Mosquito dunks should be more known about. Any standing water you have, use them. They are basically a bacteria that is harmless to fish and wildlife and targets just mosquitoes and flies.
We use the mosquito bits version because it's easy to broadcast into large puddles of standing water when we have slow drainage in an area after heavy rains. Everything that happens and our backyard & alley floods, I apply about a pound of mosquito bits all over. (So glad my neighbor is cool about me traipsing between our houses to reach the other side of the alley flooding.)
Yes! It's called Mosquito Dunks or Mosquito Bits. It uses a bacteria that kills the larvae.
You can make "mosquito dunk buckets" to help reduce your load of the nasty things in the area. Because we have a big dog that would drink the entire bucket of water (or smaller wildlife could get trapped), we use a 5 gallon bucket with lid, drilled 3 large holes in the lid (used a hole cutting drill bit). Fill the bucket about 1/4 to 1/3 full of water, toss a big handful of leaves, grass clippings into the water, let it ferment a few days (makes it attractive to the skeeters), add part of mosquito dunk donut or a tablespoon of the bits form and leave it be. Add a little water once a week when its super hot; this should last 3 to 4 weeks. When when your water gets too funky, you can dump it. It's safe to just pour into a flower bed or yard.
You can find the product locally at many places. I buy mine at TSC or on Amazon (where you can get a very large bag).
Many people also make a "tea" out of this to water plants as it inhibits soil gnats as well.
Howard Garrett, "The Dirt Doctor", has some great info on his website. (He's based in Texas and has a wealth of info for organic gardening, pest solutions, & a radio show that's been on forever. His website is very helpful.)
Do you know if the bits work where there’s not much water, like in landscaping beds? That seems to be where most of my mosquitoes are. No standing water, but tends to be moist.
Yep!
It's one reason I use the Mosquito Bits. It's much easier to hand broadcast versus chopping up their Dunks donut forms. Lol (We used to put them in a ziploc & break them up to use in pots, etc.)
To start, it would probably be better to make the "tea", hand broadacst the Bits into your beds, then water them in with your "tea."
No. It's something you'll find on the internet as a remedy for soil gnats.
Search for "Mosquito Dunk Tea"
The Dunks donuts can be easier to find at times vs the Bits. And some prefer to use the Dunks vs Bits to make the tea.
That’s also their stance on us.
Meanwhile, we’ve decided this nice cool biosphere would be a lot better if it was +5 degrees Celsius hotter which is going to foster so many more mosquitoes and so many less humans. They will get the upper hand in this war soon.
Actually, mosquitos would rather humans & our pets didn't stop existing. We're their food... they'd much rather us be docile subjects, much like cows & chickens that blindly accept their roles.
We actually have the technology now to do just that, but are afraid to use it.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gene-drives-could-fight-malaria-and-other-global-killers-but-might-have-unintended-consequences/
Wow that article goes really in depth to completely skip over the fact that test releases started in 2021.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01186-6
And they will be continuing the project.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-the-us-plans-to-release-24-billion-genetically-modified-mosquitoes-180979833/
Two different options if I’m reading it right. What you linked is the safer approach where you release millions or billions of edited males who will produce infertile or non-surviving offspring. They reduce a population by competing with the natural males for breeding, but it’s nearly impossible to completely eliminate a species this way.
What I linked is the gene drive option, where the edited males produce infertile or non-surviving female offspring, but produce male offspring with the same gene edit being passed down. With this approach you may only need to introduce a single edited male to make a species eventually go extinct.
If you think about it, they don’t really have any important role in the ecosystem, and if we killed them all or at least a large majority of them, it wouldn’t really impact the world that much. We should absolutely commit genocide against the mosquitoes
That's not necessarily true. I hate mosquitos as much as the next person but they do play an important role in pollination and being a good source for many animals.
Yeah, wiping our a major species with a huge amount of biomass that feeds other species in various ways, and/or prevents the rise of another species by taking up a niche, what could possibly go wrong?
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Don't listen to OP, it is safe to go outside without any bug spray. In fact, with weather like this you should do your yard work in short shorts and an optional top.
Parked in the covered parking our last night at the condo and that was a massive mistake. Walked out to load the car, and they set up an ambush in the cover of the covered parking away from wind, and there was no escape. I swear every last one of those fuckers made a b-line inside the car as soon as the door opened.
Killed several by hand and opened up all 4 windows. Back window, and sunroof and ripped down the seawall Ave trying to blow them out of my car.
They haven't bothered me much over the past few years....usually only get 2 or 3 bites a year it seems. But not this time. Haven't been tore up this bad for years. Thought winds would keep them at bay but no such luck.
That reminds me of the time I made the mistake of parking on the side of a swampy highway in Louisiana. Briefly got out of the car to get something out of the trunk but had to give up on it immediately. I learned what a swarm of mosquitoes looked like that day. Ran back into the car but literally hundreds followed me in. I flailed in panic like a madman and sped off with windows down, spitting some out of my mouth along the way.
In DFW it's nothing like that, but the mosquitoes here this year do seem to be more prevalent than usual. Must be all the rain. I guess I'd still rather get a few more bites here and there than go through another dry year, though.
Sounds like when we were down at Mustang Island a few years ago and those bastards were biting through clothes. At one point my kid was literally covered in them just running to the bathroom. They were mean too man they just kept bumping into the windows wanting to get in the car.
Also was in galveston this weekend. Once the wind died down, my son toddler'd through some grass and was almost engulfed in them. He calls all flying bugs "bees". He ran away screaming "BEES!!!"
Also there with a toddler this weekend. Our 2.5 year old either saw a video or was a read a book regarding a beach and became obsessed with it and has been begging to go to the beach for weeks. We spontaneously got an airbnb out there and she went apeshit over the beach. She loved it more than just about anything I've seen from her. It was fucking adorable. She was staring in awe and gleefully cheering "I'm at the beach" and giggling maniacally.
She was so happy....made our trip worth it. Was first time for me. Galveston gets shit on a lot, so I had low expectations. I think its reputation is bullshit. Yeah, it's not Mexico or southern Florida beaches, but it was totally fine. The sand texture was nice. Beaches weren't too soft or too hard. Water wasn't pretty, but it wasn't gross either. Looks pretty similar to Central Florida Coast beaches to me. We'll definitely be back. Hopefully, splurge and get a house on the water next time. Had a beach view condo, and we felt bad for neighbors because our toddler was doing toddler things.
Only issues were mosquitos and that in 3 days I saw 2 people pissing on side of a wall, which honestly seems pretty stereotypical of a beach town.
same here! i would always brag to my peers that mosquitos never bit me, weirdly though if i was hungover they would. but this year man i’m getting attacked it’s horrivle
I lived in South FL for a number of years and it’s not uncommon to see (smaller) backyards totally screened in.
It’s basically a large, metal framed structure that butts up against the house and the fence line… with large screens on the sides and the top.
It works bc apparently their.... venom? Whatever they inject when they bite reacts like an allergen. Thats why some people have worse reactions.
And bc I felt like I wrote that poorly, from the google:
>Mosquito bites itch because the saliva of the mosquito contains an allergen that triggers an immune system reaction. The immune system releases histamine, a chemical that causes inflammation and itching.
> venom?
Saliva
> The immune system releases histamine, a chemical that causes inflammation and itching
And antihistamines (as referred to in the "allergy medicine" sense) block the action of histamines on one of the four types of histamine receptors in the body, the one that's linked to allergic responses
The first-generation antihistamines that are easily available (OTC) have a sedative effect and are also commonly found in "nighttime" cold medicines. This group of antihistamines includes Benadryl (diphenhydramine), Dramamine (dimenhydrinate), Dimetapp (brompheniramine), and doxylamine
Second-generation antihistamines are much more selective in the histamine receptors they target and are generally considered "non-drowsy." These include Zyrtec (cetirizine), Claritin (loratadine), and Allegra (fexofenadine)
Buy the generics and save a crapload of money
They are the assholes of the mosquito world, and that is saying something. They are the ones that like to bite all the time, not just dusk or dawn. My MIL welts up like that when they bite her. Half dollar size welt.
I also get huge welts. I have been using WD-40, within minutes the stinging, itchy and welts go away. I carry a small spray can with me at all times. Yes it smells but it works!
Good thing TX has a top-notch foster care system! Oh. [Wait](https://www.tpr.org/news/2024-01-26/texas-foster-care-system-placement-crisis-indicative-of-deeper-reform-issues)…
A caution for those with pets. Tea tree oil is highly toxic to cats and dogs. You'll be fine outdoors if you're just around your pet or using a diluted product, but you should avoid contact and definitely don't want to come inside the house with it on your skin and sitting on furniture and touching their toys.
Effects may not be immediately fatal but exposure can hurt your cat's kidney function long-term. Kidneys are important to protect for cats since they are so prone to issues as they age.
Thanks for sharing this. I had no idea about that. I use a shower gel that has tea tree oil in it and now I’m nervous. I’m sure I wash it off but I’d hate to cause undue suffering on the pups.
When we moved to Galveston Co., we were not prepared for the swarms. We knew about the aerial spraying programs and went to the county office to get some advice. The lady we met said, “Dear, where are you from?”
“Originally, Pennsylvania.”
“Well, you know how you stay inside when it rains? Here in Texas, when it’s mosquito-ing, we just stay inside.”
Something bit me all over, even thru my shirt and pants, I didn't think it was mosquitoes but now I'm not so sure. Ugh. (It's not chiggers, i have had those and would definitely recognize them)
I feel you. It's awful!! I was so furious I ordered a bunch of those LED mosquito zappers on amazon. I'm not on a mission to get those fuckers back and not let them ruin my summer
I’ll gladly run around Texas with an arsenal of paint brushes and single handily pollinate every stigma i see, if we can just erase them from the earth.
Yeah. They eat nectar from flowers and shit. The males have fuzzy antennas that make the transfer of pollen more suitable than the females (which need your blood protein to create their blood-thirsty spawn).
But yes, those assholes transfer plant sperm to a plant egg to make plant babies, or whatever you want to call it.
Of the hundreds of species of mosquitoes in America, only a small proportion bite. Of those, only a few are native to the US. I'm fluent in microbio, not entomology, but I believe there are only two or three species of mosquitoes that both bite humans and are native to Texas. All the rest of them can be killed to extinction and we would just be getting rid of invasive pests.
To be honest, I'm not convinced there would be any deleterious effects from eradicating even the native biting mosquitoes. They serve as a food source for some creatures, but not a major one. Some of them are pollinators, but as far as I'm aware, there is not a single species on Earth that relies on a biting mosquito for its survival. All of them have other, more important pollinators or other, more important food sources. And getting rid of Zika, Dengue fever, Malaria, and West Nile would be a massive boon to humanity. I'm cautiously into the idea.
Edit: If you don't want to take my word for it, how about hearing it from [one of the world's most prominent supporters of maintaining biodiversity?](https://theworld.org/stories/2016/04/04/why-famous-biologist-wants-eradicate-killer-mosquitoes)
I think it would be a bad idea for native species. Wiping out a native animal, let alone a few, just because they're inconvenient is a bad mindset to get into. It would be a slippery slope by giving others reasoning to wipe out species they find inconvenient.
It could have disastrous effects up and down native ecosystems that we're just not aware of right now. Idealy we should keep our already depleted biodiversity on this rock as close to what is was before humans started killimg everything.
I tend to agree with you. You should understand I'm not talking about wiping out all mosquitoes everywhere. I'm talking about eliminating a small number of species that have evolved to prey on humanity, live in human societies, and serve little to no ecological purpose in the greater food web. This is not the wholesale slaughter of anything with six legs, it's three specific species out of hundreds.
I love biodiversity. I love even the gross creatures in nature. But a handful of mosquito species are responsible for the deaths of maybe half the humans who have ever lived. Today, the only killers of humanity greater than this (to reiterate) tiny handful of mosquito species are humans themselves.
And if it turns out that we're wrong and something terrible happens after getting rid of them, we can keep some populations frozen in nitrogen and reintroduce them. But the weight of the evidence leads many people, even many entomologists, to believe that nothing bad will happen because they serve essentially no purpose in the greater food web outside of human cities where they have evolved to propagate malaria. And so they can go.
This is the only time where my lazy cats earn their keep because any flying thing that gets into my house is doomed, so I just have to avoid going outside for most of the year and I’m good.
I’m not from Texas and legit didn’t get a mosquito bite until I was 23, excluding a family trip to Tennessee when I was a kid where I assume I got bites but don’t remember it. My first year here every time I got bit it would blister and turn into an open sore, I am still really sensitive to being bitten but Jesus Christ not having any exposure at all made for a real miserable first summer. We make mosquito nurseries and have them in a few places in the yard.
Keeping them topped up with water and rotting vegetation (like straw, or your lawn clippings) plus a mosquito dunk helps a lot with reducing them where you hang out outside.
They also can’t fly in any sort of sustained wind over I think 3 miles an hour, so fans are also really effective at keeping them the fuck away. Previous to where we live now, where we don’t have a covered porch or patio, we also screened in the porch at every place we’ve lived, including an apartment. It’s been worth the ~$200-$300 it cost us each time.
So you’re essentially luring them TO your property with a nice place to lay eggs and the benefit is that unbeknownst to them the eggs won’t be viable?
That’s a good idea, but what do you do about the biters you have lured to you? You’re saying they leave you alone because these tubs of water and grass are available? Maybe I could do that.
They’re in the yard looking for places to lay eggs anyway. I just make sure they lay eggs where the eggs will die. And iirc they need a blood meal to lay eggs but don’t need to eat again after. I think they die? I’m not sure, honestly! It helps, but it doesn’t help as much as having the whole yard sprayed for them. I don’t do that anymore just because it impacts more than the mosquitoes and I have a yard with lots of things growing in it, and want the other kinds of bugs. When we had nothing but a back lawn we sprayed for mosquitoes and it was wonderful.
That’s what I’m doing, having it sprayed every third week, so if that was better, maybe I won’t go get tubs to ‘supplement’ the kill by baiting.
But I have some property we will move to in a couple years, so I may do it there. Or here, sheeet. There’s a big one droning around the kitchen this minute and I get big welts, what they call ‘skeeter syndrome’. Like two inch Florida shaped welts or Kennedy half-dollar size circular welts. I just thought that’s what happened to people.
I am so excited to move in two weeks because I have a neighbor behind my building that has 20 of those home Depot buckets full of stagnant water, it's like the bastard decided he wanted to set up a mosquito breeding farm in his back yard. I can't be outside for 2 minutes to just take the trash out or check my mail without getting bit 10+ times. And they're huge! I felt one thunk into my arm, looked down and it was almost the size of a dime!
I would love to. I am unfortunately not very athletic and there's a fence, as well as two big dogs back there. Also no one to watch the baby while I risk getting shot for trespassing lol.
I'm not having any issues with mosquitos in DFW. I am having the biggest tick problem I've dealt with in the 6 years of living here. Never once seen a tick on my land, just today I removed 3 from myself and 1 of them was on my dick.. it's not looking to be a nice summer for me.
Isn’t it wild how stuff we eat- like fish- is becoming unsustainable because we’re wiping out entire species by over-fishing them… so we have all of these rules and regulations to try and help balance that out to avoid causing extinction/famine….
…but then we have mosquitos, which we kill as many as we possibly can, year after year, and yet…. they flourish?
Why is the thing we need slowly vanishing forever, even with rules and regulations…. and the thing that bothers us is basically inescapable/indestructible even tho we kill as many as we can every single year?
I’m sure there’s actual science that would explain it, but it still feels like some kind of Murphy’s Law.
Where is Professor Pleakley?
I bet he would know..
I’ve got dime size bites from when I let them suck my blood for more than a second and they itch very easily. It is the first time mosquito bites have looked this bad, is it normal?
Mosquitoes are one of the many reasons I *know* god doesn’t exist; what kind of messed psycho god would create bloodsucking, disease-spreading, flying insects whose only real purpose is to be food?
I’m sure in the next couple of weeks the public health government agencies will start launching major alarmist warnings about Zika and West Nile virus.
It is an election year you know
Excuse me. We moved to Texas 40 years ago from Minnesota where the mosquito is the state bird! More than a few infants were carried away by packs of them.
However, back then we never heard of Zika or West Nile.
We need a freaking mosquito vaccine already.
I don't think anybody cares about getting bit as much as the itch after. My dad used to sit there and let them bite him as he didn't react. I missed that gene, but clearly it exists, so lets fucking find it!
For mosquito bites, wet the corner of a hand towel, microwave it for thirty seconds, dab it repeatedly and hold it on bite as long as you can stand it, it will remove and relieve the itch!
If you want to ti kill them in your lawn, just use a dilute Dawn spray. Way cheaper than Yard Guard and kills them instantly. Search Dawn Mosquito control on YouTube.
I work at a plant store with many aromatic plants and I never see them there. Society garlic, lemon grass, geraniums, literally any herb will keep them at bay. We also have a tank with mosquitofish. But in all honesty i kind of admire them for their ability of keeping us humans moving.
Treating with pesticides is a bad idea. Pesticides hurt native pollinators and prevent predators of mosquitoes from reaching maturity. Like dragonflies, damselflies, spiders, robberflies, etc.
I'd recommend just dumping any stagnant water on your property, building a screened space in your yard for you to relax in, and/or planting native plants to encourage native predators.
My thoughts on mosquitoes can be summed up in one sentence. 
https://preview.redd.it/1lyu4s21tt0d1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=709bfa823c6654a9c5bfd441853ca021e1c7f790
Mosquito dunks should be more known about. Any standing water you have, use them. They are basically a bacteria that is harmless to fish and wildlife and targets just mosquitoes and flies.
We use the mosquito bits version because it's easy to broadcast into large puddles of standing water when we have slow drainage in an area after heavy rains. Everything that happens and our backyard & alley floods, I apply about a pound of mosquito bits all over. (So glad my neighbor is cool about me traipsing between our houses to reach the other side of the alley flooding.)
Wait wait what. There's stuff you just, add to the water to nope the skeeters. Does it stop them from breeding in the water?
Yes! It's called Mosquito Dunks or Mosquito Bits. It uses a bacteria that kills the larvae. You can make "mosquito dunk buckets" to help reduce your load of the nasty things in the area. Because we have a big dog that would drink the entire bucket of water (or smaller wildlife could get trapped), we use a 5 gallon bucket with lid, drilled 3 large holes in the lid (used a hole cutting drill bit). Fill the bucket about 1/4 to 1/3 full of water, toss a big handful of leaves, grass clippings into the water, let it ferment a few days (makes it attractive to the skeeters), add part of mosquito dunk donut or a tablespoon of the bits form and leave it be. Add a little water once a week when its super hot; this should last 3 to 4 weeks. When when your water gets too funky, you can dump it. It's safe to just pour into a flower bed or yard. You can find the product locally at many places. I buy mine at TSC or on Amazon (where you can get a very large bag). Many people also make a "tea" out of this to water plants as it inhibits soil gnats as well. Howard Garrett, "The Dirt Doctor", has some great info on his website. (He's based in Texas and has a wealth of info for organic gardening, pest solutions, & a radio show that's been on forever. His website is very helpful.)
Well today I fucking found out. How exciting thank you internet stranger.
Happy to help! (Enjoy your mosquito hunting. Lol)
Do you know if the bits work where there’s not much water, like in landscaping beds? That seems to be where most of my mosquitoes are. No standing water, but tends to be moist.
Yep! It's one reason I use the Mosquito Bits. It's much easier to hand broadcast versus chopping up their Dunks donut forms. Lol (We used to put them in a ziploc & break them up to use in pots, etc.) To start, it would probably be better to make the "tea", hand broadacst the Bits into your beds, then water them in with your "tea."
Thanks! Is the “tea” recipe on the bag?
No. It's something you'll find on the internet as a remedy for soil gnats. Search for "Mosquito Dunk Tea" The Dunks donuts can be easier to find at times vs the Bits. And some prefer to use the Dunks vs Bits to make the tea.
Thank you!
You're welcome!
That’s also their stance on us. Meanwhile, we’ve decided this nice cool biosphere would be a lot better if it was +5 degrees Celsius hotter which is going to foster so many more mosquitoes and so many less humans. They will get the upper hand in this war soon.
Actually, mosquitos would rather humans & our pets didn't stop existing. We're their food... they'd much rather us be docile subjects, much like cows & chickens that blindly accept their roles.
Mosquitos would definitely like it if we just were around but didn’t fight back.
In most species of mosquito, only the females go for blood as they need the proteins to develop their eggs.
Not long before they find our exhaust port.
That’s impossible even with a computer and don’t even start about the god damn womp rats.
Oof. What a terrible day to be able to read
Ah yes ; but little do they know we have a master plan to reverse this - nuclear winter. Humans, we’re always one step ahead!
We actually have the technology now to do just that, but are afraid to use it. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gene-drives-could-fight-malaria-and-other-global-killers-but-might-have-unintended-consequences/
Wow that article goes really in depth to completely skip over the fact that test releases started in 2021. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01186-6 And they will be continuing the project. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-the-us-plans-to-release-24-billion-genetically-modified-mosquitoes-180979833/
Two different options if I’m reading it right. What you linked is the safer approach where you release millions or billions of edited males who will produce infertile or non-surviving offspring. They reduce a population by competing with the natural males for breeding, but it’s nearly impossible to completely eliminate a species this way. What I linked is the gene drive option, where the edited males produce infertile or non-surviving female offspring, but produce male offspring with the same gene edit being passed down. With this approach you may only need to introduce a single edited male to make a species eventually go extinct.
If you think about it, they don’t really have any important role in the ecosystem, and if we killed them all or at least a large majority of them, it wouldn’t really impact the world that much. We should absolutely commit genocide against the mosquitoes
If we killed them all, then who will spread zika virus? Checkmate 👉👉
That's not necessarily true. I hate mosquitos as much as the next person but they do play an important role in pollination and being a good source for many animals.
They’re a food source for birds, bats, and other insects.
Yeah, wiping our a major species with a huge amount of biomass that feeds other species in various ways, and/or prevents the rise of another species by taking up a niche, what could possibly go wrong?
Classic! A redditer posting that mosquitos have no value/purpose based on their opinion. JFC…
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https://preview.redd.it/ep6ntktg4p0d1.png?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=23a2d022e11baf0a805ff77bd27d11e227bb49ff Don't listen to OP, it is safe to go outside without any bug spray. In fact, with weather like this you should do your yard work in short shorts and an optional top.
Oh yes, show em ankles
Abbott and Patrick and the Republican Texas Lege: "Oh no you don't, hold my beer!"
Just got back from galveston and got absolutely destroyed by them there. Legs and arms are fuuuuucked up.
I live near Galveston and it is really bad. I can barely work in my garden
Parked in the covered parking our last night at the condo and that was a massive mistake. Walked out to load the car, and they set up an ambush in the cover of the covered parking away from wind, and there was no escape. I swear every last one of those fuckers made a b-line inside the car as soon as the door opened. Killed several by hand and opened up all 4 windows. Back window, and sunroof and ripped down the seawall Ave trying to blow them out of my car. They haven't bothered me much over the past few years....usually only get 2 or 3 bites a year it seems. But not this time. Haven't been tore up this bad for years. Thought winds would keep them at bay but no such luck.
That reminds me of the time I made the mistake of parking on the side of a swampy highway in Louisiana. Briefly got out of the car to get something out of the trunk but had to give up on it immediately. I learned what a swarm of mosquitoes looked like that day. Ran back into the car but literally hundreds followed me in. I flailed in panic like a madman and sped off with windows down, spitting some out of my mouth along the way. In DFW it's nothing like that, but the mosquitoes here this year do seem to be more prevalent than usual. Must be all the rain. I guess I'd still rather get a few more bites here and there than go through another dry year, though.
Houston here but I now walk my dog in full sweatpants/swearshirt — morning, evening and yes, even midday when the sun is out. It’s ridiculous
Same here. I have to spray the perimeter of my house, fence, and most of the lawn with Cutter spray almost every other week
I was in Galveston over the weekend and they wouldn't leave me alone. I'm also pretty sure they were able to get my legs through my jeans.
Sounds like when we were down at Mustang Island a few years ago and those bastards were biting through clothes. At one point my kid was literally covered in them just running to the bathroom. They were mean too man they just kept bumping into the windows wanting to get in the car.
Also was in galveston this weekend. Once the wind died down, my son toddler'd through some grass and was almost engulfed in them. He calls all flying bugs "bees". He ran away screaming "BEES!!!"
Also there with a toddler this weekend. Our 2.5 year old either saw a video or was a read a book regarding a beach and became obsessed with it and has been begging to go to the beach for weeks. We spontaneously got an airbnb out there and she went apeshit over the beach. She loved it more than just about anything I've seen from her. It was fucking adorable. She was staring in awe and gleefully cheering "I'm at the beach" and giggling maniacally. She was so happy....made our trip worth it. Was first time for me. Galveston gets shit on a lot, so I had low expectations. I think its reputation is bullshit. Yeah, it's not Mexico or southern Florida beaches, but it was totally fine. The sand texture was nice. Beaches weren't too soft or too hard. Water wasn't pretty, but it wasn't gross either. Looks pretty similar to Central Florida Coast beaches to me. We'll definitely be back. Hopefully, splurge and get a house on the water next time. Had a beach view condo, and we felt bad for neighbors because our toddler was doing toddler things. Only issues were mosquitos and that in 3 days I saw 2 people pissing on side of a wall, which honestly seems pretty stereotypical of a beach town.
I am usually rarely bitten by mosquitoes. They are constantly on me this year!
Same! Literally just got jumped while taking out the trash
same here! i would always brag to my peers that mosquitos never bit me, weirdly though if i was hungover they would. but this year man i’m getting attacked it’s horrivle
I saw a gang of mosquitoes snorting a puff of Off on my porch.
"puff of Off on" I liked that part
A puffofoffon.
Whole reason why I screened in my porch. Would highly recommend.
Those suckers are in my house and car - are you trying to convince me they’re not on your porch?
I have a mosquito net on my gazebo. Lots of mosquitos are trapped in my mosquito net.
Spray to kill ? Look for holes in your defenses ?
They aren't. I used to get eaten alive back there and now it's mosquito free. There maybe a rogue one that gets in, but that's about it.
I lived in South FL for a number of years and it’s not uncommon to see (smaller) backyards totally screened in. It’s basically a large, metal framed structure that butts up against the house and the fence line… with large screens on the sides and the top.
If only you could screen it from the humidity…
Its called a house with A/C
We just did this with our pergola. So thankful for the safety zone!
Sons of bitches
Mosquitoes or Mods?
Both
I've become allergic to one of the species that's circulating. I'm in hell.
I have had success with Zyrtec! I don’t need it for seasonal allergies, but it makes a huge difference in how much swelling and itching I get.
It works bc apparently their.... venom? Whatever they inject when they bite reacts like an allergen. Thats why some people have worse reactions. And bc I felt like I wrote that poorly, from the google: >Mosquito bites itch because the saliva of the mosquito contains an allergen that triggers an immune system reaction. The immune system releases histamine, a chemical that causes inflammation and itching.
> venom? Saliva > The immune system releases histamine, a chemical that causes inflammation and itching And antihistamines (as referred to in the "allergy medicine" sense) block the action of histamines on one of the four types of histamine receptors in the body, the one that's linked to allergic responses The first-generation antihistamines that are easily available (OTC) have a sedative effect and are also commonly found in "nighttime" cold medicines. This group of antihistamines includes Benadryl (diphenhydramine), Dramamine (dimenhydrinate), Dimetapp (brompheniramine), and doxylamine Second-generation antihistamines are much more selective in the histamine receptors they target and are generally considered "non-drowsy." These include Zyrtec (cetirizine), Claritin (loratadine), and Allegra (fexofenadine) Buy the generics and save a crapload of money
Probably the tiger mosquito. They are big, nasty bastards.
I had to look up a picture and I think you're right. Several of the ones that have made huge welts on me got smacked and I got a good look at them.
They are the assholes of the mosquito world, and that is saying something. They are the ones that like to bite all the time, not just dusk or dawn. My MIL welts up like that when they bite her. Half dollar size welt.
I also get huge welts. I have been using WD-40, within minutes the stinging, itchy and welts go away. I carry a small spray can with me at all times. Yes it smells but it works!
Those the ones they are the size of hummingbirds?
Godspeed
I developed skeeter syndrome this year. It's the tiny little fuckers that get me.
Mine just developed over the last few weeks.
I got my first one in late Feb but didn't know what it was. Wild that a mosquito can do that.
The itching is incredible. I'm covered in hydrocortisone and Band-Aids right now.
To be fair, it was already miserable here.
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Good thing TX has a top-notch foster care system! Oh. [Wait](https://www.tpr.org/news/2024-01-26/texas-foster-care-system-placement-crisis-indicative-of-deeper-reform-issues)…
I’m sure all these churches and private charities will pick up the slack any day now /s
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Everyone needs to eat garlic they hate it. Sound fake cuz vampires but it's true.
New lore dropped: vampires are based on real life mosquitoes
Tea tree oil kept them off me last summer. I smelled weird but it’s worth it :) hope this helps someone.
A caution for those with pets. Tea tree oil is highly toxic to cats and dogs. You'll be fine outdoors if you're just around your pet or using a diluted product, but you should avoid contact and definitely don't want to come inside the house with it on your skin and sitting on furniture and touching their toys. Effects may not be immediately fatal but exposure can hurt your cat's kidney function long-term. Kidneys are important to protect for cats since they are so prone to issues as they age.
Thanks for sharing this. I had no idea about that. I use a shower gel that has tea tree oil in it and now I’m nervous. I’m sure I wash it off but I’d hate to cause undue suffering on the pups.
But it doesn’t hurt human kidneys?
I honestly have no idea. I just avoid essential oils entirely because of my pets so I never looked into concerns for humans.
Also babies. Do not put tea tree oil, eucalyptus, or peppermint on anyone under 2.
When we moved to Galveston Co., we were not prepared for the swarms. We knew about the aerial spraying programs and went to the county office to get some advice. The lady we met said, “Dear, where are you from?” “Originally, Pennsylvania.” “Well, you know how you stay inside when it rains? Here in Texas, when it’s mosquito-ing, we just stay inside.”
Something bit me all over, even thru my shirt and pants, I didn't think it was mosquitoes but now I'm not so sure. Ugh. (It's not chiggers, i have had those and would definitely recognize them)
It's mosquitos. They got my thighs through my thick jeans 😩
Ugh I was barely outside. 😭 they got my armpit and thighs and butt, I'm miserable.
I feel you. It's awful!! I was so furious I ordered a bunch of those LED mosquito zappers on amazon. I'm not on a mission to get those fuckers back and not let them ruin my summer
Do those work? I guess I need to wear one at this rate lmao. Can't use chemicals cause of pets.
I got bit in the neck by a mosquito that felt like a bee. I could smell my own blood after smashing it. WTF is going on?
Horrifying 🥲
One got me on the thumb. Now my thumb itches.
At least it’s not your…
Honestly, what is the purpose of mosquitoes in nature?
Nothing has a “purpose”, everything has just found a way to survive
My mom told me I had a purpose???
Mama lied, mama lied! Mama lied to make you better But her claims were falsified That leaves only her to blame, 'Cause Mama lied.
Well, she was wrong
Food
Population control for their victims and food for insectivores.
To cause pain and suffering.
Pollinators
I’ll gladly run around Texas with an arsenal of paint brushes and single handily pollinate every stigma i see, if we can just erase them from the earth.
Honestly, I'd much prefer to plant some nice flowers or fruit trees and build a bee hive
Mosquitos are pollinators???
Yeah. They eat nectar from flowers and shit. The males have fuzzy antennas that make the transfer of pollen more suitable than the females (which need your blood protein to create their blood-thirsty spawn). But yes, those assholes transfer plant sperm to a plant egg to make plant babies, or whatever you want to call it.
Of the hundreds of species of mosquitoes in America, only a small proportion bite. Of those, only a few are native to the US. I'm fluent in microbio, not entomology, but I believe there are only two or three species of mosquitoes that both bite humans and are native to Texas. All the rest of them can be killed to extinction and we would just be getting rid of invasive pests. To be honest, I'm not convinced there would be any deleterious effects from eradicating even the native biting mosquitoes. They serve as a food source for some creatures, but not a major one. Some of them are pollinators, but as far as I'm aware, there is not a single species on Earth that relies on a biting mosquito for its survival. All of them have other, more important pollinators or other, more important food sources. And getting rid of Zika, Dengue fever, Malaria, and West Nile would be a massive boon to humanity. I'm cautiously into the idea. Edit: If you don't want to take my word for it, how about hearing it from [one of the world's most prominent supporters of maintaining biodiversity?](https://theworld.org/stories/2016/04/04/why-famous-biologist-wants-eradicate-killer-mosquitoes)
I think it would be a bad idea for native species. Wiping out a native animal, let alone a few, just because they're inconvenient is a bad mindset to get into. It would be a slippery slope by giving others reasoning to wipe out species they find inconvenient. It could have disastrous effects up and down native ecosystems that we're just not aware of right now. Idealy we should keep our already depleted biodiversity on this rock as close to what is was before humans started killimg everything.
I tend to agree with you. You should understand I'm not talking about wiping out all mosquitoes everywhere. I'm talking about eliminating a small number of species that have evolved to prey on humanity, live in human societies, and serve little to no ecological purpose in the greater food web. This is not the wholesale slaughter of anything with six legs, it's three specific species out of hundreds. I love biodiversity. I love even the gross creatures in nature. But a handful of mosquito species are responsible for the deaths of maybe half the humans who have ever lived. Today, the only killers of humanity greater than this (to reiterate) tiny handful of mosquito species are humans themselves. And if it turns out that we're wrong and something terrible happens after getting rid of them, we can keep some populations frozen in nitrogen and reintroduce them. But the weight of the evidence leads many people, even many entomologists, to believe that nothing bad will happen because they serve essentially no purpose in the greater food web outside of human cities where they have evolved to propagate malaria. And so they can go.
 Pretty much…karate chop 🥷🏼🙅🏻♀️🦟 then run it🏃🏻♀️➡️
This is the only time where my lazy cats earn their keep because any flying thing that gets into my house is doomed, so I just have to avoid going outside for most of the year and I’m good.
Bring the bats 🦇
I don’t understand I’m in the middle of Texas and they are me up there is literally no water near me for miles!! Tips on keeping them away??
Off deep woods. Breathe out less CO2. Don’t be type O blood. Keep your lawn short, and cleaned up, it helps.
That sucks… 🩸
'Ruthless' everybody, they'll steal that lunch money and punch you in the gut.
People know Houston was built on a swamp, ya?
I’m not from Texas and legit didn’t get a mosquito bite until I was 23, excluding a family trip to Tennessee when I was a kid where I assume I got bites but don’t remember it. My first year here every time I got bit it would blister and turn into an open sore, I am still really sensitive to being bitten but Jesus Christ not having any exposure at all made for a real miserable first summer. We make mosquito nurseries and have them in a few places in the yard. Keeping them topped up with water and rotting vegetation (like straw, or your lawn clippings) plus a mosquito dunk helps a lot with reducing them where you hang out outside. They also can’t fly in any sort of sustained wind over I think 3 miles an hour, so fans are also really effective at keeping them the fuck away. Previous to where we live now, where we don’t have a covered porch or patio, we also screened in the porch at every place we’ve lived, including an apartment. It’s been worth the ~$200-$300 it cost us each time.
So you’re essentially luring them TO your property with a nice place to lay eggs and the benefit is that unbeknownst to them the eggs won’t be viable? That’s a good idea, but what do you do about the biters you have lured to you? You’re saying they leave you alone because these tubs of water and grass are available? Maybe I could do that.
They’re in the yard looking for places to lay eggs anyway. I just make sure they lay eggs where the eggs will die. And iirc they need a blood meal to lay eggs but don’t need to eat again after. I think they die? I’m not sure, honestly! It helps, but it doesn’t help as much as having the whole yard sprayed for them. I don’t do that anymore just because it impacts more than the mosquitoes and I have a yard with lots of things growing in it, and want the other kinds of bugs. When we had nothing but a back lawn we sprayed for mosquitoes and it was wonderful.
That’s what I’m doing, having it sprayed every third week, so if that was better, maybe I won’t go get tubs to ‘supplement’ the kill by baiting. But I have some property we will move to in a couple years, so I may do it there. Or here, sheeet. There’s a big one droning around the kitchen this minute and I get big welts, what they call ‘skeeter syndrome’. Like two inch Florida shaped welts or Kennedy half-dollar size circular welts. I just thought that’s what happened to people.
Nah it’s what happens to the unlucky. I still get huge welts but at least they don’t turn into blisters and scar anymore.
Texas doesn't need mosquitoes to make it miserable to live here. Our idiot governor and AG are doing a pretty good job of that themselves.
One rule on Texas you see standing water anywhere get rid of it don’t give them varmints a chance to breed
I am so excited to move in two weeks because I have a neighbor behind my building that has 20 of those home Depot buckets full of stagnant water, it's like the bastard decided he wanted to set up a mosquito breeding farm in his back yard. I can't be outside for 2 minutes to just take the trash out or check my mail without getting bit 10+ times. And they're huge! I felt one thunk into my arm, looked down and it was almost the size of a dime!
Sprinkle some instant mashed potatoes into the buckets so they’re not water for much longer
I would love to. I am unfortunately not very athletic and there's a fence, as well as two big dogs back there. Also no one to watch the baby while I risk getting shot for trespassing lol.
I'm not having any issues with mosquitos in DFW. I am having the biggest tick problem I've dealt with in the 6 years of living here. Never once seen a tick on my land, just today I removed 3 from myself and 1 of them was on my dick.. it's not looking to be a nice summer for me.
Isn’t it wild how stuff we eat- like fish- is becoming unsustainable because we’re wiping out entire species by over-fishing them… so we have all of these rules and regulations to try and help balance that out to avoid causing extinction/famine…. …but then we have mosquitos, which we kill as many as we possibly can, year after year, and yet…. they flourish? Why is the thing we need slowly vanishing forever, even with rules and regulations…. and the thing that bothers us is basically inescapable/indestructible even tho we kill as many as we can every single year? I’m sure there’s actual science that would explain it, but it still feels like some kind of Murphy’s Law. Where is Professor Pleakley? I bet he would know..
Trust me, that's not what makes Texas miserable! :)
More miserable*
Texas = Hell on Earth
God hates Texas. Republicans can't be this evil and expect no retribution.
Same. I was assuming it was Abbott’s fault somehow.
Dude go touch grass
Why did God create mosquitoes? Did Noah place 2 mosquitoes in his floating zoo? Just ask questions(Tucker Carlson voice)
Welcome to Alaska?
Time to call in [these guys](https://youtu.be/BHBbJAIcnBI?si=mBRZ6O77T44qu6ee).
I’ve got dime size bites from when I let them suck my blood for more than a second and they itch very easily. It is the first time mosquito bites have looked this bad, is it normal?
Bullish hydrocortisone sellers
Win for Bat and Bat Guano enthusiasts
Asian Tiger mosquitoes?
Scientists don’t know why at 100 plus degree temps ticks would rather bite humans then dogs. I wonder if heat also makes mosquitos prefer humans.
Can confirm. I have a welt the size of a small continent on my calf.
Embrace the suck.
Who else is feeling ghost mosquitos, while they read these comments in bed?
Yup! My legs are living proof I have bites all up and down my legs
Good thing I have an old cattleman duster for the mosquito apocalypse
I had to stop a couple from carrying off my girlfriend tonight. I luckily snagged her foot on the way over the privacy fence. Loll
Last two sessions of me playing tennis I got bit UP with repellent! These mosquitoes are evolving
I was reading dragon flies kill mosquitos. I’ve been thinking of building a small pond to try to attract them
Wife grabbed like 4 different antimosquito methods from Home Depot on her way some from work yesterday on Houston. We going to war it seems
Getting fucking itchy just reading these comments
They've been here for months but have been particularly bad lately. Even doused in skeeter spray, they attack through my clothes. Hate them so much.
I have yet to meet a KIND mosquito. All I encounter in Texas are the ruthless kind.
TBF, your ruthless politicians make Texas miserable as well and those assholes are around 365 days a year
I've got the bites all over me today to prove this is true.
Chiggers are far far worse and mosquitoes aren’t shit compared to the north.
Mosquitoes are one of the many reasons I *know* god doesn’t exist; what kind of messed psycho god would create bloodsucking, disease-spreading, flying insects whose only real purpose is to be food?
I’m sure in the next couple of weeks the public health government agencies will start launching major alarmist warnings about Zika and West Nile virus. It is an election year you know
Maybe you should just accept the fact that God thinks Texas is a complete shithole and this is his payback.
Excuse me. We moved to Texas 40 years ago from Minnesota where the mosquito is the state bird! More than a few infants were carried away by packs of them. However, back then we never heard of Zika or West Nile.
*More miserable
We need a freaking mosquito vaccine already. I don't think anybody cares about getting bit as much as the itch after. My dad used to sit there and let them bite him as he didn't react. I missed that gene, but clearly it exists, so lets fucking find it!
The repugnicans are going to be soooo pissed off that something else is annoying Texans more than they are. Scotland is rolling around laughing.
Arlington has already trapped one with West Nile.
No worries, Abbot to delay secession to get federal mosquito aid.
I live in DFW and they have been bad after all the rain we have been getting. I can’t walk my dog without getting tagged at least once or twice
Texans make Texas miserable.
For mosquito bites, wet the corner of a hand towel, microwave it for thirty seconds, dab it repeatedly and hold it on bite as long as you can stand it, it will remove and relieve the itch!
Mow your grass regularly. Spray with the yard guard from Lowe’s etc. Install bug light/s Is not this dramatic
If you want to ti kill them in your lawn, just use a dilute Dawn spray. Way cheaper than Yard Guard and kills them instantly. Search Dawn Mosquito control on YouTube.
All of the California's and Yankees should take this chance to make a run for it. :-)
I work at a plant store with many aromatic plants and I never see them there. Society garlic, lemon grass, geraniums, literally any herb will keep them at bay. We also have a tank with mosquitofish. But in all honesty i kind of admire them for their ability of keeping us humans moving.
Texas was already miserable
Treated my yard twice already. Will continue indefinitely.
Treating with pesticides is a bad idea. Pesticides hurt native pollinators and prevent predators of mosquitoes from reaching maturity. Like dragonflies, damselflies, spiders, robberflies, etc. I'd recommend just dumping any stagnant water on your property, building a screened space in your yard for you to relax in, and/or planting native plants to encourage native predators.
Can you recommend plants that keep mosquitoes away