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Went out berry picking again yesterday. The last few days,  fosteronfilm has been going without me because the mosquitoes don't seem to like him as much, but he also mowed the lawn, and found a couple blackberry bushes we weren't aware of before that were overflowing with ripe berries and wanted my help. He was out for over an hour, mowing and picking. No bites. I was out for five minutes and got half a dozen bites on my arms. (He sent me back inside after I spilled the berry box while slapping away an evil bloodsucker.) I am, apparently, a tasty treat. After putting ice on the largest welts and having a shower, I looked up my bitey nemesis, as they were stripey and scary-looking. We have Asian tiger mosquitoes, a particularly aggressive species that bite during the day, rather than the more usual dusk and nighttime biters. Lucky us. They're not strong fliers, staying within 100 yards of their birthing spot, and I know where they're spawning--in the fetid koi pond the previous owner installed. I want to tear out that larvae-infested morass and fill it in. I liked having the turtle winter there, and I'm fond of the toads that occasionally go *plop* into it when we get too near, but the mosquitoes are horrible. I wish there was a way we could encourage dragonflies, which would eat the damn mosquitoes, but I haven't seen any. I suspect the water is too stagnant for them. We've periodically emptied it, but as soon as it rains, it fills in again. Gah. Until we get the thing excavated and filled, I'm putting some vegetable oil in the pond. Supposedly it will suffocate the mosquito larvae. And next year, we're investing in some Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis. No point in doing it this year. Berry season is only for a few more weeks, at which point I can't imagine me needing to go near that pond again this year. Might even install that bat house I've longed for. I want more natural mosquito predators. We hatesss mosquitoessss. *itch*
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On July 9th, 2005 02:15 pm (UTC), (Anonymous) commented: veggie oil no work - try "mosquito dunk" available at nurserys and home depots - save for animals, kills mosquito larvae http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/service/hd/westnile/wnvlarvicide.htm |
::nod:: Scott can work in the yard for hours and not get a bite; I walk to the car and get one or two. I read something somewhere (dontcha just love vague references so you can't fact-check?) that mosquitoes are also more attracted to the color blue. Hey, lookee what I found! (Here.) "Mosquitoes, like other insects, see in the blue, ultraviolet spectrum. So they’re attracted to blue lights and clothing, but not to reds and yellows." ::beams proudly:: You get big snaps for your researching! That's an excellent article. "mosquitoes also are attracted by heat and aromas . . . some people are more attractive to the insects. They may . . . have a slightly higher body temperature." Ugh. I tend to naturally have a body temperature slightly hotter than average. Lucky me, another attractive trait to lure in the blood suckers. I think I'll try dressing in flamey colors the next time I go berry picking. |
On July 10th, 2005 01:40 am (UTC), (Anonymous) commented: Mosquitoes bad. The wife of a guy I was on a project with caught the bad version of West Nile. She survived, but it involved much pain and hospitalization. Yes, odds are low and Asian tiger mosquitoes probably aren't carriers of it, but I prefer a general "death to mosquitoes" program nonetheless. *nod* |
uncomfortable