mosquito magnet success/failure stories?

[WiJC]

some of my woods near the house has standing water in it during this time of year (until mid july or so when it dries up).

because of this i am living in the middle of a perfect mosquito breeding area. it is not possible to be outside in the evening, even with bug spray on.

i just ordered a mosquito magnet liberty. does anybody have any firsthand knowledge on what i should be able to expect??

thanks
john

 

[slowzuki]

I've never seen much difference at places people use them. Have you tried larvacide in some of the standing water?

 

[BillG_in_TX]

John,

Try doing a Search for the phrase "mosquito magnet" in Rural Living and select All Posts for the date range.
There have been several discussions on this subject the past couple of years.

 

[gsxr1100]

We will be trying one soon from my wifes work. I guess the
mosquito magnet liberty is a new for 2005; basically renamed.

I guess she said some work and some are returned. If I can get one for keep for about 65% off, I will buy it.

 

[Bluecheck546]

I got a SkeeterVac 35 and must say that it works for my money.... I live In Southeastern part of Georgia where skeeters are many, and will not let you do anything outdoors in the evening hours, sometimes during daytime as well. Would I buy again? YES.

 

[mahlers]

I've got four of them around my property, and they work OK - but you're better off using mosquito dunks instead. The mosquito dunks will kill the larvae and leave everything else unharmed. Since I've started using those dunks, my mosquito problem has gone down by about 90% and I don't bother to use the mosquito magnets anymore.

 

[shawnrogan]

Mosquito dunks would definetly help, or if you can buy it, use granular BTI. It's a lot like the dunks ( microbial ) and works by destroying the stomach lining of mosquito larvae ultimately killing them. We use both products in the county that I live in to treat for West Nile Virus and other mosquito borne diseases. However, if the water stands for more than a few months, my suggestion would be to go to a bait shop and buy the hardiest shiners they sell. At $1-$2 a dozen, they'll do the job nicely by eating the larvae as quick as they form.
The mosquito magnets you mention work on the same principle as one of the traps we use in surveilance work. They attract mosquitoes using carbon dioxide and then a fan motor sucks them in. They do collect mosquitoes, but I dought that they cover as large a range as they claim. We have had trap nights where we collect 200 mosquitoes but they are the exception. If I had a mosquito problem, I might try few different approaches at the same time. BTW, the biggest thing is to reduce the man-made standing water ( rain gutters, pails, bird baths, etc..) because they are the real problem...
Good Luck!!

 

[Bluecheck546]

I fail to say that my property is surrounded by thick woods, and not much standing water nearby... but behind my property there is a swamp about two miles away(as the crow flies). So using Mosquito Dunks is out of the question...... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[cisco]

Yup, mosquito dunks help my situation. In addition, those personal mosquito and black fly units, the ones powered by a small butane canister that heats the repellant in disposable strips, are popular with hunters in my area, and I've found them useful at a picnic table so folks can eat outside in relative peace (radius of protection listed as 15 feet, but much less if any wind).

 

[JohnSr]

I researched these in the past as well and decided they werent worth the $$$. Instead I went with a Stihl SR420 backpack blower/sprayer and use it to spray my property every few weeks. It made more sense for me since the cost was about the same and I could use the blower/sprayer for a lot more things while the "Mosquitoe Magnet" would have just sat there serving only one purpose. I also use the dunks and the combination seems to be working great in my swamp!

Good luck!