Yes sir you need bats! I'm not even kidding. I visited my buddy, we live in South Florida, and he bought a place in a cypress swamp. Do I need to explain Cyprus swamps and mosquitoes? Lol I recall it was about 11:30 at night and we were standing outside talking, and it was that kind of pitch dark, where you can barely see the other person's in front of you. I thought it was interesting that after standing outside for 20 minutes I had not felt a single mosquito bite. I made comment of this and he said oh it's because of the bats. I said what He said my dad built a bat house, and bats will naturally live in it because it's conducive to what they like and each bat at night feeds on mosquitoes and can eat something like 600 per hour. So he said you will never get bitten by a mosquito on our property because the bats are literally flying around us right now eating all of them. And I thought he was pulling my leg, but he flashed his flashlight real quick and you saw tons of bats silently flying around us. It's one of the only times I've ever been in a swamp and not been bitten by mosquitoes. However, if you're looking for a great mosquito repellent, look no further than the lemon eucalyptus oil. That's not a combination. That's a plant called the lemon eucalyptus plant and you need its essential oil. Cambridge University did a study with deet that mosquito repellent that works very well but gives you cancer and this natural oil was in discernible from the performance of DEET but does not have any side effects like that chemical does. This is just a natural oil that you can rub on yourself, or put it in a carrier and spray it. I do think a couple of companies make the oil in an actual spray bottle repellent now

the person should really be wearing breathing protection

There are two methods you didn't mention: One is to deliberately trap them in standing water in black buckets placed in the shade where you've put a mosquito dunk. Mosquitos are apparently attracted to dark areas, where they seek refuge. They will then find the water, and the mosquito dunks will kill their larvae. Black buckets work the best for this. The second is to put some bug screen mesh on a box fan or some other heavy duty fan, and turn the fan on high, placing it where mosquitos frequent. Mosquitos are weak at flying, and they naturally get entrained in the flow of air from a powerful fan. The fan will pull them against the bug screen which they can't get off of due to being weak at flying. There, on the screen, they will dehydrate to death with the constant air flow. Any that are still alive can be easily killed with a spray of rubbing alcohol. Since one of these fans essentially filters the air through the screen, and can circulate thousands of cubic feet per hour, such a system essentially filters mosquitos out of that volume of air.

Haha, this is like that movie Pitch Black with Vin Diesel.

ima try this trick myself!! i use my fogger use repellent coils but works just for a few minutes mosquito population its out of control this year in Los Angeles!!! we had a lot of rain so im sure there is a lot of standing water everywhere still!! plus my backyard its full of fruiting trees so they have the perfect place to rest!!

That is awesome! Going to try this!

I know a guy who houses bats and says they eat all his mosquitos on his 10 acres in Michigan.

@@VenturaIT Dragon flies also eat mosquitoes. There's a video about it on YT. This person sets up his garden to invite them to patrol his property.

@@madeo8480 I get it, but do they eat all of them?

mosquitos prefer to return to their birth place to lay eggs. unless you eliminate that option they won't even look at your poisoned bucket.

I remember the tide pods 🤣

@@SilverCymbal tide pods taste much better than the mosquito dunks :)

@@RyanInFloridaAmerica runs on dunks

Would OneGuard work well for little gnats in my yard? I don’t have a huge mosquito problem, but the little tiny flies (gnats, I think) are really a problem for me. I’m in the mid-Atlantic, if it matters.

As a pest control tech, did you ever get that stuff on you or breath it in? Any side effects or complications?

@kevrides5706 it would yes, the igr will sterilize the adults and make them infertil, reducing the population completely.

@shawn1869 I did, it does burn to get it on your skin. Always blow with the wind not against and wear long sleeves and pants plus respirator when applying. I can't say I do it but it's proper protocol. I usually get it done real quick then take a shower with dawn immediately but that's just bc I've lived through the burning sensation it can cause and I'm not looking to revisit those memories in 100+ degree heat.

@@shawn1869 Depends on what you are spraying. There are some pest control chemicals that can be really dangerous if gotten on skin (like head to the ER and get a counter-shot dangerous). Most of the commercial stuff like Cutter's Lawn Bug control and others are pretty mild pest controls that if gotten on your skin won't send you to the ER but should be washed off as soon as possible with something like Dawn. When in doubt, always cover up and always mask up.

How bad was your yard before?

That is good to know!

They don’t go bad overtime, lifespan is actually indefinite as long as it’s stored below 100F Taken from Summit Brands who manufactures them: What is the shelf life of Mosquito Dunks®? Mosquito Dunks® can be stored indefinitely because, technically speaking, the dried B.t.i. in Mosquito Dunks® is not living, viable bacteria. (The toxicant that kills mosquito larvae is actually part of the B.t.i. spore). Government Mosquito Control programs have conducted field tests where Mosquito Dunks® of eight years age were effective at killing mosquito larvae at close to equal rate as new product. Additionally, alternate wetting and drying will not reduce the effectiveness of Mosquito Dunks®. Will storage temperatures affect the viability of Mosquito Dunks®? The best storage condition for Mosquito Dunks® is a cool, well-ventilated place. Because B.t.i. is a bacterium, extreme cold or even freezing temperatures will not reduce the effectiveness of Mosquito Dunks®. However, prolonged exposure (more than 24 consecutive hours) to temperatures above 100 degrees F. may affect the efficacy of the product.

I never knew...they always tasted okay to me.

@@richardwalter9055ha ha- I was thinking the same thing!

I did not know that and that explains a lot 😂

😂😂😂😂. I was thinking that and ran across your comment..

We used to use the sprayer with gasoline 😅 great flame thrower very dangerous.

This are awesome tips. I love the dragonflies myself, such strange bugs, oddly friendly. I have had a few that seem to remember you and will land right on you when the sun is out. Very cool creatures.

We have a LOT of mint around our swampy pond. Not sure if it helps, but it sure doesn't hurt. ;)

@@SilverCymbal They only land on me when they are mating though.

I find that planting catnip, sage, citronella etc., does nothing except keeps mosquitos from landing on those plants. Yay.

How do you attract them?

I really appreciate that, for a larger space that setup can't be beat. I am hearing now pros are charging $80 per month for spraying and at 6 months a year thats crazy. Glad to hear its working out so well

@@SilverCymbal Our minimum is 85 now, in a relatively low cost of living area. Our branch handles about 800 mosquito customers a year and we're trying to get it to 1000. The biggest cost, as with all pest control, is liability. We kill a koi pond about every other year - accidentally of course - and one time that happened we ended up paying out 10k. Apparently he had the rarest breed of koi that were decades old. I agree that the profits seem great, and the products are a lot safer now than they used to be, but never forget it's a poison and the label is the law. Penalties range from fines to, if you're unlicensed, prison time.

@@AlexF-eh8yzhow long does it usually take you to do an $85 job? Like to drive there, apply product, clean up, and return, etc.? (And at what point/size would you increase the price beyond that?)

I really appreciate such a nice compliment, so glad you liked the video

What chemical did you spray

@@simd510 for mosquitoes I did mix of Demand CS, Talak and Tekko Pro. It definitely helped, but it did not eradicated mosquitos completely. Also I don’t think spraying once a month is sufficient.

What insecticide do you use?

@@Cochran05 same question i had

Just make homes for bats. Nearly free, much more effective. Good for the environment.

@@newolde1 bats only fly at night and the Asian tiger mosquito is NOT active at night only daytime and most active at dawn and dusk.

@@Starbuckin huh, all of the bats I've ever seen begin feeding at dusk. And most mosquitoes I've ever encountered are still active until after dusk.

Absolutely agree, it makes a huge difference too for ticks. Two days after spraying it, you notice an immediate drop in mosquitos

Same. Some of the lower price versions work pretty good, too. But Demand is the only one we'll use in the house. Make sure you add an IGR (Insect Growth Regulator) to get even more extended coverage.

Thats great to hear, I honestly never gave it much confidence, thinking it wouldn't be good. I was completely wrong, such a clever thing, I wish I invented it, its got a patent too!

I've been using it for a couple years as well, looks like the nozzle has changed a little but the idea is the same. This is a good reminder that I need to spray again, it's been raining here for 2 weeks!

bear532, great idea to "cut a hole in the lids that goes all the way to the brim, put a netting (1 inch squares) between the bucket and lid to” keep animals for from falling into or drinking the water. I also like the idea of using hardware cloth instead of netting but the lid "circle” may not fit on with this.

Thank you so much

Hi Simone, are these like copper shavings or something?😀

what are copper treads? Is it like the other person asked- small copper shavings? Does that kill them?

My ROI was two treatments (4-5 years ago), compared to the service we were paying. I use less chemical and get better results. Of course, the service would be in and out in 15 minutes. I take several hours but hit a more diverse area. Those guys just hit the easy edges of the woods. I get back into that stuff.

We had the buckets out with the donuts. Unfortunately we found 2 dead chipmunks in one of the buckets. 😪 No more buckets here. If you use them make sure the small animals can get out.

@@stephenbadamo130 Thanks for the warning, Stephen. People can also consider covering the top of the bucket with chicken wire or hardware cloth, etc.. Of course, the wire needs to be wired onto the bucket in a way so that animals cannot remove it but easy enough for the bucket owner to remove, if needed.

Anything that works for you that’s labeled for mosquitos and meets the application limits is good. No actual third party testing is done to compare effectiveness, only biassed tests by the manufacturer to show their product’s are better then the competitors… The local weather, bug species etc all effect how effective pesticides work, meaning what works for one person might not work for the next and vice versa. I Use Proflex because I’m lazy and don’t want to mix in extra IGR.

Typically once every 30 days is ideal, but you will get a feel for it. As soon as you start to see them come back, do another treatment. I also try to underapply when I can, but generally I see it last 30-45 days in New England

With summer downpours you'll need it more often. But, you won't need as much each application. Talstar last 2-3 weeks in the wet mid-Atlantic; longer if it's not raining. At our Florida Gulf home...two weeks is a stretch with daily drenchers. Demand lasts a little longer. Also - too much is too much - the bugs will smell it and stay away from the poison. So go low and slow, and wait a few applications before you expect miracles. That said, you'll see results right away. It's just the real results come over time and area covered. Do your neighbor's property (with their permission) and they will buffer you.

... Oh yeah ... I would also use a hose sprayer to douse the lawn, shrubs, exterior of the house and everything in the backyard with permethrin once a month every spring and summer.

Demand-CS or a generic version will work there because it has a high residual. Cheaper alternative is Permethrin SFR but it has a lower residual. Permethrin has some repellent qualities, but it's real value is killing them. So don't over apply or you'll scare them off. Both can be mixed in a spray bottle and applied by hand, but don't leave either in the bottle long. Use it all then clean it out. Do not use near water where fish live.