Mosquito spraying for the yard…….

So our backyard is wooded and backs up to a state land that that is heavily wooded won’t be developed. There is a water treatment facility about 3/4 of mile away and a creek very close to our fence line. We get little direct sun because of the trees and the ground stays damp for days after a rain.

we have lived here for close to 20 years and the backyard has become almost unbearable due to the mosquito population - we have tried all “safe” remedies and finally bit the bullet and used mosquito joes last year. We were actually able to enjoy the fire pit and patio and held backyard movie night a couple times a month. It was enjoyable. With the weather turning it was time to re-up our mosquito joe contract and I just couldn’t do it. The expense was over $90 every three weeks. I decided to buy a backpack sprayer / mister on Amazon and the chemicals that they use (I have a neighbor who used to work for them and gave me the name of the chemical and how much to mix). I have been reading of ways to limit the collateral damage of other insects and pollinators and will spray at dark when the bees are in the hives and butterflies, ladybugs, etc aren’t out. Does anyone have any suggestions on other chemicals that limit the impact to other species? I have taken care of all standing water and other mosquito problem areas but the area is infested. Just looking for real world advice……

Thanks in advance

 

Safe remedies as in like planting crap ton of lavender and such others?

 

Not looking to get into the eco-terrorist discussion, but I am surrounded by wetlands and retention ponds and I have found a Stihl SR 420 backpack sprayer and 2 week sprays of Mosquito Barrier works well and cuts the population in half. Then we use Thermocells to cover the rest when we're outside. If insanely wet, I might have to use Talstar-p and another product (name evades me) that tackles the larvae. Those are non-selective and I really try not to use them in the yard.

Talstar is also great as a Terminex alternative to spray your foundations and door/window casings with. Only use to that with a pump sprayer.

Good luck!

 

I use Talstar P and it has worked pretty well for me. I live next to a concrete waterway channel and sometimes when its dry or with stagnant water there is a mosquito issue. The Talstar P works pretty great for them and spiders and pincer bugs and stuff like that but it does also kill things I dont want like grasshoppers and mantiss but not very many. I havent seen any dead bees or anything.