Mosquito Breeds

[Guest]

Can anyone tell me the kine breed mosquitos in Puna ?

Someone said Asian Tiger, but I don't really see them in my yard, I think the kind that get me are the really small kine ?

Anyways, I am going to try out one of those electric zappers, but the attractant you should use varies on which breed of mosquitos.

[lavalava]

Clear all nearby brush, eliminate standing water, check gutters for misaligned runs that may be holding water, some pour olive oil in the catchment tank to create an oily layer on top that dissuades the laying of eggs. I am sure I am missing some other ideas, ask your neighbors what they do...

[csgray]

We are a few blocks from you in HPP and have the tigers, they really are striped. Our biggest source is the catchment tank for the empty house next door, we add bleach to that tank regularly to keep them under control, since the owner is on Oahu.

Carol

Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb

[Guest]

I haven't checked under my catchment but I will try the olive oil trick. I also like the idea of having olive oil in my water when I shower, great for skin.

Anyone try putting those mosquito dunks in the catchment ? Something like this - http://www.amazon.com/Summit-111-5-20-Pack-Mosquito-Dunk/dp/B0002568YA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409604065&sr=8-1&keywords=mosquito+drops+for+ponds

[terracore]

Here's a good article that describes the 6 species of mosquitoes that bite humans on the Big Island:

http://health.hawaii.gov/about/files/201..._03_11.pdf

Four are day biters and two are night biters. The night biters have a migratory range of several miles, so eliminating all the water sources on your property will not stop them. The day biters have a range of 150 yards, or in Puna speak your neighbors 3-4 lots away.

Not mentioned in the article, but one of the biggest contributors to the mosquito problem is pigs. The wallows they create cause standing water the mosquitoes lay eggs in.

In Orchidland, the most common species we see is the Asian Tiger Mosquito. They can literally reproduce using a bottle cap full of water. If you are in your home and getting bit, and you have flower vases, check them for larvae. It only takes one female rushing past you as you go through your front door and a small amount of standing water anywhere in the home and next thing you know, you have a problem. (Even if you don't see larvae (they are small), its a good idea to dump your flower vases out and refill instead of topping them off). Same applies to any type of container you have under a house plant.

Outside, put a bucket where water is likely to get into it, and dump it out at least once a week. The standing water will attract the egg laying but dumping it out once a week will kill all the larvae and unhatched eggs before they can become mosquitoes. A free way to break their life cycle and reduce numbers.

This was covered in another post, but some people mistake little fire ant bites for mosquitoes.

[csgray]

Don't forget to regularly flush any rarely used sink and bathroom drains, even the guest bathroom toilet if not flushed regularly will become a breeding ground.

Carol

Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb

[Guest]

Wow, Terra that was incredibly insightful thanks!!

[terracore]

quote:

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Originally posted by csgray

Don't forget to regularly flush any rarely used sink and bathroom drains, even the guest bathroom toilet if not flushed regularly will become a breeding ground.

Carol

Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb

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Thanks for the reminder! We have a small shower that we never use (not because we are gross, because it's small and we have one with a regular sized tub), and not only is the water in the drain trap a potential breeding ground for mosquitoes, but if all the water in the drain trap evaporates, bugs and gasses can enter the home from the cesspool.

Two good reasons to run the water occasional in rarely used parts of the house!

[csgray]

We learned that one the hard way, the guest bathroom is right under our bedroom, doesn't have the tightest screens, and was rarely used. We had these clouds of mosquitoes coming upstairs into the bedroom whenever we opened the bedroom screen door to let the dogs in or out and couldn't figure our where they came from for the longest time.

Carol

Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb

[Midnight Rambler]

As far as telling them apart - the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is black with white bands on the legs and a single white stripe down the back. It's by far the most common mosquito; if you have hundreds of mosquitos around you, they're guaranteed to be this. The others you will almost always only see one or two at a time. The bites are about a quarter to half an inch and only last a day or two.

Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito, is very similar but the mark on the back is lyre-shaped, with a curving mark on each side in addition to the straight middle one. It's a more efficient vector of dengue but is extremely rare, because it's been displaced by Ae. albopictus; I was with someone who was looking specifically for it and we only found it in the bathrooms at Spencer Beach Park, pretty much the driest part of the island.

Aedes japonicus was just introduced about 10 years ago. It's brown overall but still has the white bands on the legs like the other two, and is much bigger. It lives at higher elevations so there are mosquitos around Volcano now. Fortunately the bites aren't as bad, and they don't carry avian malaria.

Culex quinquefasciatus is the only night-biter you're likely to see. It's all brown but only about the size of the smaller Aedes. It's moderately common but you tend not to notice it because it doesn't occur in big swarms or buzz in your ear. But if you do get bitten, you really know it - the bites are about an inch across, and itch for over a week (at least on me).

Wyeomyia is also a relatively recent introduction; it's brown and smaller than the Aedes. You can easily recognize it if you see it sitting because the two middle legs that are held sticking up on other mosquitos are bent all the way over its head. It breeds only in bromeliads, so if you (or your neighbors) have those around, chances are you'll have these guys; if not, you won't. The bites are only about the size of those of Aedes but itch more.

There are also two species of predatory mosquito, Toxorhynchites, that don't bite people; they were deliberately introduced because the larvae eat the larvae of other mosquitos. Unfortunately while they're around, they're not very common, so they haven't been very effective. They're much larger than other mosquitos and metallic blue or green.