F'n Mosquitoes!!!

[4X4]

The deep woods stuff that comes in the green can is no better than the stuff in the orange can. Leave it on the shelf. Seek out the Deep Woods Sportsman in the blue can. It's got a significantly higher deet content (though not nearly as high as KG's bison nerd juice).

Go with the blue.


Oh, and something I learned through apathy: One year, I went camping and forgot to bring bug spray. The first night, I got raped by mosquitoes. The second day, I figured it was a waste of time trek back to civilization for spray. By day 3, the mosquitoes just left me alone. In fact, I've never really been a mosquito target since.

I compared this story with a buddy who did summer seismic in NWT. I guess the skeeters are just ridiculous up there. He basically had the same thing happen to him. He just let them go at it for a couple of days, then they all but stopped biting him.

Of course, maybe I'm just lucky.

[tvp2003]

You can get stuff with 30% deet at Shoppers Drug Mart (or similar places, I presume)... I think that is the highest you're allowed to sell at retail, and it has worked for me... so far

[HockeyPuck]

I was listening to QR77 during rush hour last night for traffic reports and they had a short segment on why it seems like there is more mosquitoes. The guy they had on there said it was due to the amount of rain we had in June and then the very hot weather we've had recently. He said the city sprayed, but that the hotter it gets, the faster the mosquitoes hatch. So they did spray, but the hot weather caused the mosquitoes to hatch faster than the spray to achieve its max effectiveness. He did say though that the mosquito population should go back down in a couple weeks. Also he recommended to check around your yard to get rid of any standing water (bird baths and other puddles) and get rid of or change the water.

[Cowperson]

Last Wednesday was the worst mosquito experience I've had in about 30 years on ballfields . . . . . hundreds swarming around.

It was like the crazy man fly/mosquito scene in The Snow Walker.

Wow.

But it seems to be easing off . . . . . walking around Upper Kananaskis Lake last Sunday, I think there were only two or three mosquito's I had to swat away.

Cowperson

[Bobblehead]

^^^
Being my team's left fielder, I can sympathise. (spelling geeks - should Canadians be using the British -ise, or the American -ize?)


Years ago, mosquitos would bug me until the annual fishing trip. Up there the mosuitos were so thick even liberal use of Muskol couldn't stop them. It was terrible, but after that weekend I wasn't itchy anymore. I believe I read that at some point your body adapts and doesn't generate the histamine anymore. You still get bit, but it isn't itchy so you don't even notice most of the time.

[habernac]

after growing up in Fort McMurray with the black flies and mosquitoes, this isn't that bad. But it is probably as bad as I've seen it since I moved here in '95.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by HockeyPuck

He said the city sprayed, but that the hotter it gets, the faster the mosquitoes hatch. So they did spray.........

I know you are just going by what was said on the radio, but I'm not sure what the city defines as "spraying" would register with any of us from out east. Back in Winnipeg we would have warnings about when our area was due to be sprayed, and to not go outside for 30 minutes. Or if they were spraying from a plane they would warn the entire city.

I think Calgary's definition of spraying is that the have 2 guys in 1 truck, and the odd bit of standing water on city property gets sprayed.

Here in Copperfield (and other areas too I'm sure) we have stormwater ponds. In an effort to make them more natural, there is no water flow on them; which makes them ideal breeding grounds. I don't see the harm in adding a fountain to make it so mosquitoes can't lay eggs.

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Here in Copperfield (and other areas too I'm sure) we have stormwater ponds. In an effort to make them more natural, there is no water flow on them; which makes them ideal breeding grounds. I don't see the harm in adding a fountain to make it so mosquitoes can't lay eggs.

Buy a few of the cheap 'feeder' goldfish and let them chow down on the larvae.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Do the electric bug zappers attract mosquitos? They've always seemed to do better against moths.

I looked into the Propane powered Mosquito Magnet as they had them at Costco, but reliability reports on the net have been horrible.

[Mr.Coffee]

If there was one species the world could definitely do without, it's the mosquito.

At least in Canada they don't transmit potentially lethal diseases such as Malaria. My dad works in Africa. He contacted malaria. Not fun.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

Do the electric bug zappers attract mosquitos? They've always seemed to do better against moths.

The one I bought says it doesn't, but every other day I have to remove the clog of skeeters in there.

The problem of course is it attracts bugs to your yard.

[AC]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

If there was one species the world could definitely do without, it's the mosquito.

At least in Canada they don't transmit potentially lethal diseases such as Malaria. My dad works in Africa. He contacted malaria. Not fun.

True. At least West Nile is a step back from Malaria... I think?

[Kybosh]

Originally Posted by AnthonyCook

True. At least West Nile is a step back from Malaria... I think?

If I recall, you're more likely to die from the flu than west nile.

[Mr.Coffee]

^^ Ok....


so what about malaria? Just because the symptoms are similar.... doesn't mean they are the same.

But yeah, I'm almost positive malaria is worse.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

At least in Canada they don't transmit potentially lethal diseases such as Malaria.

Ummmm...West Nile virus?

Never mind...aparently there's already been a dogpile.

[Kybosh]

I ain't a physician so don't quote me on this, but I believe that Malaria and west nile share many of the same symptoms but the malaria virus can stay active for several years. West nile is more comparable to the flu, which can range in severity, while Malaria seems to be a constant cycle of headaches/nausea/fever every few days.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

Buy a few of the cheap 'feeder' goldfish and let them chow down on the larvae.

That actually sounds like a good idea. I wonder if I should wait until after dark in case somebody has an issue with me populating the pond with fish.

[Scorponok]

I heard mosquitos are attracted to dark blue colors (like blue jeans) and clapping sounds. So the more you swat, the more hear you and come your way.

And there seem to be a lot of products out there that are suppose to keep mosquitos away or outright kill them. I read about one that attracts them into a lantern and zaps 'em like a bug zapper. Dragonflies are their natural enemies, and someone invented a device that simulated the sound of dragonfly wings so that skeeters would hear the sound and stay the h.ell away from the area.

There was also an acquantance of mine from the US that owned a farm. He said there was a swamm right beside it, but he had a large group of bats living in one of his barns and during the summers, he had seen almost no mosquitos in 10 years. Eventually, someone bought the area with the small swamp in it and dug up the area. The bats flew off to better pastures and within the year, his farm was completely overrun with mosquitos. He said he thinks either the bats kept toe mosquito population to virtually nil, or the mosquitos have a way of hearing bat sonar and knowing to stay away.

Maybe Calgary should look into importing a bunch of bats.

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by ken0042

That actually sounds like a good idea. I wonder if I should wait until after dark in case somebody has an issue with me populating the pond with fish.

My parents had a rainbarrel in Ont that was turning into a huge breeding pool. A couple feeder fish went in. One didn't make it, but the other lived the whole summer.

[Bobblehead]

I tree planted one summer. My main planing shirt was white (for a while anyways) and had a dark decal on the front. Mosquitos would congregate on the dark decal, with relatively few in the 'white' area.