DIY Mosquito Trap

David Trammel's picture

Here is a non-chemical method of dealing with mosquitos around your deck or place you are, that is cheap and I believe you could also not really kill most of them, but release them after you're done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEsQ4_KiBWQ

Its just a box fan and some window screen. The airflow traps the mosquitos on the screen. While the author uses a 50/50 alcohol water spray to kill them, you could just shut the fan off after and carry the fan out to the garden. Most of the mosquitos should be ok, and they would fly away so bats or other predators could then feed later.

The picture has it being powered with a 12v battery and a power inverter for camping. You could of course just use an extension cord at home.

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David Trammel's picture

Here's another one, which uses a folding mesh food cover on the output side of the fan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvI2aWZXPCE

More possibilities on Youtube.

Uh. If I catch mosquitoes, I'm going to kill them. The compost bin is always ready for a meal.
Or, the corpses could be dumped in the thicket for critters to eat.

Or! The dead bodies could be impaled on toothpicks and set up in a palisade to warn off other mosquitoes!

Sorry, must drink more coffee.

lathechuck's picture

A recent article in Science News magazine described research to explain exactly why catnip was so effective at repelling mosquitoes. The intro to the research implied that "everybody" knows that catnip repels mosquitoes, but WHY? Well, I didn't know that, so maybe you didn't know it either! I don't know the best way to use it, though. Mash some leaves onto open skin? Grind some up in the kitchen, and set out a of "catnip pesto" by the picnic table? More research is needed.

David Trammel's picture

With warmer and wetter climates moving north, the range that mosquitos will be active is just going to get worse. Add to that tropical diseases moving north too and finding ways to control them will be even more important.

Though if I remember correctly, where Washington DC is was once a mosquito infested swamp. Do people in North Dakota or Canada have a problem with mosquitos?