks from, there were approximately a dozen apparent larvae, about 1/4" to 1/3" in length.
Should I be concerned for my pet's health at all? I am not sure how long they were in there, but I changed the water for fresh immediately.
posted by Exchequer
on Jun 8, 2011 -
7 answers
What's worse for a 2-year-old: Getting a couple mosquito bites every day or being slathered in "baby-safe" pesticide?
posted by rubadub
on Jul 22, 2010 -
48 answers
Please help my diagnose a problem with my ageing laptop making high pitched noises at random intervals.
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posted by Solomon
on Jan 17, 2010 -
12 answers
Periodically (maybe a couple or few times a year), I wake up with something on my face that seems like a bug bite. Nothing dramatic; it itches a bit, raises a small welt and then heals.
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posted by Morrigan
on Oct 13, 2009 -
11 answers
What do you think the probability of catching a blood borne disease would be from swatting a mosquito filled with fresh human blood of unknown origin?
Another way of stating the same question: Would the risk associated with driving to the pathology centre to get tests exceed the risk of infection?
posted by singingfish
on Jan 11, 2009 -
13 answers
I need ideas for mounting screening on windows during a 3-week visit to Italy. We're staying in a house in Tuscany for 3 weeks and I understand it's not common to screen windows in Italy, and that there a lot of mosquitoes. My only idea is to bring some window screening with me and to stick it up on the window frames with duct tape.
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posted by feelinggood
on May 20, 2008 -
9 answers
Is there any remedy out there that will make welts/scars from mosquito bites heal faster?
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posted by mooza
on Mar 28, 2008 -
20 answers
We have a rainwater barrel in the back yard, for the purpose of collecting water to then water the plants with. This has worked well through the summer, but we're now finding that the mosquito population on our deck has exploded. How do I prevent the larvae from growing in our barrel, or otherwise kill them before they bite me?
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posted by darsh
on Jul 31, 2007 -
21 answers
Is there anything I can spray under my patio and around the backyard that will keep the mosquitos away without poisoning the well (or my dog)?
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posted by Ufez Jones
on Apr 11, 2007 -
13 answers
Why don't Bay Area mosquitos bite me? Last year, in Desolation Wilderness (CA), the air was thick with mosquitos, and I was bitten liberally and painfully. This year, in my apartment in the Bay Area, the air is again thick with mosquitos and I am without noticeable bites. Why?
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posted by beniamino
on Jun 25, 2006 -
18 answers
Bloody mosquitoes, trying to suck my blood, why won't you just let me get a good night's sleep?
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posted by donpedro
on Mar 28, 2006 -
26 answers
Recently purchased a mosquito repellent device from
Thermacell and am wondering if anyone else has used a similar device, and how effective they really are.
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posted by gfroese
on Jul 4, 2005 -
8 answers
How can you tell the difference between mosquito bites and flea bites? (Does one heal quicker than the other?)
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posted by WCityMike
on Jun 16, 2005 -
7 answers
It's that time again: summer, and the bugs are out in full-force. Common insect bites and stings, while not life-threatening, can be irritating and uncomfortable. And scratching often leads to infection. What's the best way to soothe mosquito bites?
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posted by kathryn
on Jun 2, 2005 -
23 answers
What works for repelling mosquitos, indoors and outdoors? I'm going to spend this summer in Vermont, where the mosquitos aren't full of deadly diseases, but extremely annoying and numerous nonetheless. What options have people tried with some degree of success?
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posted by sirion
on Apr 16, 2005 -
19 answers