Need Help With Indoor Mosquito Elimination

I need recommendations for indoor mosquito elimination. I have a relatively severe reaction to mosquito bites, and the past few days they are going after me while I am sleeping and I am losing sleep because of it.

I know it would help if I could do something about outside, but I live in an apartment and their vector control is slim to none. I am especially worried because according to a report from about 3 weeks ago, mosquitoes with West Nile are already being found in my area. (And apparently there are more than usual this year). The extreme itching, burning and swelling from the bites is bad enough without having to worry about getting West Nile.

Do any of you have a method that works well indoors? I see indoor traps that are kind of like flypaper, as well as some indoor bug zapper. Have any of you had success with either?

Thanks.

 

I know this really isn't what you asked for, but... my experiences with netting over the bed were good when I was in Africa.

 

maybe a little redneck but one of those ultra violet light shocker things that you hang up will work. i think i have a new one in the garage (small).PM me if you need it (no charge) they can be expensive and i dont use it. already have two big ones one the back patio

 

I was going to suggest nets also. (http://www.malarianomore.org/) I'm not sure where you can buy them locally.

Buy frogs or indoor bats.

Call the city. Vector control might be something they do as a "free" service.

Keep them from getting inside in the first place. (Screens)

I don't think they are attracted to light bulbs so I don't think a bug zapper will be effective. Fly paper won't work either unless it is coated with their food (i.e. blood).

There are high frequency noise generators that are sold as misquito repellents but the reviews on the internet say they don't work.

update: didn't see fatguy1's post until after I posted. If he knows that zappers work for mosquitos then trust him and not my guess.

 

Yes, I've heard that works very well for protection. However, that being said, I can just see me coming home to it being torn down and my cat wrapped up in it like a mummy! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

im gonna say they are attracted to light only because in the back yard i have a huge pool and yhey like so sit on the water but once it gets dark they head streight to the light. and in the morning im sweeping the patio. there iis at least 100 or so.....

 

If use an Electric Fly Swatter for close-in defense. Area control doesn't work because the mosquitoes seem to hide until it's time to hunt for you as they zero in on your CO2 breath.

If I hear a mosquito's whine in the night I don't turn the light on or get up. I just gently wave the wand over the bed and eventually am rewarded with the sound of zap! and a flash of light as she is vaporized. Like the reviews say, get the D cell version.

 

Yeah, I saw that online and wondered about it. Thanks for the heads up.

Those suckers are amazingly fast and hard to smash. It seems easier to kill a fast moving spider or a fly than a mosquito, even when it is sitting still on a wall.

 

LOL.

I've trained my 2 dogs to kill flies. Quite fun for them actually.
Maybe you can train kitty to be somewhat useful? Or maybe that is an oxymoron: Useful Domestic Kitty....

 

Hey Nerdgirl, I'm interested as well. Not sure how they get into my place so frequently in the summer season either. I think my mosquito bites as as annoying as the next person, but it's the buzzing by my ear in the middle of the night that absolutely horrifies me. I then lose a couple of hours of sleep trying to hunt it down...ridiculous.#-o

 

I use it in the day too. Once in the air those suckers are easy targets, plus you don't leave marks on the wall. :lol:

 

I bought something called a "dynatrap" a few years ago on sale for $40, and have been pretty happy with how it works. It's basically a light and a fan. The light attracts insects, and the fan forces them down into the collection chamber--and keeps them there--where they experience death by desiccation.

 

I use a thermacell for outside mosquito repellent and they work great for camping as they create a 12' to 15' mosquito free zone. The hunters I know use them and swear they are the best while hunting in the woods. I'm not sure I would recommend them for indoor use because they do run off butane cartridges.

http://www.amazon.com/ThermaCELL-MR...1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1276700369&sr=8-1

 

If they are only biting you while you sleep, and easy solution is to get one of those up-right electric fans, set it on low speed and aim it towards your bed......

Don't know why this works, maybe the buggers can't fly in the air current or perhaps the air-flow disperses the C02 that you are breathing out.....

An added bonus it will keep you cool when it starts getting into the 100's here in the IE !!!

 

How do you get rid of the Bats and Frogs after the mosquitos are gone?

 

Citronella seems to work. I've used the candles at home and the coils in the tropics

http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/biopesticides/ingredients/factsheets/factsheet_021901.htm

 

Yeah, that's why I've been losing sleep. Trying to kill the damn things after the high pitched buzzing wakes me up (and always right after I've been bit). And then if I can't find it, I can't sleep because I'm just too paranoid about falling asleep and getting bit again.

Last night it was crazy. I wake up to the buzzing, got a bite on each hand. Turn the light on, try to kill the mosquito sitting on the wall, then I see a big black spider (not a black widow) crawling on the wall too! Miss the mosquito, smoosh the spider, turn around, and there's an even bigger black spider crawling on another wall! W T F??? They're all out to get me, I tell you! I'm like sugar to them or something!

My screens are in pretty good shape, so I'm not sure how they're getting in. I try to close my front door really fast to keep both mosquitos and moths out.

I really don't want to go to sleep with repellant on me. And I'm trying to avoid using chemicals because I have a parrot and a cat. In fact, I'm kind of worried about my parrot too, because West Nile kills birdies I'm thinking I may get some mosquito netting to drape over his cage.

After work today I'm going to Home Depot to see what they've got in the way of non-chemical items. I'll try just about anything you guys suggest and figure out which one works.

For sure getting the electric tennis racket, because it is useful for any flying pest.

I'll tell you one thing, when I head up to Mammoth in August, it's 100% freaking DEET all over my clothes!

Citronella isn't toxic when used inside? Seems like all the citronella candles I looked at yesterday said "outdoor use only". Do they sell less-potent ones safe for indoor use?

Yeah, I have quite a few smashed mosquitos and spiders on the wall. Should really clean them up, but I was hoping they'd be a warning to the others! :lol:

 

Come to think about it, I only used the candles outdoors and the coils indoors. There are other products/devices that use citronella oil that seem be as effective and safer indoors that I was able to google.

 

i see the clip on thing from off in those commercials. it has like a fan built in too. try it and let us know how it works.

 

Be careful.
Deet will dissolve certain clothing articles!!!

I used this stuff while in Africa: http://www.sawyer.com/permethrin.htm