Enjoying your flashlights - despite mosquitoes!

[dthrckt]

I’ve picked up a bunch of new lights lately, and once it’s dark I’ve been out back trying to enjoy them and compare, but it has been very wet here this year and the mosquitoes are HORRIBLE.

How do you deal with mosquitoes, or other biting insects?

I’ll start.

I have a dozen of these, but they’re just plain metal, no design. Paid $0.75 each. They add a nice glow around a campsite, but I do notice a color change if I blow my nose the day after hanging out around them. Probably not very healthy. I always buy the oil at the end of the year when on clearance. I think the additives don’t do much, it’s mostly just smoke that drives them away.

I have four of these. They work for mosquitoes, not black flies, and there can’t be much wind. You can mod the butane canisters to refill, and you can reuse the pads by soaking them in 36.5% permethrin when used up, but I’ve found it is not worth handling the poison.

Recently picked this up on sale at HD. Basically the same thing, just different form factor. Takes up more room but can fit in a large drink holder (the model above will melt if used vertically on a hot day).

I’ve tried propane and electric powered foggers quite a bit. Poor results, bothers the neighbors, blows back in your face.

I’ve also tried treating around my house with permethrin w/ the hose attached sprayers. Didn’t see as many birds that year, but the mosquitoes still found me. Now I just do the kennel so my dogs don’t get ticks.

100% deet works, but can’t be too good for you, and melts anything plastic.

Any other good tips out there?

[TexasToasted]

The yard spray works best, but the zapper is more entertaining.

[dthrckt]

@MoreLumens

I been using Thermacell for few years. Works like charm when camping or sitting outside. Doing that refillable cartridge mod when getting good valve, but probably still buing those pillows. Gas runs out faster vs. pillows so good mod that is.

Nothing really helps when you are moving, unless you wanna put those smelly stuffs on your skin, protective clothing seems better. Long-sleeved shirts and mosquito net on your head.
Good thing mosquitoes start to be gone soon, but deer flys can be nuisance when walking around moose forests aka every forest around here.

Saw the best solution for deer flies ever a couple years ago. A couple guys were carrying a canoe over their head out in the wilderness. Deer flies were bad. Each one had taped a glue mouse trap onto their hat.

They were covered with deer flies, since they love to land on your head. So effective they said they were able to do the 2 mile portage , with hands steadying the canoe, and no bites.

[Pip]

I use Bifen xts around the house to keep carpenter ants out but I don’t want to broadcast my whole yard with insecticide. Besides, I live in the woods so I doubt it would help much anyway. I have a bug zapper I use with mosquito attractant, and I have to blow it out with the leaf blower every day. It’s been a very wet year here and the mosquitoes are terrible this year. I use deet as needed and mostly try to keep moving as much as possible when I’m outside. They seem to bother me less if I’m mobile.

We have lots of bats and they usually keep the population down but they can’t keep up this year.

[dthrckt]

@Pip

I use Bifen xts around the house to keep carpenter ants out but I don’t want to broadcast my whole yard with insecticide. Besides, I live in the woods so I doubt it would help much anyway. I have a bug zapper I use with mosquito attractant, and I have to blow it out with the leaf blower every day. It’s been a very wet year here and the mosquitoes are terrible this year. I use deet as needed and mostly try to keep moving as much as possible when I’m outside. They seem to bother me less if I’m mobile.

We have lots of bats and they usually keep the population down but they can’t keep up this year.

Same product I use. Doesn’t seem to help with the brown marmorated stink bugs though.

Does the zapper actually get mosquitoes? I’ve seen a couple of the CO2? emitting products that collect them but don’t have experience. Would probably invest in one if I had good firsthand feedback. Link?

You got me thinking, I should add some bat houses.

I’m lucky to have a beautiful backyard for testing flashlights and running my dogs, but last night was absolutely miserable.

[Jack_Kellar]

@Pip

We have lots of bats and they usually keep the population down but they can’t keep up this year.

Must be one of those masting years.

[kennybobby]

i’ve been using the screen-covered fan trick from the dan rojas video to catch the mosquitos, then spraying the catch with a mist of rubbing alcohol to kill them.

i think he runs the fans away from the sitting area, but i aim them towards me to provide a bit of cooling and it still seems to work. He uses 2 for his dog kennel, one in and one out.

[bibihang]

@kennybobby

i’ve been using the screen-covered fan trick from the dan rojas video to catch the mosquitos, then spraying a mist of rubbing alcohol to kill them.

i think he runs the fans away from the sitting area, but i aim them towards me to provide a bit of cooling and it still seems to work. He uses 2 for his dog kennel, one in and one out.

I have tried this screen-covered fan method without using any attractant and I would say it really works.

[Pip]

The bug zapper with attractant is little help at best, it seems to keep them down a little in the immediate area but not much more. Can’t really say I would recommend it.

[dthrckt]

@kennybobby

i’ve been using the screen-covered fan trick from the dan rojas video to catch the mosquitos, then spraying the catch with a mist of rubbing alcohol to kill them.

i think he runs the fans away from the sitting area, but i aim them towards me to provide a bit of cooling and it still seems to work. He uses 2 for his dog kennel, one in and one out.

Oh, this is good, I’ll look it up.

I use store bought fly traps for my dog kennel.

Maybe a ryobi or dewalt fan portable could improve my camping significantly!

[dthrckt]

@MoreLumens

Must be different deer flies there then. Here they just fly onto you, drop their wings and make a push for the hair. Won’t bite, but also don’t wanna get off from the wild ride. Using duct tape in your collar makes them stick to that, but yeah not really fun solution either.

IMO, they prefer to land on your head (but not exclusively), they’re kind of slow (reacting and flying), and slow to bite, so generally you can swat them by smacking yourself, or swatting as they circle your head. Bite is pretty nasty.

[CNCman]

Protective clothing is your best option.

[dthrckt]

@CNCman

Protective clothing is your best option.

This is true, especially for everyone’s health (spraying/applying chemicals), but annoying to wear.

IMO, this is the best way to handle blackflies in the adirondacks in late May, early June. The head nets, bugnet jackets (and bugnet pants), work, for sure. But I’ve found this much more comfortable. Easier to eat, especially, w/ the zipper on the head.

https://www.bugshirt.com/products/elite/

website photo, not me, we don’t take many photos when the bugs are bad enough to wear this.

[MtnDon (Don Miller)]

How do you deal with mosquitoes,

We don’t have to deal with them. Northern NM does not have mosquitos or very many annoying flying bugs at all.

We do keep insect repellent in the camping gear but that is mainly used in other states; CO for example. And we are too far north, too high an elevation to be bothered with poisonous snakes. Black widow and brown spiders are around but easier to avoid than skeeters.

[raccoon]

We have some mosquitoes, but it's not that bad here.

[dthrckt]

So to enjoy my flashlights, I should move to the desert

[TermsakC]

Singapore where I work is a very green city-state. Insects could be a problem, when going outdoors in the late afternoon or evening, especially mosquitos carrying the dreaded dengue (hemorrhagic fever). There is an ongoing national campaign against this tropical communicable disease.

In my apartment, there is a weekly spraying of insecticide fume either on Monday or Tuesday. It is quite effective in keeping away mosquitos. But I guess it also wipes out many “useful” or “harmless” insects.

When we go out walking or jogging in the early evening, we still put some insect repellent lotion. My choice is a “Made in Thailand” lemon grass scented spray.

[dthrckt]

@TermsakC

mosquitos carrying the dreaded dengue (hemorrhagic fever). There is an ongoing national campaign against this tropical communicable disease .

That sounds much worse. Mostly annoying insects here, if you don’t get the autoimmune Lyme disease from ticks?

That kind of situation, and the millions of deaths per year, mostly under 5 yo, from malaria, Makes one wonder why we don’t just eradicate mosquitoes. The modern attempts to do so by releasing sterile male mosquitoes are a fascinating start.

I guess it would not be cost effective.

[Lightbringer]

I’m like sugar to them. Drop me into a cave on the gd moon and they’ll find me.

If I get one in the house, I’ll go on a blood-hunt with one of those electronical tennis racquets.

[Lightbringer]

Depends on the skeeter. Some will leave a small itchy welt that disappears, itch and all, after an hour or so.

Some will bite on the back of my fingers/knuckles and the site gets all itchy and hot.

Some will leave raised welts that resemble various states. That includes those that bite as they walk, leaving Hawaii on my arm/leg.

Worst are those that must have stinky germy mouths, that will leave a deep crater in the middle of a raised welt, complete with small scab, that itches for days and the scab stays for a coupla weeks. Nasty mfers.