I know, I know. I’ve been a big slacker lately. Bad blogger!
I guess I’ll blame the beautiful weather we’ve been having lately. I’ve been outside a lot in the last week.
My backyard would be the perfect hangout if it weren’t for all the infernal insects … mostly gnats and mosquitoes. I collected 25 mosquito bites the other night while trimming the hedges. The dern bloodsuckers get so thick they literally drive us inside at sunset.
Anyone have a good way to clear the yard of annoying insects without turning it into chemical perdition?
9 responses so far ↓
1
Karen
// May 23, 2007 at 9:29 am
You are not the only one who has been a slacker! Between baseball/softball games, meetings and work, I haven’t been checking your site. I wholeheartedly agree with you on the “bug” situation. We FINALLY opened our deck & to my dismay we couldn’t sit out for very long because of the Buffalo gnats! Now all we have to do is wait to get dive bombed by the 17 yr cicadas! YIKES!
2
Michelle
// May 23, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Mosquites and West Nile are part of the reason, I think, that those little screened patio tents (whatever they’re called) are becoming so popular. We’re thinking of getting one just so we can sit outside again. Our patio is scarcely usable otherwise. I don’t like to use bug spray, and with West Nile mosquito bites are a bit more than just a nuisance.
3
knightindragonland
// May 23, 2007 at 10:30 pm
We have a screened in sun porch, which is nice, but we’d like to let our kids run loose in the evenings when it’s cooler and their albino skins won’t get scorched. The bugs just don’t allow that.
Cicadas I don’t mind so much – they don’t bite or fly into your bodily orifices. We had a bunch in our trees last summer, but I haven’t seen any signs of the Big Emergence yet.
4
Alice
// May 23, 2007 at 11:11 pm
Try bat boxes. The little suckers can eat their weight in bugs. We have bats on our farm and very few mosquitos
The link below gives directions on how to build a bat box but you can also order them online.
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/publications/bats/assembly.htm
5
Anon E. Mouse
// May 24, 2007 at 2:28 pm
Three words:
Deep
Woods
Off
6
Kate
// May 24, 2007 at 3:00 pm
Uhm… I’m pretty sure if I saw a bat in my backyard I would wet my pants.
7
knightindragonland
// May 24, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Thus confirming my suspicion that the wife would not go for the bat house idea.
8
Lyle Meece
// May 26, 2007 at 9:43 pm
Something I found that helps prevent mosquido bites, garlic tablets. I don’t know why, but they don’t seem to bite when I take them, must be like a werewolf thing
9
Lyle Meece
// Jun 6, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Opps vampire thing, I got my mythical creatures mixed up.
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