Opinion on Mosquito (bug) Traps

[HawkinsHollow]

Just finished screening my new screen porch. Very excited to use that space! We have a large 8' fold away door that opens onto this porch from the house. The ultimate goal would be to open that door wide in the mornings and evenings when the weather is cool enough. Even with a well screened porch is seems inevitable that a few mosquitos/bugs could sneak in. I would like to have some sort of trap/zapper that kills or traps bugs that so make their way into the porch. What sorts of things have you been successful with? They say zappers kill more beneficial bugs than mozzies, my answer to that is there are no beneficial bugs on my porch. Another thing I want to avoid is attracting more bugs towards the porch, so I am leery of the CO2 traps.

 

[old and tired]

We just never use the door that goes outside from the screen-in porch. Guest come to the front door, and walk through the kitchen to "enter" the screen-in porch.

And, yes, bug zappers will attract more bugs your way (and kill more beneficial insects). What you need to do is buy your neighbor one... also buy them a June bug trap, too (works the same, attracts more of them)

 

[HawkinsHollow]

We just never use the door that goes outside from the screen-in porch. Guest come to the front door, and walk through the kitchen to "enter" the screen-in porch.

And, yes, bug zappers will attract more bugs your way (and kill more beneficial insects). What you need to do is buy your neighbor one... also buy them a June bug trap, too (works the same, attracts more of them)

Well that is our main point of entry to the house, so that plan is not going to work.

I have thought about putting some traps outside and a bit away from the porch to see if that will keep them away. Maybe a citronella plant near each entrance to the porch. Maybe a breeder bucket with a mozzie dunk in it to kill them in the larval stage. Every little bit helps I think.

 

[ponytug]

I would just use a UV zapper in the screened area. As you wrote, by the time the bug is in there, it's in trouble. However, CO2 based traps are much better at attracting killing mosquitos.

I haven't used one in a zillion years, but there are electronic mosquito repellers. I used one for a bit, and it was ok. I suspect that they are better now, but at the time it was not worth the hassle to me as mosquitos usually avoid me. YMMV.

The Best Mosquito Control Gear for Your Patio or Yard

Create a bug-free bubble outdoors with these spatial insect repellents.

www.nytimes.com

All the best,

Peter

 

[EddieWalker]

We use a small Thermocell when we sit on the porch. It's not screened in, and the bugs were horrible before getting the Thermocell. This year I saw that they have replacement pads that also work on other small flying bugs. We've used it half a dozen times so far this year and it's working great!!!!

I think we've bought just about every type of bug zapper out there. At one time we had three of them all around us. It's fun to see them sparks when something gest zapped, but even with all three running 24/7, there was always a bug issue out there.

The Thermocell is the only thing that we've tried that actually works.

 

[old and tired]

Any standing water will attract them... Do you have gutters? Oak leaves soaking in water is like Viagra to them...

Get rid of old tires, buckets, anything that holds any water (like puddles).

 

[HawkinsHollow]

We use a small Thermocell when we sit on the porch. It's not screened in, and the bugs were horrible before getting the Thermocell. This year I saw that they have replacement pads that also work on other small flying bugs. We've used it half a dozen times so far this year and it's working great!!!!

I think we've bought just about every type of bug zapper out there. At one time we had three of them all around us. It's fun to see them sparks when something gest zapped, but even with all three running 24/7, there was always a bug issue out there.

The Thermocell is the only thing that we've tried that actually works.

We have used Thermocells on our old unscreened porch, and yes they work better than just about anything. I don't think we need to repel as much any more and especially not with something that relies so heavily on consumables. If we still didn't have a screen we would have one for sure.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Any standing water will attract them... Do you have gutters? Oak leaves soaking in water is like Viagra to them...

Get rid of old tires, buckets, anything that holds any water (like puddles).

I am usually pretty good about getting rid of water. Will be vigilant with that for sure.

 

[WinterDeere]

Being able to switch the light on/off from both sides of the door will go a long way toward preventing bugs from entering the screened-in porch, when you open the door. Just turn off the light before opening the door, then turn it back on from inside after you've passed thru.

One end of our house is a large sun room with full glass French doors, one of those being our main entrance to the house and another being the door our dog uses to go in/out several times every day. All summer long we are in the second-nature habit of switching off the light before opening one of those doors, and switching it right back on when we close the door, it really makes a huge difference.

Having a light outside the door, to which the bugs flock as soon as you turn off the light inside the porch, also helps keep them out when you open the door.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

X2 thermocell...and these work!

 

[EddieWalker]

We have two of those electric swatters. They can be a lot of fun when you get something that really pops and smokes!!!

 

[caltrider]

There are quite a number of mosquito repelling plants that are nice to plant near your home. Marigolds, garlic, sage, catmint, lemongrass, rosemary are just a few. We plant them in pots on our deck and around the edges of the deck as well. They do a great job of keeping the mosquitoes away from the house. Plus, they look and smell great, some of them taste pretty great too.

How to Create a Mosquito Repelling Garden

Find out which plants and practices to incorporate in your garden for their mosquito-repelling capabilities.

www.massaudubon.org

 

[HawkinsHollow]

There are quite a number of mosquito repelling plants that are nice to plant near your home. Marigolds, garlic, sage, catmint, lemongrass, rosemary are just a few. We plant them in pots on our deck and around the edges of the deck as well. They do a great job of keeping the mosquitoes away from the house. Plus, they look and smell great, some of them taste pretty great too.

How to Create a Mosquito Repelling Garden

Find out which plants and practices to incorporate in your garden for their mosquito-repelling capabilities.

www.massaudubon.org

That sounds like a good plan!! A couple mosquito repelling planters by each entry door.

 

[Torvy]

My zapper gets mostly mosquitos. It gets so wet around here this time of year, there's no such thing as getting rid of standing water.

This may or may not be an option.. install a man trap style door. These are businesses have where you go through a small entry and then another door.

Zapper outside, 10-20 ft from the entrance. We use one of those UV traps with a sticky backing for inside.

If I could get my wife to keep the door closed, we'd be bug free inside.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

My zapper gets mostly mosquitos. It gets so wet around here this time of year, there's no such thing as getting rid of standing water.

This may or may not be an option.. install a man trap style door. These are businesses have where you go through a small entry and then another door.

Zapper outside, 10-20 ft from the entrance. We use one of those UV traps with a sticky backing for inside.

If I could get my wife to keep the door closed, we'd be bug free inside.

Yeah, I think I might get a smaller UV light with the glue trap to catch the ones that get inside the porch.

 

[WinterDeere]

X2 thermocell...and these work! View attachment 3421606

There is a whole genre of YouTube dedicated to those fly swatters, and people touching various body parts to them.

 

[Oz_Kioti]

X2 thermocell...and these work! View attachment 3421606

They're great fun to use, and if you have energetic kids around, require absolutely no effort on your part! You can watch them for hours.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

I would love to have a screened in porch with double wire screen about 1/2" apart like the tennis racket zappers. Screens on insulators connected to something like a microwave oven transformer. Maybe 2kV. That would be entertainment! Also burglar proof.
Here's a funny true story: (I have lots ):
As a kid in the 1950s my Grandfather raised White Saanen milk goats. The barn center section was a shop and had double doors with a window in each. He got tired of all the flys so he replaced windows with screens connected to a hefty fence charger.
It worked great zapping flies. Then one day Dad & I in front yard working on something when a car pulls up. It was an insurance salesman asking to see Grandad.
"He's in the barn" says Dad. Guy walks over and puts his hands & face up to the screens looking in. "POW!" we heard, then guy runs back to his car. Dad says "Well did you see him?". Guy says "I've seen all I NEED to see!!!" then speeds off down our driveway.