Quora Question: Dealing with Mosquitos

How can I generate huge volumes of smoke to drive off mosquitos while camping? I need a huge volume of smoke. Is burning heaps of wet grass my best option? Are there better and more effective ways?

  Topic Outdoor Life Subtopic Camping Tags mosquitos grass fires
3 Years 2 Answers 2.9k views

Peter Yeargin

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Answers ( 2 )

 
  1. Annika Peacock 305 Accepted Answer Community Answer

    I've been dealing with mosquitoes and gnats pretty intensely this summer, both in my rainforesty back yard, and on camping trips to a friend's cabin in Southern Virginia. 

     

    There are plenty of solutions to keep mosquitoes from causing you grief, beyond smearing your own body with giant globs of DEET (also highly recommended).

     

    Mosquito Bits and similar products can be scattered in standing water. They contain a bacteria (Bacillus Thuringiensis Subspecies Isrealensis) that devastates mosquito larvae, greatly annoys gnat larvae, and is otherwise considered harmless to other living things. Here's the CDC fact sheet on this biological pest control method:

     

    https://www.cdc.gov/zika/pdfs/BTI_Fact_Sheet.pdf

     

    My pal in Southern Virginia takes a more agressive approach using a hand-held propane-operated fogger

    and a "fogger fuel" that contains several insecticides including, permethrin, tetrametrhin, and piperonyl butoxide.  It smells absolutely fine, believe it or not, but I can't help but wonder if we're all going to wind up with cancer and neurological deficits from this down the road. This approach is extremely effective mosquito control for about 7 hours.

     

     

    UTC 2020-07-16 04:11 PM 0 Comments
  2. I take it you are reluctant to smear insect repellent on your own skin, but are happy to contaminate the atmosphere for everyone nearby?  My suggestion is to re-think your priorities. 

    UTC 2020-07-11 08:02 PM 0 Comments

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