Biting visitors

[morewater]

My outdoor sitting area is roofed, furniture inside.

I have a ceiling fan installed in the roof structure. When we're out there and the fan is on, mosquitos are unable to fight against the fan to get to me, the tasty morsel.

 

[sissy]

I built bat houses in the woods to attract bats .But the frogs and bats have to find for the bugs .I have not had a problem with bugs and we have all these ditch's here and really thought we would .We also have 4 creeks that run across the road from my house and behind my house in the woods .I know here they use bug zappers and I think the people like the entertainment of them .We seem to get a lot of bumble bees and ground bees here .

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Your assessment was correct in identifying the source of the mosquitoes as your neighbors and not your ponds. Have you talked with your neighbors about being a little more proactive in eliminating possible breeding places?
A professional is going to recommend periodic spraying of your property for control. What they commonly use is Permethrin which is highly toxic not only to all aquatic life but also every other specie of insect besides mosquitoes. You will end up with a yard completely barren of life, including birds.
As was suggested earlier a repellant that contains Deet would be your best overall solution.

 

[HARO]

Hmm...our entire backyard is completely surrounded by tall bushes and bougavilla plants. A good 2-3 feet from the property line inwards is enclosed by 15 feet tall bushes and trees.

I think you've just put your finger on it! Dense vegetation will draw the little bloodsuckers, and give them protection from their enemies. Your pond is NOT the problem.
John

 

[morewater]

Want mosquitos? Plant cedars.

 

[Mmathis]

I didn't read all of the responses, so hope mine isn't a repeat, but mosquitoes will look for quiet, undisturbed places to lay their eggs -- like places that catch & hold rain water or sprinkler water. It sounds like you have a lot of movement in your water, so I doubt that the pond is your source. I'd look for stagnant water spots nearby.....the yard, neighbors, ditches, etc., and not your pond. I don't see a need for Dunks in the pond.

Are there a lot of shrubs around the property? That's where the adults like to congregate during the day time -- might be a good place to spray.

As far as gadgets to repel/attract them? I've never heard of anything that really works (citronella, maybe). It's more an issue of controlling the breeding environment. Your money, though.

 

[Chuck12]

Your assessment was correct in identifying the source of the mosquitoes as your neighbors and not your ponds. Have you talked with your neighbors about being a little more proactive in eliminating possible breeding places?
A professional is going to recommend periodic spraying of your property for control. What they commonly use is Permethrin which is highly toxic not only to all aquatic life but also every other specie of insect besides mosquitoes. You will end up with a yard completely barren of life, including birds.
As was suggested earlier a repellant that contains Deet would be your best overall solution.

My comment about the mosquitoes from neighbors was purely an assumption since my pond and filters are void of any mosquito larvae. If anything, they would accuse the mosquitoes are coming from me and we would have a big ugly situation fast.

My next task is to clear as much vegetations as possible with little loss of privacy of having them in the first place.

While watching the yard this afternoon, I noticed a small bird zooming back and forth the yard frequently. I was able to get a quick glimpse of it catching something mid air. I know the mosquitoes would be too small for me to see 20 feet away so I hope it got a moth and not the good damselflies that are breeding in the pond.

For now I think I'm going to do everything possible to encourage and support damselfly breeding. Last summer many a times they would hitch a ride on my clothes when I was nearby. Damselflies appear to reproduce at a faster rate than dragonflies. I have a few dragonfly larvaes in the settling tanks. I put them back whenever I find them when doing tank drainings. Unfortunately they seem to take years to develop into adult flying killing machines.

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. I hope this will help others like me.

 

[dpowell]

Bats eat tremendous amounts of mosquitoes. This zika virus is scary and my niece, is pregnant with her first baby.

Fortunately, if your niece is also in OH, she should be fine. There are 2 species or mosquitos that carry ZIka, and they don't live in your area, only in the south. I'm a midwife in my grown-up life and have been keeping close tabs on it. Most people in the country won't be affected by it, although it is scary for those who are affected. Mosquito control is important, West Nile being a much bigger concern.