Mosquito Joe Alternative

Kentucky bluegrass, Fescue, Rye and Bent, etc
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mitten
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Mosquito Joe Alternative

Post by mitten » January 31st, 2018, 12:45 pm

It's never too early to start planning for the coming season! I'm starting to work on my mosquito plan for the year. I have 5000 sq feet on a typical residential lot. My goal however is to be able to sit on my back patio without wearing bug spray and not have to worry about mosquitoes. My wife is a magnet for them and she also happens to be pregnant... so with the Zika scare she would spend the entire summer indoors if I don't do anything.

I received a quote from a local lawn care company (not actually Mosquito Joe). They quoted me to come out with a mister every 3 weeks the entire season. The cost is roughly $350. That seems steep but it's likely the market norm I would see if I received more quotes. As a do-it-yourselfer that got me thinking if I could truly do it myself, without actually having to buy a SOLO mister. If I invest in a Chapin 4 Gallon Black and Decker Sprayer and a bottle of Talstar P could I have similar results by doing it myself every 3 weeks? Are there better tools or chemicals that I'm not thinking of? Anyone here do their own mosquito control?

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PSU4ME
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Re: Mosquito Joe Alternative

Post by PSU4ME » February 13th, 2018, 1:25 pm

I actually went down a similar path you did. I figured with all my lawn equipment i should be able to fashion something that will work right? The main issue i rain into was that the coverage from my chapin sprayer just wasn't good enough in two ways. 1.) penetrating into all the areas like a mist would and 2.) the actual coverage aspect of it....the fogger just coated things better. I eventually said the heck with it and dumped the $800 on the solo sprayer and Talstar/Exciter. It really works good and we have had great results spraying once a month through this first season. In my area, a seasons cost is $599 so it made the big purchase a little easier. Other companies here use a mixture of lemon grass and citrus oils with a small amount of AI mixed in. For me, the Talstar worked great.

I think i have the solo 451......its pretty nasty and makes short work of my 1 acre.

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Re: Mosquito Joe Alternative

Post by LouisvilleGrubber » February 20th, 2018, 2:16 pm

Is Talstar what the pros use for mosquito fogging? I was looking at some cheaper foggers on Amazon and I think they recommended something else.

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Re: Mosquito Joe Alternative

Post by mtroberts20 » February 20th, 2018, 5:40 pm

mitten wrote:
January 31st, 2018, 12:45 pm
My wife is a magnet for them and she also happens to be pregnant... so with the Zika scare she would spend the entire summer indoors if I don't do anything.
I understand not wanting to deal with mosquito bites, but as far as I know, the specific mosquitoes that carry Zika do not live in Michigan.

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Re: Mosquito Joe Alternative

Post by PSU4ME » March 5th, 2018, 10:21 am

LouisvilleGrubber wrote:
February 20th, 2018, 2:16 pm
Is Talstar what the pros use for mosquito fogging? I was looking at some cheaper foggers on Amazon and I think they recommended something else.
Talstar is a professional product however i'm not sure if they use that specifically. When i spoke to a dealer once, he used a mix of nice smelling oils but the active ingredient was the same as in Talstar.

My assumption is that they are likely using it with the other stuff mixed in the make people feel better about it unless they are buying the straight AI somewhere.


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Re: Mosquito Joe Alternative

Post by LouisvilleGrubber » March 5th, 2018, 4:47 pm

I've used Talstar, but the pros get much better results. I'm assuming the sprayer may be a big part of that.

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andy10917
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Re: Mosquito Joe Alternative

Post by andy10917 » March 5th, 2018, 6:06 pm

I don't think this belongs in the Lawn Care Basics 101 forum. The discussion is about professional products.

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mitten
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Re: Mosquito Joe Alternative

Post by mitten » March 5th, 2018, 11:03 pm

PSU4ME wrote:
March 5th, 2018, 10:21 am
LouisvilleGrubber wrote:
February 20th, 2018, 2:16 pm
Is Talstar what the pros use for mosquito fogging? I was looking at some cheaper foggers on Amazon and I think they recommended something else.
Talstar is a professional product however i'm not sure if they use that specifically. When i spoke to a dealer once, he used a mix of nice smelling oils but the active ingredient was the same as in Talstar.

My assumption is that they are likely using it with the other stuff mixed in the make people feel better about it unless they are buying the straight AI somewhere.
PSU4ME- Thanks for sharing your experience with the Chapin. Sounds like I was thinking about doing exactly the same thing you already tried. If I had a wooded acre I'd be much more inclined to buy my own mister but with the quarter acre I've got (and not very wooded), the mister purchase would be overkill for me. I was hoping the sprayer might be the right fit but maybe not?

I called one more pest control company this week and they quoted $377 for 7 applications. I asked them what chemical they used and they said Talstar...

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mitten
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Re: Mosquito Joe Alternative

Post by mitten » March 5th, 2018, 11:05 pm

andy10917 wrote:
March 5th, 2018, 6:06 pm
I don't think this belongs in the Lawn Care Basics 101 forum. The discussion is about professional products.
I'm open to suggestions. Mosquitos seemed like 101 to me but we are talking professional chemicals and equipment.

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andy10917
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Re: Mosquito Joe Alternative

Post by andy10917 » March 5th, 2018, 11:19 pm

Moved to Cool-Season

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mitten
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Re: Mosquito Joe Alternative

Post by mitten » March 5th, 2018, 11:24 pm

andy10917 wrote:
March 5th, 2018, 11:19 pm
Moved to Cool-Season
Works for me. Thanks Andy. By the way, what do you do for mosquitos?

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andy10917
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Re: Mosquito Joe Alternative

Post by andy10917 » March 5th, 2018, 11:26 pm

They ignore me. They eat my wife. Life is good - I sit near her - she thinks it's because I love her (I do). Then they eat her, and not me.

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mitten
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Re: Mosquito Joe Alternative

Post by mitten » March 5th, 2018, 11:31 pm

My wife goes inside the minute she spots a mosquito in the evening. Summer is too short to be inside.

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Re: Mosquito Joe Alternative

Post by Marinegrunt » March 6th, 2018, 12:47 pm

I've used a Black Flag propane fogger for years. I'm not sure what they cost now but I think I paid $50 for it. It's just a handheld fogger but it can really put out the fog. I'd say it's perfect for under an acre. Black Flag sells the chemical or you can mix up your own. There are plenty of recipes online. I can try and find time to post a video of how it fogs if you want.

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Re: Mosquito Joe Alternative

Post by LouisvilleGrubber » March 6th, 2018, 3:58 pm

Marinegrunt wrote:
March 6th, 2018, 12:47 pm
I've used a Black Flag propane fogger for years. I'm not sure what they cost now but I think I paid $50 for it. It's just a handheld fogger but it can really put out the fog. I'd say it's perfect for under an acre. Black Flag sells the chemical or you can mix up your own. There are plenty of recipes online. I can try and find time to post a video of how it fogs if you want.
It would be interesting to know if these work. I'm paying someone $350 or so for the season and they only come every three weeks, but it does help. I was surprised. We had terrible misquotes - to the point we could not go outside at night. I told my wife it wouldn't work, but as usual I was wrong.

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mitten
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Re: Mosquito Joe Alternative

Post by mitten » March 6th, 2018, 5:50 pm

Marinegrunt wrote:
March 6th, 2018, 12:47 pm
I've used a Black Flag propane fogger for years. I'm not sure what they cost now but I think I paid $50 for it. It's just a handheld fogger but it can really put out the fog. I'd say it's perfect for under an acre. Black Flag sells the chemical or you can mix up your own. There are plenty of recipes online. I can try and find time to post a video of how it fogs if you want.
Mmmm. My dad used to fog our yard with one of these before fireworks when I was a kid. But I thought it only was effective for a few hours? Black Flag says 6 hours on their marketing literature. How long has it repelled mosquitos in your experience? I wonder if you can put Talistar in it to extend the time... hmm.

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Re: Mosquito Joe Alternative

Post by superkaz661 » March 8th, 2018, 12:00 am

I use Bifen IT. First few seasons I used it out of a high pressure sprayer to get better atomization but now I just use a hose end. Near as I can tell identical results in a fifth the time. We are in the mid Atlantic with Asian tiger mosquitos

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Re: Mosquito Joe Alternative

Post by Marinegrunt » March 8th, 2018, 10:41 am

I never really paid attention to how long it lasts but seems to do a pretty good job. We live right beside a lake and also have a ravine in our backyard that usually has standing water. Both the empty lot beside us and the ravine are wooded so we have a decent breeding ground for mosquitos. I don't recall getting bit too bad but I would fog once a week. I'll try and pay a little better attention when the skeeters come out this year. There are forums where people post recipes that work better than the Black Flag and they let you know what works. Overall I've always thought the black flag fogger has worked well though. Plus, it sure is fun to use! I'd love to get my hands on PSU's gas fogger! One thing about the fogger is it floats all around so if you have neighbors close by you might get some complaints. My neighbors don't care but I just use it later in the evening when everyone is inside. I won't use it if it's nice out and I think people have their windows open.

When I was younger my buddy's dad always used one of those big propane traps that cover an acre or whatever they're called. Mosquito Magnet maybe? Each night it would fill a 1 cup container of chopped skeeters. I bought one after we purchased our first house but I never had much luck with it. I think it was messed up from the get go.

You might have mentioned it already but how long does the $350 spray last? If it lasts most the summer it might be best to stick to that. You could also just buy the chemicals and spray yourself.

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Re: Mosquito Joe Alternative

Post by Casutherland » March 8th, 2018, 5:09 pm

superkaz661 wrote:
March 8th, 2018, 12:00 am
I use Bifen IT. First few seasons I used it out of a high pressure sprayer to get better atomization but now I just use a hose end. Near as I can tell identical results in a fifth the time. We are in the mid Atlantic with Asian tiger mosquitos
I can second that...Bifen works tremendously well especially for its price.

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mitten
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Re: Mosquito Joe Alternative

Post by mitten » March 9th, 2018, 10:12 am

superkaz661 wrote:
March 8th, 2018, 12:00 am
I use Bifen IT. First few seasons I used it out of a high pressure sprayer to get better atomization but now I just use a hose end. Near as I can tell identical results in a fifth the time. We are in the mid Atlantic with Asian tiger mosquitos
Hmmm, maybe I could put it in my Chapin Hose End sprayer instead. I didn't even think of that.

And the quote for $377 recently was for 7 applications 3 weeks apart. That seems to be the time needed for re-application of Talster (Bifen) products.

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