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Indoor mosquitos- how do you trap & "remove" 'em?

thedelihaus

thedelihaus

Nocturnal transmissions
Indoor mosquitos- how do you trap & "remove" 'em?

I'm not fond of killing anything- unless I'm going to eat it, or it's going to eat me (or make me sick). I capture spiders in the house and put 'em outside. When I fished, I practiced catch and release, unless it was the stocked Trout, then I had it for dinner. I don't own a pet, because I can't properly take care of it in my current state of health- as much as I want one, it's not fair to the pet.

Si, it's without pride I kill mosquitos. But necessary. I'm not interested in being a live host to these pests, and I prefer not to pick up disease from them. Not to mention the uncomfortable welts from their bites.

So, how does one capture mosquitos when they enter your house?

This year, they seem relentless. It's damp and windless here in Massachusetts, and my artea is called the "musterfield", and is basically swamp-like in areas- or at least incredibly damp.

The mosquitos- they're in the house in seconds- they move quicker than I as I'm trying to get in the door. Then I get to hear them buzzing around my ears all night, and I get to awaken with lumps in the morning.

I've seen bee traps, japanese beetle traps, but never mosquito traps.

Is there a method to do this? To trap them once they get indoors? Then "dispose" of them?
 
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I know of no traps though I wouldn't be surprised if they're available; there are people that need to trap them as part of their livelihood.

My friend you're being far more considerate of the vicious little critters than they deserve. Just as it's their role in nature to be bloodsucking parasites so it's your role to defend yourself and your ability to reproduce by killing the things by any means available.


Regards
 
I wouldn't worry about removal until after they're zapped, killed, dead, whatever you want to call it. Here, the danged things can carry the West Nile virus. We've had little rain this year, and luckily, they aren't as plentiful as usual.

In my back yard, if we are going to be grilling out or such in the late afternoon and early evening (when they seem to be most active) we use simple citronella torchiers and candles with good success. That, along with a DEET based repellant, such as 3M's Ultrathon, and we rarely get bitten.

Mosquitoes are attracted by exhaled and expired carbon-dioxide, and there are some expensive oudoor killers that use a propane burner to attract and zap the little pests.

Then again, you could always go hi-tech:

http://news.com.com/Wi-Fi+mosquito+killer+coming+to+a+porch+near+you/2100-11395_3-5961535.html

Indoors, a fly swatter is all that comes to mind, and there are electronic versions.

Good luck, Paul!
 

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It's the indoor part that's killing me (hopefully not literally!!!).

Gotta find a way to trap 'em, while I'm tryin' to snooze in bed at night!
 
A few years ago, I had mosquitos in the house nearly every night. Bzzz about 30 minutes after I hopped in the sack. I would usually get up, armed with a can of bug spray, and try to find them but was only 50% successful. I'm sure I looked like I'd lost the rest of my marbles, standing on the bed at midnight with a can of bug spray in my hand.

Anyway, one thing to try is place a fan at the foot of your bed and have it blow directly over you. The blood suckers have a hard time flying through the turbulent air and it helps (some) to disperse your scent and CO2.

I ended up getting an Insectivoro bug catcher. It uses ultraviolet light, a fan and a capture box to grab them. One spring, I was capturing 1 or 2 every night. However, it doesn't get all of them as some don't seem to respond to the lamp. And, it's a little noisy and the lamp in the room takes a little getting used to. Not cheap, either.

Murray
 

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Basically, these guys have it covered. AFAIK, There are no commercial traps that catch them live for later release. Research scientists have used such devices, but usually they collect dead specimens.

(1) There are the expensive outdoor kinds that run off of propane. They chemically break down the propane to make a "scent plume" that drifts downwind and acts on mosquitoes the way catnip does on cats. The mosquitoes get sucked into a trap and you "bag" them for disposal without ever having to touch the li'l things. In swampy or infested areas, these traps catch THOUSANDS of mosquitoes -- enough that with a a couple of them placed properly you lower the breeding population in the local area enough to almost eliminate the problem: only a few "drifters" to worry about.

(2) Indoors, those UV traps that "zap" the things are pretty good, but they don't attract all types of mosquitoes.

(3) There are also similar "hand zappers" -- basically electric flyswatters with two grids capacitively charged. When mosquito (or any other flying insect) completes the connection between the two grids... crispy-critter time! It's as if they flew into and shorted out your electrostatic speakers. :D The difference is that you have to "sweep" this through the air to "Catch" them, exactly as if you were sweeping a tennis racket through the air to hit the ball. The combination of (2) and (3) can clear a room in a reasonably short period of time.

(4) Citronella oil helps keep mosquitoes away, but only in sufficient concentration, so only at short range. Put drops of it on your socks and such to disfourage mosquitoes from biting nearby areas. Other synthetic repellents are also available.

(5) Similarly, burning traditional mosquito coils (those green spiral incense-like coil things) can help... but then you are also breathing in the smoke all night, which is probably not the best thing for health.

(6) Changes in your diet can make you much more attractive or more repellent to mosquitoes, but that is too complex a topic to deal with here.

(7) You can hang a mosquito net (Ikea used to sell affordable ones that hung from a central ring you could hang centered over the bed). As long as you can get into it without them getting in with you, you'll be protected for the night. Using one of those swatter things in (3) above to eliminate any one or two that make it under the net with you assures you of a bite-free sleep.

Of course, you can combine several of the above things, for increased effect. Good luck with the problem!
 
Your best bet would be to get Mosquito netting for your bed, there is nothing that I have ever heard of working that would get rid of the bastards, short of bug-bombing the whole room, but like you said, next time you open the door.... You don't have to get the type with the really tight mesh, this is for sand fleas and midges, and the tight mesh really reduces airflow, which can be an issue in warm muggy weather. You will want to purchase a net that has already been treated with Permethrin, which is a synthesized chemical derived from the Chrythansymum plant. Nylon is preferable over Poly or Cotton. The mesh does not have to be tight, as Mosquitos have to land on the net before being able to enter, and will be killed by the Permethrin. Safe for use around humans and animals, although I am not sure about cats, I seem to remember something about it no good for cats if they have a high exposure to it. It's actually required by the US Military for use on clothing and gear in tropical areas, and treated nets are distributed in Malaria prone areas by health organizations. The Permethrin is effective for about six months, and you can reapply it your self as needed, it's available at outdoor gear suppliers, in spray form, and even better, a soaking solution.
 
I've seen newer traps that attempt to imitate animals/people - carbon dioxide and water vapor emission, infrared signature, the whole bit. But these are expensive. Your best bet is a fan, as mosquitoes are very weak fliers. I have a ceiling fan; cranked to a medium or high level the best the things can do is hunker down in a corner behind the furniture, or they'll be buffeted on the breeze.

Really though, I would just kill them.
 
You need two things a needle and a 5 pound sledge.

Prick your finger with the needle until it draws blood. Wait with the hammer ready.

Seriously... I can't stand mosquitos. But they love me. They drive me insane. Especially at night when you can hear them buzzing around at night. And with the bird flu thing they have me paranoid after seeing a dead crow.

If you figure out how to get rid of them, please let me know!
 
That buzzing around my head drives me insane also.
Deli maybe the trick is to not let them in the house. They probably come in when you enter; the door might be open for a minute. That's all they need, well more like 10 seconds.
Maybe with some creative electrical- mechanical setup .... if a fan were to turn on facing the doorway when you entered their flight in would be stymied.
That's the best i can come up with....
 
I don't get this by a longshot...is this thread an off-color joke of some sort? The death of a proven carrier of harmful viruses is a good thing. You aren't doing the world a favor by keeping them alive, and regardless of any effort you could make you aren't going to push them to extinction, or even make a measurable dent in their population (but if you did, there'd be a Nobel Prize in it for you).

Honor the memory of Maj. Walter Reed and his associates, and kill every one of the little bastards you can.
 
EchoWars said:
I don't get this by a longshot...is this thread an off-color joke of some sort?...
Click to expand...

No joke. I just don't like to kill anything, unless I'm going to eat it.



Or... It's going to eat me.

EchoWars said:
... The death of a proven carrier of harmful viruses is a good thing. You aren't doing the world a favor by keeping them alive, and regardless of any effort you could make you aren't going to push them to extinction, or even make a measurable dent in their population (but if you did, there'd be a Nobel Prize in it for you).
Click to expand...

You are very correct here- there's minimal, if any, value to the mosquitos, and I really don't lose sleep over squashing them. I lose sleep over them buzzing in my ear and biting me, though. I can't say I take pleasure in squashing bugs, but I've no friend in the mosquito. They truly are a pest- and worse.

Trust me- I'd kill a kitten if it pulled a switchblade on me, but I wouldn't enjoy it. I just hope that never happens.:thmbsp:
 
We live about a mile from the bay near Galveston and the mosquitos are terrible in the summer. I've tried the mosquito traps and they do catch a few but usually once or twice a week I wake up with one buzzing in my ear. Only remedy at that point is to grab a flyswatter and kill the little bloodsucker.
 
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