i have always had a severe reaction to mosquito bites as well as tick/spider/just about any insect that bites. this year has been the worst ever. the reactions are MUCH more severe and last a LOT longer. i carry insect repellent everywhere i go even if i don't plan to be outside for more than a minute or two. i've heard this same thing from others so i don't know if the bugs have mutated to something from the pits of hell or what but i'm looking forward to a couple of hard freezes!!!

Annie what is being emitted exactly and does it have a recommended zone of not sitting/breathing what's being put out?

The print on the box you show is too small to read, but another source says the active ingredient is allethrin, of the permethrin family. Is that the active ingredient in the one you have? The NYT article is saying that many mosquitoes are now resistant to the permethrins.

The active ingredient is Allethrin, a synthetic version of a naturally occurring repellent found in chrysanthemum flowers. There is no "safety zone" required.

Also, while we have bats in the summer, one study I read said they do not eat mosquitoes as there's not enough calories per effort but that they go after bigger bugs.

I wish those Thermacells worked for us, but they don’t. We’ve had three different ones and our mosquitos just laugh.

We do have success with Cutter Dry.

The past few years, we’ve noticed more and more Asian tiger mosquitos. They’re very aggressive.

Ninapearl, I react to bites like you.

I w would never use anything that will be inhaled or come into contact with my skin with knowing what the ingredients are. There was nothing on the website. So I delved into it and didn’t like what I saw. I encourage that you research d-allethrin.

I have become extremely sensitive to mosquito bites but am also very very sensitive to certain chemicals, pesticides, and fragrance chemicals. d-allethrin is something that is hazardous when inhaled or when vapors land on the skin. Very toxic to cats, by the way.

The NYT article says that many mosquitoes are resistant to the permethrins.

A person just died of West Nile virus here. The only things that work for me are lemon eucalytus repellent and Deet (but I don't really like using the Deet). Mosquitos love me, but they rarely bother DH.

I am another one who has a horrible time with mosquito bites The last couple of years, spray-on repelleng has become part of my post shower routine. When I will be outside late in the day I apply again. I worry about using the repellent so often, what problems will this cause me down the road.

My area in So Cal does not typically get a hard freeze, the mosquitoes do seem to drop off when the temperature drops low for a few days, usually mid-November or so. That said, this year I was bit in January.

Annie, I be will be checking out your repellent for my patio. Thank you for sharing.

rhizo, thank you for the information. I suspect that the limited amount that is being generated and that it is used outside in the open air means we are not getting anything like the concentrated exposures those warnings refer to. But I will be sure to keep it off to the side away from folks when we use it. Better than getting West Nile Virus. A friend's father who is elderly got it 3 years ago is still in and out of the hospital with long term effects from the disease.

I am fortunate that if anyone else is around mosquitos ignore me. Only the totally desperate mosquito will snack on me. I have a similar experience with ticks. I had a sister who had terrible reactions and of course she was a magnet.

I always think your first recourse is to make sure you are not breeding mosquitos so clear out any water where they breed. If you have a pond get some fish.

That's a great series in the NYTimes (from my favourite journalist, Stephanie Nolan), and it's particularly important as the climate is changing around the world. They've been finding mosquito larvae even in small collections of water, like in an upturned bottle cap or a tiny puddle underneath a dripping air conditioner.

My sister moved into a remote house in a prime mosquito area (for part of the year), and she says it's taken 3 years but now her reaction to bites is getting lower. I've just put up a bat box to hopefully get some natural mosquito control at my house, which is surrounded by trees and farmers' fields.

The mosquitoes we have here can breed in less than an ounce of standing water - which makes effective control almost impossible.

@ Jilly thanks for that photo, i didn't know cutters made a "dry" formula and i'll be looking for it!!

biting bugs are the main reason i hate summer. ONE mosquito bite will leave me miserable for 3+ weeks with intolerable itching and welts as big as a quarter. i've had 3 tick bites this summer and each of them made me sick for several days. c'mon, winter!!

I follow directions and make sure that every single item in our yard that can collect water after a rain is emptied out to keep these pests from multiplying. All are bone dry with one exception, I'll leave one shallow water filled container in the shade on a table under my hammock's tree and inspect it daily for the presence of immature skeeters wiggling around. Then I'll dump it and refill the trap for the next batch. It works well, no skeeters in our yard and I can lay on my hammock under that same shade tree without being pestered.

We have two ponds in our yard, a small one and a large one with a waterfall. The mosquitoes are awful this year and even yesterday, I was swarmed even though I had a long-sleeved shirt and pants on. All summer even when it was close to 100, I had to wear long pants to go in my yard. We treat the ponds but I have a lot of bird baths around for all my wildlife which they really use all summer. Ironically, despite everyday trips hiking on the AT, I have yet to have a tick on me. And the lantern flies are much diminished from last year. The whole ecosystem is crashing. The Rainforest is in a drought and the hot ocean is killing 100s of dolphins.

FWIW, a strong breeze can prevent mosquitoes from getting to you. They're weak fliers, I understand, and some people use a fan outside to keep them away without resorting to sprays.

I do have a non-poison spray fogger too - it's mint oil based and smells strongly of wintergreen, so maybe not ideal around food, but it is effective.

Thanks for starting this thread, lucillle. One of my favorite topics.

Over the years, I’ve read a lot about mosquitoes and deer ticks in an attempt to learn how to avoid their bites. I’ve probably forgotten most of what I read, but a few odd tidbits stick with me.

— tiger mosquitoes bite during the day, and they can carry a whole slew of nasty diseases.

— permethrin is toxic to bees, and the other mosquito repellent that people often use is toxic to a type of newt.

— both mosquitoes and ticks are attracted to odors, motion, and the carbon dioxide we breathe out. In fact, one way to catch a bunch of ticks is to have some dry ice in a block of Styrofoam with a white towel and drag it around your yard (not that we want to catch them).

— some of the odors that mosquitoes and deer ticks are attracted to are odors of animal waste and dirt. Deer ticks are attracted to ammonia and a byproduct of urine as it breaks down. They are attracted to sweat and oxidized oils from humans and animals. Anything that comes close to reeking of toejam and cheese, they’re on it.

— deer ticks, avoid, bright light. I’m not sure about mosquitoes.

— those bug zappers of yesteryear, ended up killing more beneficial insects and beautiful moths then they killed mosquitoes.

— DEET is a tried, and true and very effective mosquito repellent. Other things like catnip, mint, and other aromatic oils are probably good, but have to keep being refreshed.

And last, but not least, but I guess most of you probably already know this.

Great info, petal! And no, I did not know that last one. :D

OOh, I am probably the only person who envisions feet being left around as traps in Africa.

" — both mosquitoes and ticks are attracted to odors, motion, and the carbon dioxide we breathe out. "

That's how the skeeter vacuum works - putting out extra carbon dioxide, and then trapping them when they get close enough. I hear they go through a lot of propane, though......maybe they'll invent a rechargeable electric one.

I knew ‘youse guys’ would love the Limburger and stinky feet factoid.

Also, anything with the aroma of old hampster cage bedding — mosquitoes are on it like white on rice.

Dragonflies will eat moquitoes as well as other insects. They are carnivores.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonfly

One late summer afternoon when we had a row of 10 ft tall Southern Balsam, I looked out the window to see hundreds of dragonflies milling about in the area of the balsams. There could easily have been a Draggi-Con event going on. They dragonflies suddenly appeared and the show went on for a few hours. I have no idea swhat that was all about unless there was huge hatching event for mosquitoes (or the dragonflies — but I do believe thay some small flying insects were being dined on). For better or worse, we live in a rural area sufrounded by ponds, streams, wetlands and moist woods — about 300 degrees worth. Once while Cross-Country Sking in December, I saw mosquitoes flying (slowly) in the woods.

I have to declare, however, that there is a teensy biting insect/buggy thing that can make one many times more miserable than moquitoes, horseflies, yellow jackets and deer ticks. Those are ”midges” or ”no-see-ums.” These little b’tards live by the millions around salt marshes andntidal flats. They love damp, moist morning or evenings when there is no breeze. Their bite will have you immediately gut spilling state secrets or admitting to heinous crimes you never committed. One early overcast windless morning while pumping gas jsut across the Hilton Head Island bridge (Bluffton?) I was set upon by a couple zillion of these things. Enormous pain and misery. Just saying. If I had to live with that, I would be advocating a DDT comeback.

May I recommend, MOSQUITO BITS!

Mosquito Bits SAFE 'Quick Kill'

Marshy swampy areas inundated with larvae? Sprinkle Mosquito Bits (Quick Kill) as a shock to quickly annihilate the larval population. Corn cob granules coated in BTI, the Bits (do not last long but) provide a punch, turning water black with larvae, to a clear pool void of future mosquitoes. A week after application either supplement with Mosquito Dunks, for long term control or continue to add Bits on a bi-weekly basis. The Mosquito Bits are labeled to control Fungus Gnats in plant beds or pots! Utilizing a similar mode of action for control of mosquito larvae, the Bits, either sprinkled on the soil's surface or mixed with potting soil prior to planting will kill fungus gnat larvae with the same safety and target specific control offered for mosquito larvae.

This is a safe biological way to kill mosquito larvae.

Sometimes I make small fine mesh bags to hold the Mosquito Bits that I then secure (tie) in my roof gutters. You can also put the bit or cloth bags of bits (or mosquito dunks) in pools or bird baths. We change our bird bath water daily with fresh water.

Mosquitoes attracted to Rush Limburger?? Who knew??

🤣

WMUR: New Hampshire officials report 2 Powassan virus cases, 1 Jamestown Canyon virus case

https://apple.news/A7KhJydEvT3G8g3kqP4VV3w

I had not heard of Jamestown Canyon virus before reading this.

https://www.cdc.gov/jamestown-canyon/index.html

link about West Nile in WA state. there is good info.

https://apple.news/ArV2KjSLkTnKkqHzY0X-ENg

Let’s come up with ways to eliminate most mosquitoes. Scientists have some techniques but say that we do not want to readicate ALL mosquitoes. I did not but read the headline. Maybe for biodiversity or feed material for other creatures.

WHAT EATS MOSQUITOES?

https://thebuginator.com/what-eats-mosquitoes/

(I have no idea of the veracity of this article.)

LINK to New York Times article

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/09/29/health/mosquitoes-new-solutions.html

NOTE: If you hit a pay wall, keep in mind that often other new sites give a summary of what articles like this discuss and conclude. So you can try CNN, YAHOO other news venues.

https://www.britannica.com/animal/mosquito-insect

Biologist Explains Why There Are So Many Mosquitoes This Year

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-biologist-mosquitoes-year.html#:~:text=If%20you%20think%20there%20were%20more%20mosquitoes%20this,habitats%20in%20which%20they%20could%20reproduce%20and%20grow.

Or Search, Mosquitoes 2023

1. https://www.cnn.com › 2023 › 06 › 29 › world › mosquitoes-spread-climate-dengue-malaria-scn › index.htmlMosquitoes are thriving and bringing deadly diseases to new areas ... - CNNJun 29, 2023Updated 12:37 PM EDT, Thu June 29, 2023 Link Copied! CNN — There are very few winners in the climate crisis, but scientists are pretty sure there's going to be at least one: Mosquitoes ....
2. https://news.stanford.edu › 2023 › 08 › 08 › mosquito-diseases-moveMosquito diseases on the move | Stanford NewsAug 8, 2023August 8, 2023 Experts discuss how environmental changes are altering the risk for mosquito-borne diseases Climate change and human activity are enabling the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, like dengue fever, to new places.

I've heard that people who have type O blood are more likely to get bit by mosquitos. That's certainly true in my case. My husband, who has type A, hardly ever gets bit.

I've heard that infected mosquitos can be a danger to to pets such as dogs? https://vetmed.tamu.edu/news/pet-talk/mosquito-borne-illnesses/

Lucille, they carry heart worms.

I have type O blood and they hate me. I expect my sister was the same type but she was very warm. I once was on a back road between Canada and the US-serious back side of nowhere totally mosquito land and we had a flat tire and I had to beat the mosquitos off the guy who was changing the tire. He was absolutely covered and I was esentially mosquito free. I actually enjoyed wacking this guy with my hat. We were out there late at night in mosquito land because he blew off the time we had to leave civilization in order to spend more time with his girlfriend. Wack Wack! You do not want to be the only warm blooded creature for 100 miles. I could have let them drain him dry but someone had to change the tire.

My overprotective mother took me to the CDC for dengue and yellow fever vaccines in 1970, the first year my school took us to Africa. I don’t know which of the four dengue variants I was innoculated against, but at least I won’t ever get that one. Yellow fever innoculations provide lifelong immunity for that disease. I guess I should thank Mom for that, even though at the time I thought she was crazy— and even the CDC didn’t recommend travelers get them. They were available only through that agency or universities that had departments of tropical disease research. We lived in Atlanta, so my Mom called them first.

I am Type A, and a mosquito magnet.

I have had what the infectious disease specialist really thought was West Nile (many of the typical symptoms, including transient rash and one more rare one - vocal hoarseness.) At that time the only diagnostic test was a spinal tap, which I wouldn't do when there was no treatment for it anyway. I didn't have to be hospitalized, but I was pretty sick for the first several weeks, fatigued for a couple of months, didn't get my voice back for 6 months, & had some cognitive symptoms (that never fully resolved and required alteration of some of my duties at work.) Certainly more than a "mild" case but didn't come close to needing hospitalization.

I believe that I have been reinfected twice, because of the recurrence of many symptoms including the rash, but much milder and of shorter duration each time.

My DD had Lyme when she was 8 years old - the spring after we moved to Ohio. I never saw the tick on her, but she had the bulls-eye rash on her arm. She had been playing around the back yard woodpile, which likely had mice, and possibly picked up a juvenile. Her main symptom was unusual lack of energy. First MD called it a spider bite. I took her to the clinic at the local Children's Hospital, where the resident was alarmed by her droopy behavior and the rash, drew labs and put her on the appropriate antibiotic -- and emphasized that it was important that we come back in 30 days for repeat labs. Unfortunately, the first appointment we could get at the 4 week point was after July 1, so we had a whole new set of MDs, who basically looked at her, remarked that "whatever it had been, she was clearly recovered" and didn't know why there should be more labs done. I didn't know about acute and convalescent serologies then, or I would have insisted. Two years later when I was working with an infectious disease specialist, he told me that there had never been a case reported in our area. Well, If it isn't suspected, it isn't tested and confirmed, therefore no reports.

The year before I retired I had a patient in the ICU that was eventually confirmed to have Dengue. Now I don't remember if she had been to Florida or another state, but I am pretty sure that she hadn't been out of the country. Her ID doc told me it was the first case he had ever encountered. Props to him for sending a specimen to the CDC for testing.

Interesting, I am blood type A and a mosquito magnet too. DH is blood type O gets bit at most 1 time a year, never applying any repellent. I was forgot my repellent early afternoon last week, went outside for less than 10 minutes, ended up with 4 bites. Need to look into a bat box.

Re: Dengue - a friend contracted it in the Caribbean, IIRC, and told me it's a.k.a. 'bonebreak' fever for a good reason - he said it was intensely painful.