What's Your Method to Combat Mosquitos?

samyall on 08/12/2022 - 09:14

Summer is here and so are the mozzies.

I live in an apartment eight stories up but they still find their way to us. We do not have air conditioning so we like to keep our door to outside open (think a big glass garage door) to get a breeze. We are also renting so fitting a fly screen is out of the question too.

Unfortunately, this means the mozzies find their way in almost every night and they just love my blood.

What's your solution?

I used to use Mortein Peaceful Nights but they are expensive and I have heard they are equivalent to a pack of smokes so I am not keen to use them anymore.

What other options are there?

Home & Garden

Comments

  • Fredfloresjr on 08/12/2022 - 09:17
    +2

    Aloevera plant.

    • samyall on 08/12/2022 - 10:03

      We actually have one of these - are they supposed to protect us?

      • DogeConomy on 08/12/2022 - 13:48
        +2

        Here's my research on what the Aloe Vera plants are used for (regarding mosquitoes):
        Apply the gel found inside the aloe vera "leaves" onto your skin, they contain a chemical compound called acemannan, which are toxic to mosquitoes. However, I think you'll need more than just the single aloe vera plant for this to work in the long run XD. I haven't tried it myself so I can't say for sure about the effectiveness.
        (maybe start an aloe vera farm? 🤣)

        • nfr on 09/12/2022 - 09:21
          +1

          IF aloe vera works, OP could try Thursday Plantation Aloe Vera Gel at discount chemist.

    • HeWhoKnows on 09/12/2022 - 10:21
      +15

      Fly screen is NOT out of the question
      Just complain to agent about mozzies and ask for flyscreens to be installed

    • SlickMick on 09/12/2022 - 12:44
      +1

      Just to be clear, aloe vera plants won't keep mosquitos away. Applying the gel apparently will protect you personally, but I'm not sure that's what the op is looking for.

      I came to see if any good ideas contributed. But telling guests to apply protection isn't what I'm looking for.

  • Mokr on 08/12/2022 - 09:20
    +3

    Get a tension pole and put in some sheer curtains

    • try2bhelpful on 08/12/2022 - 09:26

      We do that but we still get some mossies. I spray the sheer with fly spray as well.

  • try2bhelpful on 08/12/2022 - 09:20
    +26

    Actually you can fit a fly screen in a rented place you just need to get the adjustable ones that sit in place. Either that or you can get the materials and make your own. We’ve done that before.

    • BewareOfThe Dog on 08/12/2022 - 10:01
      -4

      Keep the Receipt and claim it back from the Landlord/Real Estate Agent. Make sure you keep a copy in case it goes 'missing'.

      I used to get bitten more than everyone else, then they stopped, and they hardly touch me now.

      My reasoning?

      Alcohol.

      They never touch me after I've had a drink or 2.

      • brendanm on 08/12/2022 - 10:22
        +3

        Keep the Receipt and claim it back from the Landlord/Real Estate Agent.

        You can not do that for non essential repairs.

        • BewareOfThe Dog on 08/12/2022 - 10:55
          -2

          They maybe able to claim it. It's been 20 years since we sold our Rental, but it's worth a try.

          On a side note, this article says that alcohol attracts Mosquitoes.

          I have found the opposite.

    • SlickMick on 09/12/2022 - 12:47
      +8

      My mum has a self-closing one. It's split down the centre with a strip of magnets on each side. Can just walk through it (as can pets), and self-closes behind you.

      Just attaches with double-sided tape to door frame.

  • jv on 08/12/2022 - 09:24
    -6

    What's your solution?

    Sulphuric acid

    jv on 08/12/2022 - 09:24 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
  • Ryanek on 08/12/2022 - 09:32
    +12

    If it's bothering you just at sleep time, get a mosquito bed net

    You can attach it the ceiling with a 3M hook.

  • Xistn on 08/12/2022 - 09:38
    +1

    Live on mars , or in the desert.

    DIE MOZZIE SCUM!

    • mafmouf on 09/12/2022 - 21:30

      But that's what Elon wants. Maybe he's controlling the mozzies to force us to Mars…

    • mskram on 09/12/2022 - 23:02

      Iceland doesn't have mosquitoes too.

      • Xistn on 11/12/2022 - 17:09
        +1

        Sold!!

  • AustriaBargain on 08/12/2022 - 09:44
    +8

    Talk your landlord into getting a fly screen installed, a durable security style one. It'll be a lot cheaper for them than installing an AC.

    • Nugs on 08/12/2022 - 19:50
      +6

      Security screening on the eighth floor. Keep out Spiderman as well as mozzies
      .

  • DashCam AKA Rolts on 08/12/2022 - 09:45
    +2

    Dragonflies.

  • SF3 on 08/12/2022 - 09:47
    +6

    Maybe something like this from bunnings? https://www.bunnings.com.au/pillar-90-x-200cm-black-magnetic…

  • elgrande on 08/12/2022 - 09:56
    +2

    What's Your Method to Combat Mosquitos?

    Hapkido

    • Benicio on 10/12/2022 - 09:31

      *Bullshido

  • BewareOfThe Dog on 08/12/2022 - 09:58
    +6

    What's Your Method to Combat Mosquitos?

    Bikies.

    • samyall on 08/12/2022 - 10:01
      +2

      Truly an Ozbargain solution.

  • MantistobogganMD on 08/12/2022 - 10:18
    +4

    i bought a mozzie catcher from Pestrol and its been great. every couple of days i empty it and there are hundreds in it. i use it just outside the door outside

    • pacer4000 on 08/12/2022 - 10:47

      Interested in this, do you have a link?

      • BewareOfThe Dog on 08/12/2022 - 10:56
        +4

        Plenty on their site

        • Hangryuman on 09/12/2022 - 10:50
          +3

          'It has proven that mosquitoes don’t fly more than 100 metres from where they were born. The majority of our mosquito traps are designed specifically to attract the mozzies to a light' - https://www.pestrol.com.au/shop/shop-by-product/mosquito-tra…

          'It has proven' ? - I Can Has Cheezburger?

          'designed specifically to attract the mozzies to a light' - given the discussion that mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide exhaled by humans, I can see this light-attractant as a totally winning product - not …

    • TrustNoBody on 27/12/2022 - 23:05

      i have been meaning to look at the pestrol ones ..so you don’t get any inside now ? or just the odd one ?

  • Loot N Plunder on 08/12/2022 - 10:23
    +9

    What's Your Method to Combat Mosquitos?

    Spiders, they use this lovely net thing.

  • JimB on 08/12/2022 - 10:40

    8 stories up and no aircond?

    • samyall on 08/12/2022 - 12:32
      +2

      You're telling me. Keeps the power bill down though.

      • JimB on 08/12/2022 - 14:38
        +3

        half glass full kind of person! haha

      • Hangryuman on 09/12/2022 - 10:56
        +1

        'Keeps the power bill down though'

        I know the feeling - Brisbane summer mornings were so sultry and enervating I had no power to do anything

  • Donaldhump on 08/12/2022 - 10:43
    +3

    put a fly screen in rental or not

    • Hangryuman on 09/12/2022 - 10:57

      key word 'or' - 'or! or! or!' - it's Santa!

  • thepigs on 08/12/2022 - 11:27

    citronella candles

  • Keplaffintech on 08/12/2022 - 11:32
    +1

    TekkoPro as an insect growth regulator, applied to my outdoor area, in areas that don't get wet or any sun. Eliminates them almost entirely. Re-apply every 1-2 months.

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 08/12/2022 - 11:33
    +1

    Just install a flyscreen IMO.

    If your landlord is stupid enough to try and take you to a Tribunal for installing a flyscreen, which is a very minor improvement to the property, let us know so we can show up with popcorn.

  • pharkurnell on 08/12/2022 - 11:50
    +2

    Laser guided missiles.

  • shaybisc on 08/12/2022 - 11:51
    +1

    "Can mosquitoes reach 7th floor?
    Although mosquitoes can fly only up to a certain height (up to eight metres), they can breed on one specific floor and slowly breed on higher floors."

    If that is true they are breeding somewhere close to you.

    "In general, mosquitoes that bite humans prefer to fly at heights of less than 8 metres. However, mosquitoes can be found breeding in tree holes 50 feet above ground and they can actually thrive in high rise apartment buildings."

    • Dreamcast on 09/12/2022 - 09:42
      +3

      They just use the lifts.

  • shaybisc on 08/12/2022 - 12:03

    I had a friend with a ground floor flat who would not put up insect screens so her bloody cat could climb in through every window. She used to sleep with a fan on. Said it kept mozzies off.

    Don't know what happened in winter. Maybe no mozzies then so no fan.

    • Hangryuman on 09/12/2022 - 10:37
      +1

      cat ate the mosquitoes

      • shaybisc on 09/12/2022 - 11:34

        More likely the cat's fleas ate them.

  • Drakesy on 08/12/2022 - 12:32

    I went onto Aliexpress/Ebay and picked up a rechargeable compact mosquito killer similar to This

    Works great, admittedly does pick up more moths than mosquitos, lasts for a few hours (more if plugged into the wall).

    • samyall on 08/12/2022 - 12:39

      Does it actually reduce the number of bites you get though? I'm always suspicious of having something that attracts mosquitos so close to where I am in case it ends up attracting more than would otherwise be there.

      • Drakesy on 08/12/2022 - 14:24

        The only way of reducing the number of bites is reducing the amount of CO2 you breathe, so i cannot guarantee that, however, you put this near a door, and they'll preferentially go towards the light rather than inside and get zapped.

    • payless69 on 09/12/2022 - 09:19
      +3

      Copy from your ad:
      the photocatalytic reaction can also purify the air, effectively kill all kinds of bacteria in the air, and absorb all kinds of harmful gases.
      What is the principle of the photocatalyst mosquito killer
      LOL!!

      The carbon dioxide exhaled by humans is scientifically proven to be the only substance that the human body attracts mosquitoes. The photocatalyst mosquito killer can produce the light, heat, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and flowing air that mosquitoes like when it works. It simulates human breathing
      LOL!!

      Interesting claims! Produces CO2!! How?
      Where does it place the absorbed gasses?
      Wasps may sense CO2 for intrusion detection. Hence a lawn mower and a ground nest will make war!
      Mated female mosquitoes have chemical and heat sensors searching for blood. The reason they come to your ears is that blood is closer to the surface. Else they find your veins closest to your skin. They are not interested in UV light but might get sucked in by the fan wondering what the burnt smell of moths might be.
      A fan blowing over your body works for many as it blows them away, making it very hard to detect blood near surface.

      • Drakesy on 09/12/2022 - 10:18
        +1

        Call it chinese poetic license

      • Seni0r El Cheapo on 10/12/2022 - 07:56
        +1

        Beee a man. Do the right thing.

        Buy two, get exciting 75c discount.

        • payless69 on 10/12/2022 - 08:11

          Aliexpress might deliver in 3 months.
          Save more! use Wish! Then wish you had never used them!

  • highon2str on 08/12/2022 - 12:44
    +4

    Eagerly waiting for the local release of the One+ Bug Zapper - https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/46396039163

    • payless69 on 09/12/2022 - 09:22

      Up to 1 ½ Acres of Coverage

      collect money from everybody within this acreage!

      Ask TTC to test on youtube!

  • sharkyoz on 08/12/2022 - 12:53
    +2

    good old mossie coils

    • tebbybabes on 09/12/2022 - 20:28

      Aye these work a treat. However, if using regularly and long term, you expose yourself to the products of combustion. Have no idea how that compares to cigarette smoke, but I have yet to see ANY product of combustion being all hunky dory with humans. 🤷‍♀️

  • nuker on 08/12/2022 - 15:15

    drone armed with laser

    • Euphemistic on 08/12/2022 - 18:17
      +1

      I supposed sharks with frickin laser beams would be out of range 8 stories up.

      • nuker on 08/12/2022 - 18:35

        thats the strategic force, for mass destruction strikes. Drones are tactical, local theatre. If all fails - I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

  • jizmo on 08/12/2022 - 17:57
    +3

    They don't like breeze. At a BBQ if they're going for your ankles and have no coils or spray put a fan under the table gets rid of them.

    You might need a couple of pedestal fans on you for sleep

    • jjjaar on 08/12/2022 - 21:15
      +2

      Came to say this. They love still air, so get the air moving!

  • HelpMeiCantSee on 09/12/2022 - 08:37

    Triple whammy poison- Bifen, imida, fipronil. Followed by a heavy fogging session of pyrethrins just prior to when you need to be outside. Mass extinction lol

  • payless69 on 09/12/2022 - 09:00
    +1

    Our council used to spray used motor oil onto the gravel verge. Smells like a race track but worked against dust and flying insects.

    Now they have released sterile males and so far it worked wonders. Only properly mated females will actually bite, they need blood to breed.

    Just for the days we have them we use magnetic screens. Check your hardware store.

  • iCandy on 09/12/2022 - 09:27

    Were you born here? I was bitten a lot as a child but found once I was an adult I was hardly bitten at all. But friends from the UK visiting were bitten all over. Mozzie coils worked well.

  • BatsRule on 09/12/2022 - 09:47
    +1

    MICROBATS🙂 ❤️🦇

  • Hangryuman on 09/12/2022 - 10:43

    dunno but I believe mossies rise around sunset/dusk so if you kept openings closed around that time that could be a start to try

    breeze sounds next idea

    skin repellent next - DEET apparently most effective if you don't mind the brain damage …

    lastly whether you're allowed to install insect screen - probably not if they could fall and injure someone - so investigate allowable internal clip-on type and sell it to agent/landlord as an improvement (preventing annoying insect invasions) that they could claim on tax (meh) or worst case you'll pay for and not demand back (count the money tho - DIY cheapest)

    big cantilever door sounds like luxury living - until you want insect screen - and then your far - k't

  • Poor Ass on 09/12/2022 - 10:51
    +1

    electric fly swatter works great

  • quiteguy on 09/12/2022 - 11:01
    +1

    Get an Electric Fly Swatter https://amzn.asia/d/8LKqyD9e
    and enjoy the smell of burning mosquitos.

  • icekopii on 09/12/2022 - 11:23

    Move places

  • bbinc on 09/12/2022 - 11:39

    We have a BugVac (from the big green hardware store). It has a UV light, a fan that sucks the bugs in and a water tray that drowns them. A bit of detergent in the water helps. use a timer to turn it on/off dusk and dawn. Does drown hundreds of mozzies, also moths etc. - can see them in the water tray. Been using for years - have to replace it every year or two as the fan motor wears out.
    After a couple of weeks we see very few mozzies. I forget whether it is supposed to be the female or male, but apparently only one of those is attracted to the light, but either way, the breeding cycle is interrupted. Can be used inside or out, if the fan is noisy take it back to the big green shop.

  • Littlevu on 09/12/2022 - 11:47
    +1

    Do you have potted plants? Check if there’s any larvae in the water. Could be the source.

  • chippy43 on 09/12/2022 - 12:03

    take one Betamin vitamin B tablet every day and within 30 days you will never be bothered by mossies again.I worked in the building game and used to be savaged (large lumps) by mossies until a chemist told me about thiamine hydrochloride. You must take it for 30 days and continue using it to be effective. Don't scoff just try

  • linoc66 on 09/12/2022 - 13:54
    +2

    Most people don't know they have perfect breeding conditions right outside their (balcony) doors. Any small amount of pooled still water.
    Perhaps put a message on the building noticeboard, informing neighbours (who maybe the problem) why they might also have a mozzie issue.

    Fun Fact (well it wasn't fun then) - when Aids (virus) initially came out in the 80's, science had no idea how it was being transferred person to person. One common belief was mozzies.
    The Government was running TV & Radio adverts (no cell phones, PC's, social media back then), advising us to ensure nothing on our properties were potential breeding grounds, also advising auto water dispensers for pets/livestock, to run some form of fountain or sealant on dams etc, to disrupt the surface. Councils started spraying areas with helicopters.

  • Willy Beamish on 09/12/2022 - 14:24
    -1

    You're aware of the solutions already, you just need to act on them instead of looking for alternates that don't exist.

  • burningrage on 09/12/2022 - 15:10
    +1

    Zap racquet.

  • chippy43 on 09/12/2022 - 15:37

    Samyall $6.00 for 100 Betamin b1. Try this for 30 days and you will not feel the effects of bites.I got Ross River in 1990 and would not wish that on anybody. Never been bothered since taking B1. Try for your satisfaction

  • magikz on 09/12/2022 - 18:41

    Mortal….Kombat

  • htc on 09/12/2022 - 19:28

    Venus flytrap?

  • hasher22 on 09/12/2022 - 20:03

    I have those magnetic door fly screens and I have an automatic mossie spray repellent on the balcony.

    It's so stupid how units these days don't come with screen doors already installed for the balcony.

  • tebbybabes on 09/12/2022 - 20:39

    An American friend in the country swears by his LPG powered mosquito magnet

    I don't know how well it works regarding how much he and his family are bitten (or not bitten), but I have seen images of the catcher and just what an insane amount of skeeters it gets.

    It's also terribly pricey, I think.

  • trapper on 09/12/2022 - 20:54
    +2

    My tenant wanted flyscreens installed, so I took the opportunity to make a tax-deductible upgrade to my rental and had them installed on every openable door and window.

    Win-win.

  • [Deactivated] on 09/12/2022 - 21:14
    -1

    a) Get a four-poster bed and buy a flyscreen net that goes over and around the bed. When you're not in bed spray the house, or get one of those battery operated auto bug sprayers from AldiColesWorths.

    b) I don't understand what you mean by glass garage door (a B&D roller door, a flat pull-back-into-the-ceiling type, side swinging barn door/s, just a sideways sliding glass patio type door!?)… but anyway, you could buy some QUALITY painters tape, measure the opening, buy flyscreen mesh, and stick the fly screen to the outside of the door frame (so you can still open/close the door from the inside). If you want to still be able to walk through the doorway then hang two halves overlapped by a couple of cm, then cut and sew fridge magnets or that kind of material if you can find it into 1cm strips vertically to each side - so when the two sides come close they 'latch' together to seal the two halves. You might need to sew something with a little weight into a hem along the bottom to make it hang, which will in turn bring the two halves close together so the magnets latch closed.

    The reason I say painters tape is to avoid the real estate whinging by damaging anything. You just remove it all when there's an inspection. If you leave masking tape on too long it sticks like crazy. But painters tape peels off easily and can stay on longer. But there are different grades of painters tape. So you'd either get a cheaper one and have to replace it every couple of weeks so it doesn't stick/damage any paint, or, find a high quality one that still peels off after weeks/months. e.g. I saw a green type in America that can stay on for months. That's long enough to get through mozzie season.

    c) You could also make a removable lightweight wooden frame. e.g. I fitted a window rattler aircon into an aluminium window by first lifting the window all the way up, then cutting 4x flat planks, one to fit each side (top, bottom, left, right). Then I ran a circular saw at half-depth all the way along the center of each piece. Then I pressed that cut trench down over the bit of aluminium that sticks up at 90 degrees all the way around an aluminium window. Then fit fly mesh to that.

    d) If it doesn't get soaked by rain you could just make something using cardboard. (Ask a Harvey Norman/Bing Lee/etc for a couple of fridge boxes from their skip bin.) You pull the cardboard out, or slide to one side, etc when not needed. Obviously cut a hole leaving something around 10 cm around the outside for strength and tape flyscreen over the hole.

  • kiwiyonip on 18/12/2022 - 11:35

    Fly screen and the cheapest bug spray at Coles…

  • Ughhh on 18/12/2022 - 11:37

    This is the easiest way to kill a mosquito.

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