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I’ve been planning to add a deck tot he back of my house. Several of my neighbors with decks, however, tell me that they have serious problems with mosquitos and other flying insects in the evenings — just when they (and I) would like to sit out on a summer’s eve. I could build a screened-in porch instead, but I don’t like the look of a porch as well and my wife has her heart set on a deck with a pergola and climbing wisteria. Is there any reliable way to keep mosquitos and other flying insects away from an open deck? The ultrasonic insect repellers say they don;t work on mosquitos, bug-zappers are loud and gross, not sure citronella actually works… What can I do?
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Don't plant the wisteria around a wooden pergola. When it becomes mature it'll twist the daylights outta that structure. As to the skeeters, don't sit out early morning nor 1/2 hour b4 dusk. Install a bathouse/purple martin house, swallows and a pool. Get rid of all old tires, garbage cans/lids, and anything else that collects standing water. Have had some success with lemon pledge, water and a little soap in a pump sprayer. Hit all the bushes and the lawn. Best of luck.
*Or you could install removable screen panels.My guess is that they would be up more often then down.Gabe
*Keep a nailgun handy.
*Build the deck at least 7' above grade. Mosquitos will not go higher than 7'. Okay that is one of the solutions I have heard and would not hold to it myself.What have they got little altimeters? Wish I knew the answer as we have wetlands (swamp) in our back yard and when skeeters are out DEET seems to be the only thing that works. Some people swear by Purple Martins or bats but we have them locally and still the skeeters. Good luck and watch the stagnant water. Sure don't wanna be a skeeter breeder. Skip
*There are a number of companies that make mosquito traps of various designs. Entering "mosquito trap" in the search field of Yahoo turned up K.P. White, Mosquito Magnet, Biosensory, and Epar. It looks like there are many others.
*Keep your lawn short, the male misquito doesn't like short grass and without males around, the females won't be there. It's female's that bite. Males are harmless so if you could figure out a way to make your deck the San Francisco of the neighborhood, you'll be a bit better off.
*Haven't figured out how to get rid of skeeters, but go ahead with your pergola and wisteria. I built one about 8 years ago and put wisteria on both rear corners ( it is free standing in the yard ) and the top is completely covered now. Took about 3 years to get enough cover to sit in shade. Used 6x6 for posts and built it stout. The wisteria won't hurt it. Good luck. Jared
*The mosquito is our state bird and I'm afraid there's nothing that will work except for screens.Mosquito's will fly up to 10 miles looking for a meal so even if you remove breeding grounds, they'll still show up. Martins and bats are real common around here, Maybe mosquito's would be worse with them but they're still bad. In some areas down here, I wear a full body suit of fabric mesh including a hood when I work in the summer. When my wife and I were dating, She used to run from her house to my car as fast as she could and still get bit half a dozen times. Skin So Soft by AVON is what all the crabbers, fishermen, and other outdoor types use to keep the away.
*Put dry-ice at the far ends of the proprety when you plan a deck party. The dry-ice attracts and diverts the skeeters...till it dissolves. Jeff
*I'm pretty sure I read somewhere about plants that have a natural insect repellent. It might be worth posting a question over in the Gardening section.
*Pet iguanas. LOTS of pet iguanas.
*Definitely keep the underside of the deck clean. Put down landscaping fabric and cover with coarse gravel. The less humidity under there the better. The rest is witchcraft. My 'spells' include citronella candles.
*I stumbled across this:http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/pathogens/lagenidium_giganteum.htmlIt seems as if a new means of getting skeeters may soon be available (if the parties involved can get their acts together).
*Get some of those fly-swatter guns.
*Seriously here,Plant plenty of tansy and/or basil. Put it all over the place. A few potted ones on the deck, and some in window boxes wouldn't hurt either.
*Try planting several Citronella plants around the deck, seems to work pretty well here in Alabama. Not sure if they're mosquitos or vampires. Nurserys usually call it a "Mosquito Plant"
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I've been planning to add a deck tot he back of my house. Several of my neighbors with decks, however, tell me that they have serious problems with mosquitos and other flying insects in the evenings -- just when they (and I) would like to sit out on a summer's eve. I could build a screened-in porch instead, but I don't like the look of a porch as well and my wife has her heart set on a deck with a pergola and climbing wisteria. Is there any reliable way to keep mosquitos and other flying insects away from an open deck? The ultrasonic insect repellers say they don;t work on mosquitos, bug-zappers are loud and gross, not sure citronella actually works... What can I do?