Mosquitoes suck. Here are eight ways to end their reign of terror permanently.

Hot candle wax dripped on the bite also deactivates the itch.


We’re now getting the Asian tiger mosquitoes, which bite during the day. Does it work on them, too?

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I have no idea but it probably does. This thing acts like a lure and then traps what gets sucked into the lure. If this species is attracted to the same kinds of things (moisture, heat, CO2, light, etc) then I expect it will work great.

I also have yet to have any by-catch. No Bees or other insects - just mosquitos.

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You guys, promoting quack products harms everyone.

First off, “bug zappers” do not kill mosquitoes, who are not attracted to UV light in the least. They do kill moths, beetles and other beneficial insects, contributing to needless deaths of pollinators and beneficial insects.

Secondly, ultrasonic gadgets and mosquito bracelets have been thoroughly debunked. Go check out Wirecutter’s articles if you don’t believe me.

Mosquitoes are a serious health concern. Promoting quack products is a serious abandonment of principals. Boing Boing should know better. Please remove this product lineup from your site.

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I’ve heard That Bug Bite Thing actually works. Anyone use it?

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Just stay away from any product that uses ultrasound; they will never work against mosquitoes (or any other insects) nor rats.
Mosquitoes need still water to lay their eggs, so when watering plants keep an eye on water to be sure it flows back into the soil without making puddles. Of course if you live near a pond, now that’s a problem that needs different products I couldn’t suggest. But ultrasounds never worked and never will, despite being sold since ages (I recall them being advertised in the 70s).

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Good advice. The consensus last time one of these was advertised was that the local application of heat was an effective treatment. I still plan on ordering one of these for the car:
https://www.atcmedical.com/MOREPOWER2U_THERAPIKREG_PAIN_RELIEF_DEVICE_FOR_INSECT_STING_AND_BITE_ITCH/THETHPKBL1000/product.aspx

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Here are some things that really work:

  • A light breeze, natural or from a fan. They are slow flyers.
  • Eliminating all standing water, even itty bitty little pools, like in a soda bottle or in the corner of a gutter.
  • Eliminating habitat for mosquitoes (damp, shady, weedy areas in your yard).
  • Encouraging their predators (conflicts with habitat somewhat).
  • DEET and picaridin; I prefer picaridin because it doesn’t feel as nasty on my skin, and DEET will dissolve some plastics (the kind you find on grill lighters and Victorinox knives). But DEET seems to last longer.

Getting rid of standing water really helps. On the other hand, leaving any standing water really expands the mosquito population.

EDIT: Yelling at kids to “keep the damn good closed” doesn’t seem to help.

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Picaridin goes on stinky but doesn’t stay that way. I dislike the smell of DEET so picaridin is my go-to for any activity that will last less than 2 hours and isn’t near a mosquito hot spot like woods or ponds. Otherwise, it’s DEET deep woods and a thorough shower after.

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Where is my laser zappy thing? I want the future today.

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‘The LED lights and bionic temperature increase

The what now?

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The woo.

I need @PsiPhiGrrrl’s Tyvek suit, as I am a mosquito magnet.

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The Bite Helper

You need to run that name by Miss LaRoche-Van Der Hout to make sure it isn’t offensive to the Franco-Dutch-people

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Imagine the size of the mosquitoes that thing can kill.

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Though this is octodrone’s first post, I agree. None of these products can live up to the clickbait headline. Maybe write more about a potential spike in malarial epidemics as eradication teams scale down operations in the face of covid.

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Thanks Supercrisp for helping promote Things That Work.

If you can’t eliminate standing water, I would heartily recommend mosquito dunkers when possible. The “dunkers” are basically sachets of naturally-occurring Bacillus thuringiensis that kill larval mosquitoes. I use them constantly for my backyard carnivorous-plant bog containers. (You do need to add more every few weeks or so to prevent new generations from developing)

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Learned this here on BB years ago: run the bite / sting under the hottest water you can for at least 30 seconds as soon as you can. (Not boiling, obviously duh). It breaks the toxins down.

Absolutely terrific! and free! But doesn’t stop them coming back for pudding.

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Ah, a sperm suit! :smiley:

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It always reminds me of Mike Teavee:

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I hear that concentrated garlic based mosquito barrier sprays are excellent for outdoor areas. Apparently the little suckers are not keen on garlic.

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A friend told me a tasty blend of 20oz cheap dish soap, 20 oz of cheap mint mouthwash, and 2 cups of epsom salts keeps every single bug away. He poured it out in a circle around his campsite in N Michigan, where he and his family had been getting eaten alive by mozzies, and all of them ahem bugged off. He later experimented with it by pouring out a huge circle of it around wooded land they own, and he said that even after several rainfalls there were no bugs at all within the circle. Since he also saw no bees, butterflies, nor fireflies, I would suggest its careful, sparing use. I’d only use it on part of our front porch, to avoid chasing away pollinators.