Mosquito control in a palm garden

[Cindy Adair]

The Asian tiger mosquito hit our Virginia Beach,VA yard about 20 years ago. Instead of simply avoiding dawn/dusk I keep "mosquito clothing" by our back door to use every time I go in the backyard May-Nov/Dec. I bought oversized very thin pull on pants and long sleeved shirts from a thrift store. That way I can put them on over my regular clothes to walk around without covering with Deep Woods Off (high DEET)just for a quick walk before heading to work. The mosquitoes still bite my hands, but at least it's minimal. Even my husband gets an occasional bite (maybe 1 for each 100 I would get without a clothing barrier). The city sprays (for good or bad) the street area so few mosquitoes there but we back up to a softball field so the spray doesn't get in the backyard. I do use DEET if it's really hot and I have hours to spend and want to wear shorts and shower afterwards to get the DEET off.

Interestingly, I almost never get mosquito bites on our Puerto Rico farm (that's been an organic farm for years) with nothing but LOTS of anole lizards and birds and bats to eat the bugs. There are "no-see-ums" late afternoons, but thin long pants prevent those (and they don't even bite any one else in my family). Thanks for all the new ideas which I may try in Virginia!

[PalmsZA]

Yip got these tiger mozzies here too!

They flippin rude and don't wait till dusk. They will chow you anytime of the day. Their bite is very itchy for me. Hate them!

[amazondk]

Acidic water definately does inhibit mosquito populations. Here the black water rivers like the Negro River have very few mosquitos. So, I would imagine that by making the water where they breed more acidic it would decrease populations. There is a lot of interesting information on this thread. We have a lot of different kinds of mosquitos here. Some are in the forest, some are by the muddy rivers. And, one of the worst ones loves to inhabit areas in and around your home. This is a species very similar to the Asia Tiger Mosquito in Bill´s photo. If you see the Aedes aegypti, or yellow fever mosquito around be ware. Here like most tropical places around the world dengue fever is a real and constant problem. Fortunately I have not been a victim yet. And, the local government here has made great progress in reducing the population of this bug. It can reproduce even in a bottle cap. And, the egss lay dorment sometimes for months until water is present. As you can see it does look similar to the Asia Tiger Mosquito.

[Peter Pacific]

Mosquitoes are a problem all over the globe and the southern Pacific coast of Guatemala is no exception. The mosquitoes here are horrendous. You should hose down your bromeliad beds every couple of days so the water is constantly being changed. We all have our favorite home remedies and vanilla and ammonia will be on my list to try out. I burn the dry brown leaves of my lemon grass and incense when we have guests in the dining room. I also have two Nim (Neem) trees but I think you need to squeeze out the oils from the crushed leaves for them to actually give you a break from these buggers and I have not found this to be helpful. When all else fails and I am really at wits end, I spray Cipermetrina (Cypermethrin) which gets rid of every last one of them! Peter

[amazondk]

Peter,

How is the situation with dengue fever and malaria in Guatemala?

Unfortunately there still alot of the anpheles mosquitos around here. The malaria cases in Manaus average around 5,000 per month. You still do not see a lot of mosquitos though, called carapanã here locally. But, it only takes one of the wrong kind to give one a problem.

[Jack Daw]

Maybe it's not as good advice as I would think, but this problem became unbearable here several years ago too. Our community moved a colony of bats straight to the centre of village and soon the mosquito problem disappeared. However one must get used to watching bats flying by every now and then. That was for many people unacceptable and even more difficult than actually being bitten by the mosquitos all the time.

Just my few cents.

Edited May 30, 2010 by Jack Daw

[realarch]

I'll add one more to the list above, Skin So Soft by Avon, not a bug can bite thru it Marine Corps tested

'Skin So Soft' never worked for me, honestly, and I used it for a whole summer. The mosquitos weren't

fazed a bit. Smells like hell and is kind of greasy too. Maybe you have to be a Marine, I dunno.

I've been seeing that new clip on 'Off' contraption with a little fan in it, wonder if that works.

[Peter Pacific]

I'll add one more to the list above, Skin So Soft by Avon, not a bug can bite thru it Marine Corps tested

'Skin So Soft' never worked for me, honestly, and I used it for a whole summer. The mosquitos weren't

fazed a bit. Smells like hell and is kind of greasy too. Maybe you have to be a Marine, I dunno.

I've been seeing that new clip on 'Off' contraption with a little fan in it, wonder if that works.

[/q

Don, I don't want to say malaria and dengue are common but a few cases a year around here, suffered mostly by the locals, are not unheard of. I always thought they were synonymous but are apparently different diseases.

Tim, Skin So Soft never worked for me either.

Jack, I thank God for the bats and we have tons of them. They live in the fringe of the thatched palm roof, not only do they eat the mosquitos but also the fruit of the almond trees and you hear them drop from the coconut fronds all night long. Welcome to Palmtalk, by the way. Peter

[amazondk]

Peter,

Dengue is a virus and malaria is a parasite. Dengue is a major problem in South America. It has been especially bad in Rio de Janeiro. Since it is an urban disease big cities are particularly hard hit. There are I believe 4 varieties of the virus. The worst kind is knonw as hemoraging dengue and it can be fatal. We have all four varieties around here. The type four came in from Venezuela a few years ago. The government has regular programs of inspecting houses and yards for larvae in standing water. Pors for plants with saucers full of water are especially dangerous as are used tires. Malaria on the other hand is found mostly in rural areas and here in Manaus mostly on the outskirts of town in poor areas which have recently moved into areas previously in forest. I don´t really worry about the malaria too much as the anti malaria pills are not too good for you if you have to take them all the time. I have only had malaria once. Which was a drag. But, I got over it.

dk

[Utopia Palms]

Second vote for coffee grounds...

I use coffee grounds and it seems to work well on the So Cal mosquito...granted this is not the jurassic type you grow in Florida but it seems to help here...

My Bromiliads will get wigglers in the tank if I don't sprinkle coffee in them...I also spread it around the planters pretty heavily and it keeps the ants away as well as the aphids and slugs...My neighbors cat stays away as well...

the best part...Its free and organic...

Spread it on the floor, under the drip areas and in any place water collects, it will help...If you sprinkle some on your soft seedlings it's ok...

This may help you create a green zone free of Mosquitos...

great idea...........i had not thought of that application

but have trialing at UTOPIA on the cycad cateripilla as an systemic insecticide

resorted to the thick mulsch effect as you mentioned.

SPEAD THE WORD............

[Utopia Palms]

I recommend DEET and a liberal supply of vodka. If you drink enough vodka you won't feel the bites anyway. As a last resort go inside and turn on the AC.

Dick

got to love the vodka........effect