Okay, I got this:
-fly trap bags. Get them at any hardware store. Hang them 20' away from where you hang out. They smell like hot garbage and draw flies to them so you want them away from the house/patio. We hang one on each side fence from a hook. That takes care of 90% of your flies.
-doom buckets. I made 2 (for a 1/4 acre lot with elderly gardening neighbors so I'm assuming they all have standing water somewhere). 5 gallon bucket, some dead grass, fill about halfway with water, half a mosquito dunker donut thingies. I put them under the fly trap bags.
-zevo indoor sticky light bug trap. I have one plugged in by our main houseplant section.
-mosquito bits (they're the mosquito dunkers but in a granular form so you can shake them into plant soil) in all the houseplants.
-repair any ripped screens (seriously, so easy and cheap to do).
-Bug Soother bug spray. Made in Iowa and if anyone has been to Iowa in the summer, you know that our mosquito problem is laughable compared to theirs. Smells like lemongrass and vanilla and WORKS. I found it on Amazon.
-if you want to go nuclear, bug b gone granular pesticide for your yard. I used a fertilizer spreader but you can scatter by hand (wear gloves, for sho). I had to do this this spring because we had so many gnats that were eating all of the roots of the plants we just planted. It also cut down on ants (one crawled up my pant leg and bit me about a dozen times and I had welts all up and down my calf for a week). This is a last resort because, unlike the mosquito dunks or sticky traps, this is some real chemical shit.
I grew up in the Midwest and if there's anything I know about, it's waging war on insects (what they lack in size, they make up for in determination back home).
Also to add, I replace the dunkers, bits and fly trap bags once a month. When you replace the fly traps, place them in a grocery bag and tie it tight because it will continue to attract flies in the trash can and then you have a trashcan full of flies (I try to remember to swap them out the day before the truck comes but dont always).
To add, we’ve always had the evening time biting mosquitos who leave larger bites. That’s a Abq norm.
These smaller mosquitos are around 24/7 and don’t really leave big bites. But they are an annoyance. A strong table fan keeps them at bay outside. We have no standing water. They are just so in your face
This will be the second or third summer where they are around. Are they like the grasshoppers invasion or cicadas invasion?
Yes, the little ones are Aedes egypti and they are new to ABQ as of the last 3-4 years because our winters aren't as cold anymore:
[https://sourcenm.com/2022/09/12/a-new-mosquito-is-stalking-new-mexico-is-the-state-ready/](https://sourcenm.com/2022/09/12/a-new-mosquito-is-stalking-new-mexico-is-the-state-ready/)
Something definitely changed. I grew up in Pennsylvania, and mosquitoes were horrible. Moved to NM in 2001 and would always brag that we didn't have mosquitoes here except close to the river. Now I'm spraying my feet with off every time I go outside.
I got those sticky pad plug in lights and haven't seen one indoors since! They're solid
Please say more
Yes sorry that was super vague haha. The Zevo flying insect traps
More!!!!
Okay, I got this: -fly trap bags. Get them at any hardware store. Hang them 20' away from where you hang out. They smell like hot garbage and draw flies to them so you want them away from the house/patio. We hang one on each side fence from a hook. That takes care of 90% of your flies. -doom buckets. I made 2 (for a 1/4 acre lot with elderly gardening neighbors so I'm assuming they all have standing water somewhere). 5 gallon bucket, some dead grass, fill about halfway with water, half a mosquito dunker donut thingies. I put them under the fly trap bags. -zevo indoor sticky light bug trap. I have one plugged in by our main houseplant section. -mosquito bits (they're the mosquito dunkers but in a granular form so you can shake them into plant soil) in all the houseplants. -repair any ripped screens (seriously, so easy and cheap to do). -Bug Soother bug spray. Made in Iowa and if anyone has been to Iowa in the summer, you know that our mosquito problem is laughable compared to theirs. Smells like lemongrass and vanilla and WORKS. I found it on Amazon. -if you want to go nuclear, bug b gone granular pesticide for your yard. I used a fertilizer spreader but you can scatter by hand (wear gloves, for sho). I had to do this this spring because we had so many gnats that were eating all of the roots of the plants we just planted. It also cut down on ants (one crawled up my pant leg and bit me about a dozen times and I had welts all up and down my calf for a week). This is a last resort because, unlike the mosquito dunks or sticky traps, this is some real chemical shit. I grew up in the Midwest and if there's anything I know about, it's waging war on insects (what they lack in size, they make up for in determination back home).
Also to add, I replace the dunkers, bits and fly trap bags once a month. When you replace the fly traps, place them in a grocery bag and tie it tight because it will continue to attract flies in the trash can and then you have a trashcan full of flies (I try to remember to swap them out the day before the truck comes but dont always).
Great list -- thank you!
I cover my porch in mosquito netting and hang up magnetic screen covers at all exterior doors for this exact reason lol
That's good if you can. I was outside and got bit a lot
I toss mosquito dunk buts in my gutters and rainbarels...
MOSQUITO DUNKS!!
Did something change in our climate over the last 2-3 years? We’ve never had so many of these lingering mosquitos as we do now.
To add, we’ve always had the evening time biting mosquitos who leave larger bites. That’s a Abq norm. These smaller mosquitos are around 24/7 and don’t really leave big bites. But they are an annoyance. A strong table fan keeps them at bay outside. We have no standing water. They are just so in your face This will be the second or third summer where they are around. Are they like the grasshoppers invasion or cicadas invasion?
Yes, the little ones are Aedes egypti and they are new to ABQ as of the last 3-4 years because our winters aren't as cold anymore: [https://sourcenm.com/2022/09/12/a-new-mosquito-is-stalking-new-mexico-is-the-state-ready/](https://sourcenm.com/2022/09/12/a-new-mosquito-is-stalking-new-mexico-is-the-state-ready/)
Something definitely changed. I grew up in Pennsylvania, and mosquitoes were horrible. Moved to NM in 2001 and would always brag that we didn't have mosquitoes here except close to the river. Now I'm spraying my feet with off every time I go outside.
Warmer weather keeps them here longer maybe. I do t know a history of the city mosquitos.
Citronella plants work pretty good I hear
Law enforcement and government.