Are the 'skeeters' bad this year?

Seems like less, but haven't seen rain at my place since last Sept. wonder if that's why?

We had something like the 5th wettest June in recoded history, but I've been vigilant about mosquito dunks and taking care of standing water, so they haven't been any worse then usual for me.
Txtea, when we had the drought here 4 years ago, we had fewer mosquitoes, so I bet your lack of rain is the reason. There's no place for the adults to lay the eggs.
Barb

I have been fairly lucky over the years with skeeters, but this year they are after me. It's the standing water that lets them breed.
Turn any un-drainable vessel upside down and dump anything holding water.
I was swarmed with termites tonight in my motor home. I will do a through search in the morning to find their source.
We have had a lot of drizzle here in Okeechobee this year.
Sidney

It seems there are fewer this year so far, but I've been fairly careful to use my natural spray repellent. It works. I do also try to avoid the early mornings and late afternoons out in the yard. With all the rain we've just had, there may be an increase soon. I hope not.

Since I gave up sugar and all other sweeteners, mosquitoes don't bother me like they used to.

My son-in-law, who has a very "sweet tooth" can be covered in mosquitoes, and I will not have a single one on me!

They are really bad here in Florida. We try to make sure we don't let water stand , but where I live it is a wet place. There are drainage ditches all over town and the water tends to stand in them instead of running off. I must be honey because they just seem to swarm me!

Even though it has been moist here,I haven't seen many.

we have never had a mosquito "problem" at our house. we do get a few in summer but we are really lucky considering we live in florida on a lake. neighbors across the street are on higher ground than us, with more wind, and they have them bad in the evening....go figure.

Mosquito season is starting now. Haven't noticed too much yet.

Fairly norm for us, but since the arrival of the Asian tiger you can get a bite on a breezy summer day. They never sleep and are reputed to breed in a bottle cap. There has been a rise in positive test for West Nile in PADER screenings.

About a tribute to the as usual. At one time, the whole interior of Florida was one huge county names Mosquito County. We have all the natives and imports, but at intervals of years, we have the huge native Gallinipper. It depends, of course, on how good the airlines transiting through our state are at preventing their 747's from laying eggs.

I live in a bad place for mosquitoes which is the Mississippi River bottom land. I've lived here all my life, so I'm use to it. We've always had a jeep that fogs thru the alleys at night. It's a sign of the season, just like the winter snow plows.

This message was edited Jul 3, 2013 11:19 PM

lol--the Gallinippers are here. i've seen 3 or 4 this year.

My Gosh, 747-skeeters laying eggs? Asian Tigers... sounds like I have more to be thankful for than I realized!! Just the 'normal' amount of observed skeeter activity around my neck o' the woods this year. As I do every year, I've got my Lemon Grasses potted up around every entrance to the house, so we've had NONE of those critters getting into the house, or around on deck out back. I think I'll start taking a few sprigs with me to work each day and apply accordingly -- it's the workplace that seems to have more of them than I do at home. < =/

I don't pay much attention to mosquitos. They are either there or not.

In Michigan, the mosquitos are becoming fierce and rampant.
We drain standing water in the yard. Use lots of mosquito repellant and wear long sleeves and pants when outdoors in the garden.

**STATION IDENTIFICATION BREAK!!!**

My station? In my chair at my desk?

Identification? A natural repellent for mosquitoes in the garden: Lemon Grass!! The stuff is Fan-Shmabulous!! We used to find our front and back doors swarmed in mosquitoes every summer, but ever since I started growing this stuff (I keep it in 15-gallon pots outside each entrance), we have literally had NO (zero - zilch!!) of those critters near any of our entrances anymore, and therefore, NONE getting into the house anymore. I've not done it yet, but next year I'm going to include a couple around my bird bath out back, 'cause darnit! The little birdies love it! =) Maybe I'll toss a few in around the other beds as well...

Another plus about the stuff: It's yummy as all get-out! Great in any seafood dishes, darn-near any Asian cooking, and it's wonderful in freshly brewed iced tea.

.... we now take you back to your regularly scheduled broadcast....

speedie, is lemongrass hardy in your zone?

I have lemon balm bordering my garden, and I believe that it helps repel mosquitoes too!

I have been trying to find something good about mosquitoes. I did find this article about a particular type of beneficial mosquito that pollinates orchids in N.A. -- provided by the US Forest Service.

http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/aedes_communis.shtml

interesting read! thank you.

Worst I can remember.

speedie - will lemon grass grow in the shade? It would be nice to have some near my back door, which we keep open for the dogs to come-and-go.

greenbrain -

Yes, bats devour mosquitoes. And that's a good thing - for them as well as for us.

Hahaha! 2 votes ( so far) for…We don't have them where I live. WHERE is that!?!?!? I want to go there!!! I've never heard of such a place!
They are getting worse here, and with this storm Chantal headed up this way…Ugh!

Mosquitoes are called "gnats" in the United Kingdom. I don't remember them being much of a problem while growing up there.

Trackinsand, sadly no, Lemongrass is not hardy where I live. Thankfully it's relatively cheap at about $3 per 4" potted plant, and I would NOT do summer without it. (also, it doesn't hurt that I work at a nursery/garden center, so I get first pic of plants when they come in, and I get 20% off!). =)

Honeybee, yes yes, it certainly does grow in the shade as well, though not quite as big. I've got one plant next to my back slider door just off the basement where it gets only about 1 hour of early morning sunlight and that's it. That one only gets about 3 feet tall, the rest of 'em (in more sun) get about 5 feet tall. Even at only 3 feet tall, it's enough to keep mosquitoes away from that back door area ENTIRELY.

Thanks for your reply, speedie. I'll add lemon grass to my shopping list.

Can I grow it from seed or should I be on the look out for plants?

Honeybee, "gnats", here, are tiny, harmless fly-oids. The tiny fly-oids that bite are called noseeums. Sure feelums, though.

Had to laugh about 'sure feelums'. Isn't it the truth?

We're having a bout with fruit flies in the house, and we have no fruit on our counter. So, had to put out some apple cider vinegar, and they are slowly diminishing. Oh, and I do believe they bite, too! Ask me how I know! LOL

Honeybee, I've not heard of Lemongrass being started from seed, at least in my area. Around here one would be hard-pressed to find any plants left available for sale now, they're usually grabbed up pretty quickly as soon as they're put out for sale, but I wish you much good luck! (hopefully you'll have better luck where you live). :)

I remember no-seeums from living in south Florida!

Speedie - I'll look for lemon grass next spring, unless I come across some in the meantime.

Just a little bit early for the skeeters here so far we are about 2 weeks behind normal this year give it another two weeks and they will be brutal very small skeeters yet very painfull

This year I have added two more birdbaths and they are attracting mostly insect eaters so maybe that is why I have fewer insects ,only thought about this after posting my previous message ..I have 6 or more Mocking Birds 6 or more Brown Thrashers and way to many Robins to even try to count

grits - do you participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count in mid-February each year?

http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc

I haven't seen many mockingbirds this year, but many more Eastern Bluebirds.

Brown Thrashers say good morning to me every day just outside my door picking up seeds that have fallen from the feeder above them.

Honey bee I haven't looked at this thread in a week or more so to answer No I don't do the bird count thing anymore I used to but just lost interest I have a lot of birds but not a great variety and in the winter when the count is on we were getting overwhelmed with Grackles and other blackbirds and they would run the other birds away so when they show anymore I just quit feeding Tim 1 I once lived in Eureka Ca right on the Pacific and don't recall ever seeing a skeeter there

The perfidious Gallinippers staged a false flag attack.