Ok AKsteven...
Obviously you have a vested interest in mosquito control....
I have a vested interest in keeping the buggahs away from me....
Know of any sites to get free trial samples of mosquito repellents? [?]
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I agree with Steven that it is indeed something to be worried about. There is avian malaria here, and malaria is bound to expand its range in the next 20 years. West nile if it found itself to the Hawaiian Islands could be a catastrophic as the malaria on the native bird population. On the mainland they figure it has killed 70 percent of the crow population already.
Fortunately at this point the mosquitoes we do have are very mildly aggressive sorts that are a hassle, but easily controlled. Their bites are only marginally noxious. Nothing like the kind of Alaska predators or anything you find in the hatches in the western States, that I'm woefully familiar with.
My take.
Build a good fish pond stocked with good healthy goldfish. I've got one and the mosquito population isn't a quarter of what it was when I got here. You cannot find a larvae in that pond, between the goldfish and the dragonflies. Anybody who wants help with one should contact me, and I'm going to need to be giving away koi here pretty soon, and they're humping up a storm.
Use deet, in my experience, and all else is a farce. Be aware there are different concentrations and light ones are useless. Use 99 percent jungle juice or just dress heavy. Mean mosquitoes bite right through your clothes but these are too small to pull that off, it seems.
I find the allerthin based coils are very very effective, and I usually burn one or two under the house as good measure when I see them around.
Use a bug net over the bed. Some people find them sexy and if they're nicely done will eliminate night-time bites.
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Thanks for the notes, perspective, and info on this topic.
My vested interest in mosquito control is just the same as that of most folks in Puna- seeing the human community, wild birds, and domesticated animals stay healthy. I do not hold stock in Monsanto, DuPont, a mosquito abatement device company, or sell their repellents or widgets but am interested in the effectiveness of those approaches in Puna. It may be I take the potential of mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases more to heart than most, though, because of what I've seen and experienced during the years I've lived in the tropics in nations with severe epidemiological problems, plus the big shifts I've witnessed firsthand in the arctic over the years, plus having heard my whole life about my mom's baby brother (who died from Yellow Fever in Berkeley, California, after being bitten by a mosquito off of a ship). Climate change and invasive species in combination with a rapid global transport system can make for big and surprisingly swift impacts on local ecology, agriculture, and human health.
As far as free samples of mosquito repellents, Kapohocat was kind enough to give me springs of her Cuban oregano -reputed by her Myth Buster crew to be effective as repellent when crushed and rubbed on the skin. Once those sprigs have established and bushed out you are welcome to some free samples from my plants. Caveat emptor, however, as this approach is still experimental ...for instance, many people do not realize tea tree --AKA, melaluca-- and lavender essential oils, shampoos, soaps and so on are fairly strong estrogen mimics which can cause susceptible boys and male infant to develop large female-appearing breasts (gynecomastia) and/or inhibit their sexual development, and can sicken or kill cats which are shampooed or anointed with such (search the keywords if you wonder about this being accurate). Caution is probably a good idea with any untested substance.
Damon's mention of free mosquito repellent and the note about unintended consequences from lavender and tea tree extracts brings to mind an amusing experience from many years ago, if you'll excuse me in talking story for a moment. On an expedition into the jungles of Sumatra a couple anthropologist friends of mine, women, were using liquid OFF mosquito repellent and sleeping under a mosquito net --tucked in all around the edge of the pallet-- in a bamboo hut. In the gloom of night but with just enough light available inside the hut to barely be able to see, one of them was awakened by an odd tickling sensation on her chin and throat. She had done fieldwork in India and seen the results of unfortunate human-snake interactions there, so lay perfectly still, trying to remain calm, while she woke up completely and tried to figure out what was going on and how best to respond. She felt a rustling and stirring atop her breasts and so knew some type of animal was on her and licking her exposed chin and throat ...where the liquid mosquito repellent had been thickly applied. She slowly opened her eyes and --controlling her breathing with great effort-- ever so slowly inclined her head to look at what what perched atop her breast and then toward the researcher asleep next to her. She saw that atop her chest and her friend's chest were several big rats all avidly licking their exposed skin; there was also a big rat between them on the bed, licking her friend's ear. At just that moment, alas, her friend also awoke and before the first woman could do anything to signal and caution the second, the second looked over and the instant she saw rats atop, surrounding, and licking her partner and herself she just completely lost it. Wild thrashing and much screaming ensued as totally panicked rats flew in all directions only to rebound from the mosquito net enclosure around the pallet and land back atop the flailing researchers again. To make the chaos complete, one of the two had very long hair and a rat which landed in it became tangled, struggling there to escape. Pandemonium ensued and the mosquito net was totally destroyed as all involved stampeded and rampaged out of the hut. In the aftermath, once the researchers had returned to the USA, they sent the remaining portion of the bottle to OFF along with a note observing this phenomenon did not happen on nights before or after they used the mosquito repellent, only on that one night when it was on them, along with a recommendation the company might want to change the formula such that it did not attract rats at the same time it repelled mosquitoes. OFF sent them a note of apology, with thanks, along with an entire case of liquid mosquito repellent and the suggestion they may be able to use it in rat-free areas while the formula was retooled. The researchers joked with us that if we wanted some really effective rat attractant then they had plenty of free samples to share.
Good to know having a thriving fishpond appears to actually reduce the total local mosquito population. I had figured fish would be effective in munching mosquito larvae in the water itself but it had not occurred to me how adult dragonflys would be attracted to the pond and further reduce the overall mosquito population of the vicinity by pouncing flying mosquitoes which enter their hunting territories. This all makes perfect sense. Dragonfly larvae would also be very active predators on any mosquito larvae in the water which the fish miss, too, I'd expect.
Yes, thanks for the kind offer JWFITZ, please do save some fish for me if you can hold them until next June or July when my own pond is in place and running -or perhaps by then there will be a new batch of baby fish available?
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Good story, alaskasteven!
Thanks for the link about the mosquito device. I have always wondered why nobody has invented a mosquito killer that works (I know of one for flies that seems to do the job). I'll definitely be trying that out when I get the chance. One thing though: "The carbon dioxide attractant is generated when warm ultraviolet rays from two flourescent bulbs irradiate the trap's funnel which is coated with titanium dioxide". Does anyone have any idea how that would work? Where is the carbon coming from?
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Just answered my own question:
Photocatalysis is a catalytic reaction formed when TiO2 is irradiated by near ultraviolet rays from the sun or a light source. In the presence of near ultraviolet light, Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) breaks down organic matter in the form of airborne microorganisms (such as airborne bacteria, mold, viruses, fungi, smoke and household odors) into carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O).
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Thanks again Steven, it's nice to hear someone who knows their stuff. You're right on all that. Organic stuff is "drugs" and "chemicals" too, right? The most toxic substances on this planet are both natural and organic.
As well, I should note, while I recommend the 99.99(or whatever) deet, that it should NEVER be applied to children, as it can kill a kid. The reason for it is the same reason it works on bugs. Bugs don't have a liver, and most pesticides screw with their metabolic rate, and they burn up and die. A small child has a liver that can be overpowered. My very well exercised liver is unlikely to be harmed by deet, hence the risk. Coming from an area in the past where Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain fever abound, and knowing people who have got them, I think bug bites are no laughing matter, and deet a pretty tame risk compared with the two.
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I've been reading mixed reviews about that Dynatrap, some saying it fills up with moths (like most mosquito catchers with lights) while others say it can't posibly be creating near enough CO2 to be effective. But then others just say it works a charm. Maybe it's location dependent. The Ace Hardware website has it for $99, maybe it's at Ace in Keaau? I wonder what feedback theyve had. When I get back to the BI I'll definitely give it a try, almost anything is worth a shot to get the use of my lanai back.
Mesa County Colorado, Gives away these free sample Coupons for Mosquito Larvicide Samples.
And people in Ontario were offered free mosquito lamps!
Ontario doesn't even have mosquitoes during half the year because its so dang cold.
Should Hawaii residents get something from USDA to protect us?
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i would like to add some comments about the propane repellent units.
i bought one and used it for about 6 months here in hawaii. the co2 produced by the propane did indeed attract mosquitoes but the fan in the trap that is supposed to suck up the buggers was not powerful enough to do the job, so the trap never had more than two or three dead mosquitoes. certainly not worth the cost of the propane.
if coqui frogs ate mosquitoes, i for one, would welcome them with open arms. but alas, that does not seem to be the case.
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On the way back from Nevada's Black Rock Desert last week I stopped at the IKEA store in Berkeley and came across a nifty design of mosquito-net ideal for infants' cribs and the beds of children. "Minnen Brodyr" is the Swedish name of this product (which translates as "Memory Brother" in English); here is a link to a photo-
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50107678
Apart from an aesthetically pleasing design and economical cost one quite notable feature of this particular bed canopy is the pore size or spaces in the mesh are far finer than in conventional mosquito netting, such that it would definitely block biting midges and other insects as well as mosquitoes. (I suppose if one had a prize plant and really needed to keep pesty white flies away from it then this would also do well for that purpose while still freely passing light and air).
Alas, the Minnen Brodyr product does not appear to be available online at the moment, so if you want one then you'll need to ask a friend on the Mainland near an IKEA store to fetch and mail one for you. This is the sort of product which occasionally tempts me to set up a table at the Makuu Market, as I suspect if I bought out IKEA's stock at $20 each then they'd all sell out in one morning at Makuu for $25 each (which seems a decent yet not obscene profit margin for the time and bother of hauling 'em back and service of making a bunch of them easily available locally). I did pick up a couple Minnin Brodyr as gifts for friends with small children. The fabric is 100% polyester so I wonder about whether the material itself is flame-retardant or not; it appears untreated (some flame-retardant chemicals are to be avoided) yet I would hope people are not leaning over infants in their cribs with lit cigarettes in hand or mouth regardless of bed canopy fire risk.
The IKEA bed canopy for kiddos is also not impregnated with permethrin insecticide (as per World Health Organization recommendations for areas at high risk for serious mosquito-transmitted disease, which Hawaii currently is not), unlike this Canadian treated mosquito net available online for about US$50.
http://www.travelhealthhelp.com/nets2.html
It may be that unless there is a clear and present danger of acute risk --such as a wave of dengue fever actively moving through Puna-- then it might not be worth the trade-offs to routinely use a permethrin insecticide-treated bed canopy. The trade-offs are potential health risks (the smaller the body mass of the person inside the netting, the higher the risk), economic (the nets need to be treated every six months to stay effective in this regard), perhaps aesthetic (I have never smelled this stuff- has anyone else? Does it reek?), and more subtle via evolutionary action: if we use permethrin when we do not really need it then we may be shooting ourselves in the foot because local pests may develop resistance to the toxin such that if a time of crisis someday comes when we really do need to pull out all the stops and use every tool available, permethrin may be less effective or even ineffective by reason our having needlessly and foolishly bred a permethrin-proof pest population. There are differing accounts of the risk associated with permethrin, yet almost all effective tools embody some risk so judicious use is suggested.
http://www.travmed.com/trip_prep/insect_permethrin.htm
http://infectiousdiseases.about.com/od/p...ethrin.htm
http://www.safe2use.com/poisons-pesticid...rt/cox.htm
Personally, I think the untreated nets look better for use in Puna, for now, but will also have a bottle of permethrin ready to hand in case the day ever comes when the grandkidlets mosquito nets could benefit from a squirt.
Checking online, the regular untreated wide-weave type of mosquito netting is available from a number of different sources for around $20 and upwards.
http://www.longroad.com/cgi-local/SoftCa...?E+scstore
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Mombasa-Adult-Mosquito-Net-Canopy-Ivory/2387004/product.html?cid=123620&fp=F&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=10623770
http://www.travelhealthhelp.com/mosquito-nets.html
http://www.mosquito-netting.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Texsport-15163-Hik...B000P9H022
Are there any stores on the windward side of the Big Island which sell mosquito bed-netting? I've not yet seen any but have not conducted a rigorous hunt for such, either.
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"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."
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"There's a scientific reason to be concerned and there's a scientific reason to push for action. But there's no scientific reason to despair."
NASA climate analyst Gavin Schmidt
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Astonishing skill! This archer is a real-life Legolas and then some!
http://geekologie.com/2013/11/real-life-...rs-anc.php
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