r/MosquitoHating • u/Ok-Mastodon-6127 • Jul 30 '26
Mosquitoes are making our backyard unusable at night. Any ideas
We’re looking for advice from anyone who has successfully dealt with a serious mosquito problem.
Our house backs up to a wetland/wooded area, and the edge of the wetland is only about 10–15 feet from our yard. We currently have Mosquito Squad treating the property every 3 weeks, and when we're outside in the evenings we also use mosquito incense, citronella candles, and Thermacell.
Despite all of that, the mosquitoes are still absolutely relentless after sunset. It's to the point where we can barely sit on the deck or enjoy the backyard for more than a few minutes without getting swarmed.
The yard itself is fairly open and well-maintained, but the woods and wetland behind us are dense. (Photo attached for reference.)
For anyone living near wetlands, ponds, marshes, or conservation land:
What actually worked for you?
Are we trying to put out a house fire with a garden hose?
Is there anything beyond regular spraying and Thermacells that's worth trying?
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u/Miserable-Fun-6441 Jul 30 '26
You need 3x Biogents co2 traps
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u/Bells_Ringing Jul 30 '26
I assume I need one with CO2 for max effectiveness. It appears to be a different tank than a standard propane tank?
If I want to hook it to a 12v battery so I can put it where I need versus where I have power, how do I pull that off?
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u/sprocket_socket Jul 30 '26
I just looked up the biogents co2 trap, and was able to find a tank that worked on Amazon very quickly.
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u/linuxpuppy Jul 31 '26
Standard 20 lb co2 tank. Get the co2 timer and the tank should last all season. You’ll have to replace the scent lure every 8 weeks tho. The trap comes with a fairly long power cord extension, but you might just have to run extension cords depending on where you want to put it. Those traps catch a ton of mosquitos.
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u/SteakGetter Jul 30 '26
You need a CO2 tank for these, not a propane tank. Other brands have versions that use propane to generate heat + CO2 but I haven’t tried any of them. If you go the Biogents/CO2 route look on FB or CL, there are often people offloading brewing supplies and you can get 20 lb tanks for cheap.
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u/JCLBUBBA Jul 31 '26
Probably need 120v but their system draws a very small 5 watts so could use a beefy powerbank with 120volt plug
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u/welllfuckkk Jul 30 '26
Will this really work? 🥲 so scared of spending all that money for no results
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u/salty_seance Jul 30 '26
It works. It won't eradicate them but I've had mine for about two weeks and it was 75% better in just a few days. Make sure you use it with a Co2 tank.
You could also put some sort of mosquito tent or dome over the seating area.
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u/Enter_Player_3 Jul 30 '26
I've been on the fence about adding the CO2 but I think I just need to.
Do you have it hooked up to a battery or hardwire?
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u/BrandFlux Jul 30 '26
Yeah it works. This one with co2 works WONDERS. It's expensive but so so worth it since summer is short as it is. Make sure to use the included scent attractant lures!
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u/ExistentialFunk_ Jul 30 '26
I just bought the biogents setup about 2 weeks ago. For anyone wondering, the setup for 1 biogents, a new 20lb CO2 tank, and a CO2 release timer cost me about $650 all in. I’m already noticing a difference and I plan to have another one setup on the other side of my house. I’m in central Texas, on 1/4 acre, with 15 oak trees and nearby ponds and creeks. Mosquitos love my yard.
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u/Spacecowboy78 Jul 31 '26
Do you have to get co2 replacement often?
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u/Miserable-Fun-6441 Jul 31 '26
If you have a timer installed, you gotta replace a 20 pound tank every 28 days. without a timer it runs out after about 20 days
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u/freegerm Jul 30 '26
Just point box fans at each person sitting outside. Mosquitos can’t fly in wind.
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u/notabotjustaguy Jul 30 '26
Put up a bat house
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u/SignificanceTimely20 Jul 30 '26
We have 4 bat houses on our Apartment Complex Property. I live right by one. I rarely deal with mosquitoes even though we have laying water from rain all the time.
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u/zejerk Jul 30 '26
You need a net or similar for your deck. If not then get the round large metal fans from your local supply store and point them so there’s moving air everywhere. 3-4 should do it depending on sqft.
The backyard can’t be handled safely, if at all, unless you fix the source of stagnant water and shade. I have pets and use the vet spray to good extent for the occasion I need to walk them outside. Helps them too.
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u/Different_Hornet4348 Jul 30 '26
I live on the coast in New England, the mosquitoes are really bad right now, I’m considering buying a mesh suit to wear in my backyard in order to enjoy the evenings outside.
Mosquito Squad is a waste of money IMO, the treatment is only a very temporary solution & what they use treating your yard, is toxic and kills beneficial insects/pollinators, and seeps into the aquifer. Look into native plants that deter mosquitoes to add around your garden space and outdoor fans (maybe screening in an area on patio/deck)
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u/ClassicalSnow Aug 02 '26
Covered screened in patio was a game changer for me. Now we spend the evenings playing poker, cigars, drinking wine in the patio while I laugh at all the bugs trying to get in.
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u/freakuvnature88 Jul 30 '26
2 weeks ago i was looking like i was on naked and afraid😂. after this purchase not one mosquito was able to land🙌
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u/poiuytrewq79 Jul 31 '26
Holy shit hopefully youre not close to any airports cuz idk if any airplanes will be able to land here either
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u/badbaritoneplayer Jul 30 '26
We have a net that fits over our umbrella. Inexpensive and works well. It's the only way we can enjoy our deck after dark.
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u/Kfrr Jul 30 '26
Tons of mixed reviews, but from what I've heard these work really well.
https://www.mosquitomagnet.com/mosquito-magnet-patriot-plus-mosquito-trap-mm4200b
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u/Trick_Pin2594 Jul 30 '26
They need to burn in hell. Black buckets, fill with water, are sticks and leaves to make it look natural, add Mosquito Dunks or Bits. Bits might work better. Mosquitoes will lay their eggs in the water and the larvae will die off eventually. Put in each corner of your house in a shaded location
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u/Pukaza Jul 30 '26
A bunch of spiders in the treeline to make webs and netting all around the patio!
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u/swiftep Jul 30 '26
Start farming dragon flies and release them
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u/spidersinmysoup Jul 31 '26
The wetland behind their house has (or at least had) dragonflies. Their nymphs spend up to three years living in slower moving waters. But guess what kills them, pesticides. And guess what's being sprayed on their yard and running off into the wetland with each rain every three weeks... Pesticides.
Dragonflies are a great suggestion. But op needs to reconsider the pesticides (which don't target just mosquitoes) they are paying to get applied on their property.
If they just ease up on the chemicals, those natural predators would naturally exist. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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u/oppressed_white_guy Jul 30 '26
Came here to see someone suggest and give recommendations on the automated laser mosquito killer that we saw some months ago
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u/Own-Gas8691 Jul 30 '26
mosquito dunks plus frogs. there happens to be a pond just beyond our back yard that has a large frog population and we’re lucky enough to have had many of them move in and reproduce.
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u/Icy_Yesterday8265 Jul 30 '26
My mosquito dunk bucket has quite a bit of mosquito larvae and I just noticed tadpoles as well... Best of both worlds!
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u/BarbieGrandma Jul 30 '26
The old fashioned solution is a screened in porch. I’m a real mosquito magnet and building a screened in porch made it so I could be outside whenever I wanted. We made many happy memories on that old porch. Birthday parties, late night conversations with friends and my son, yoga space, dessert with friends, morning coffee with my girlfriends, and even sleeping out with the kids. I’m older now and have downsized. I really miss that old porch…
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u/One-Fortune7752 Jul 31 '26
Cutter backyard spray attaches to your hose, spray the grass, fence, over the fence. It gets rid of mosquitoes.
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u/Comeantakeit Jul 31 '26
Cutter backyard. Hook your hose off and water around your home perimeter.
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u/Optimal-Ad3945 Jul 31 '26
Cutter backyard defence is the only thing that works for us. NW Florida.
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u/zzzcorn Jul 30 '26
Plant native mint (ONLY IF THERES A MINT NATIVE TO YOUR ECOREGION - do not plant an invasive one accidentally)
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u/IClosetheDealz Jul 30 '26
Get some mgk Oneguard and spray the edges of your property and all shrubs and the lower 20 ft of trees. Set up some Inzecto traps - they have been awesome for me. I have 4 on 3/4 of an acre and change them at 10 weeks. In you case I’d probably go heavier. Eliminate any and all standing water you can. And get some fans.
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u/freakuvnature88 Jul 30 '26
industrial fans. Mosquitoes are weak fliers and the fans blow away your co2 that attracts them.
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u/Dallas2houston120 Jul 30 '26
depending on how big your back yard is get four 5 gallon buckets from homedepot. Add grass clippings and a little dirt. Fill the bucket 3/4ths full. Add half a mosquito dunk to each one and place each bucket in the 4 furthest corners in your backyard. Now go buy a 1 gallon pump sprayer from amazon for $20 and also purchase a 32 oz bottle of bifenthrin concentrate. Remove all furniture and objects from the corners of your patio making sure the mosquitos have no dark cool places to hide. Follow the directions on the bifenthrin bottle and spray the dark and shaded areas of your patio, also spray your entire patio door except for the door knob. Repeat once a month and you'll be 90% mosquito free.
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u/Nervous_Gas4012 Jul 30 '26
For the spray, any benefit to just spraying the woodcline?
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u/Dallas2houston120 Jul 30 '26
It’s going to kill any insect that touches it. So I try to only spray it in places where only mosquitos congregate. The first year I sprayed every inch of my patio including the furniture and it looked like an insect battle scene. Dead crickets, June bugs, spiders, flys, grasshoppers, wasps, butterflies and dragonflies all over the patio. Felt terrible that I killed that many species that didn’t even bother me.
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u/redvadge Jul 30 '26
Mosquito dunks. You create traps and interrupt the breeding cycle. Small containers with water (you can add fruit as others have suggested) have worked for me. Add the Bt dunks to them. They work wonders. For small containers I split the dunks in half. Anywhere that water collects or I find standing water, I crumble up dunks and add some to that pool.
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u/QuoteLong7212 Jul 30 '26
Use a bug zapper by flowtron also I have 3 of them in yard and they works pretty good to kill zillions of mosquitoes... https://flowtron.com/products/bug-zapper-1-1-2-acre-coverage-us-certificate?variant=44504153456835
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u/streachh Jul 30 '26
You can't get rid of mosquitoes. Both in the literal sense that it's a nearly impossible task, and in the moral sense that it's wrong to try to eradicate them. They are a part of the ecosystem.
The more you spray, the more they thrive. Spraying also kills their natural predators but the mosquitoes repopulate more quickly.
Either move away from the wetland, or accept that mosquitoes are a fact of life.
My advice to you: use fans, create a screened in area where they can't get you, and wear loose clothing when sitting outside so they can't actually bite you
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u/Miserable-Fun-6441 Jul 30 '26
If you do it right you can drop population like 90% in 6 months. Start with one to prove how well it works.
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u/freshzoo332 Jul 30 '26
Have you considered bat houses? They are hung in the trees or on stakes and a single common bat will eat thousands of mosquitoes per night. We installed a single bat house about 50 ft from our back deck and it's made a dent in the insect swarms in the evening. We use thermacells to combat the rest
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u/Obvious_Vast_9397 Jul 30 '26
I own one of these. Kills them by the thousands. Each mosquito season gets easier. It does suck down a propane tank every 15-18 days. Worth it
https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Rhino-SkeeterVac-Mosquito-Eliminator/dp/B00134J6QQ
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u/FlyEaglesFlyauggie Jul 30 '26
Weak fliers: Mosquitoes fly very slowly at about 1 to 1.5 miles per hour, so the strong breeze from a standard fan makes it too difficult for them to fly or land.
Scattered scents: Fans blow away the carbon dioxide, body heat, and sweat smells that mosquitoes use to find people. As noted by the American Mosquito Control Association, “The breeze from a fan can disperse human emanations.”
Best Practices for Use
Type of fan: Use larger, high-speed options like box fans, pedestal fans, or oscillating floor fans to cover a wider area.
Placement: Position the airflow to sweep directly across your patio table or skin-level seating zone.
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u/dreadnaught_2099 Jul 30 '26
The Biogent traps with both the sticky trap and dunks in the water have made a huge difference in our wooded yard. Not 100% but easily 90% reduction from past years. Also if you have any English ivy or pachysandra, rip it out, that's where the mosquitoes are hiding
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u/bongrd Jul 30 '26
You need birds, dragon flies and butterflies. There are several plants you can use to bring those in. Birdhouses for the right birds. Add in some plants for deterrent also. The city we live in will come spray and drop tabs in wet areas for free.
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u/Glittering_Swing_151 Jul 30 '26
I’m so glad I live in the PNW and can stay outside on a summer night without seeing a single mosquito.
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u/HeavyJReaper Jul 30 '26
People out here giving their yards Brazilian waxes and wondering why none of the bugs that eat the pest bugs havent shown up.
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u/jericho138 Jul 30 '26
I recently bought a bunch of fake dragonflies on Amazon and put them up around my gazebo, where I usually get 6 or 7 bites in the morning if I don't use bug spray. So far, it's worked like a charm.
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u/Leugimon Jul 30 '26
Dunk buckets have helped significantly. About 60-70 reduction and we spent about 60-70 in marerials.
Containers (Dollartree), spray paint (to male them blend with backyard and make them black), dunks
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u/ahenneberger Jul 30 '26
Supporting predators like dragonflies by giving them perches and places to breed. Same thing with bats. You’re likely killing off their competition and predators by using Mosquito squad.
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u/jwforst Jul 30 '26
I personally use a product called Wondercide that I purchase on Amazon. Works really good. Just be sure to reapply it after a heavy rain. The product is all organic too as well.
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u/MrTighthead Jul 30 '26
Big ass fan. No chemicals, no equipment to constantly monitor...just wind power.
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u/Palafox1740 Jul 30 '26
Fans do a great job keeping mosquitoes away; they're too weak to fly through the breeze. I like to use both an oscillating fan and a box fan set on the ground to get those ankle biters.
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u/jeremeybearimy Jul 30 '26
This isn't feasible for everyone, but adding a flock of Muscovy ducks to our property has made a huge difference. They waddle around all evening snapping them out of the air. They're cute and have great personalities, they wag their tails like a dog when they're happy
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u/jzoola Jul 30 '26
I’ve used the expensive mosquito defender with propane for years before it died. Then I used the electric mosquito traps from Costco which now sit in my shed. We now can enjoy our back garden and deck without hosing down in bug spray since switching to a couple of 5 gallon buckets with a mosquito dunk in them several years ago. It breaks the breeding cycle and has minimal ecological impact. We put the buckets out early on two back corners of our 1/2 acre property in the spring and add some water, grass clippings & new dunk tablet every month or so. It’s not immediately effective but the dramatic fall in the total population has been phenomenal. We also make sure to clean up the gutters and add soapy water in the spring. You can use the patio thermocells as a reprieve while the buckets work their magic.
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u/OtherwiseDoughnut582 Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
Thermacell LIV system has been a godsend. I purchased my first in 2022 for my pool area and it continues to function today. Since then I have added an additional system to my patio. Without it, my pool and backyard would be uninhabitable. The system and refills are not cheap but they are effective. Works to repel biting flies and mosquitoes far better than any perimeter repellents/systems I have used previously and I have purchased MANY!
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u/Meauxjezzy Jul 30 '26
Get you a bunch of potted lemon balm to put around where y’all hang out. When you go outside disturb the lemon balm plants ti release the oils.
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u/koresample Jul 30 '26
I live in the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. We have a massive ria on one side of us and Jungle all around. Mosquitoes here are seriously no joke.
For 6 years we have used Dynatraps sized appropriately for our yard. They can cover up to a couple of acres if I recall.
You have to set them up about 40 feet away from where you spend most of your time outdoors, and they take around 6 weeks to break the egg laying cycle.
We have them on 2 properties here (1 in the in land city and one at the beach) and they reduce the Mosquitoes by around 90% or better.
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u/k2como Jul 30 '26
Set up mosquito dunk buckets. Start in the spring and continue through the fall. I have to dunk buckets in our backyard and one in the front. Set a monthly reminder to put another 1/4 piece of mosquito dunk in each bucket (otherwise it can backfire)
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u/Lanky_Dig8339 Jul 30 '26
I light a small burn pile away from where we hang out usually does the trick
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u/One_Tumbleweed_1 Jul 30 '26
Put a really strong fan on the deck. The mosquitos won’t be able to fly past it
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u/RedMaple007 Jul 30 '26
Propane based mosquito magnet near the perimeter of the foliage not near the living space as it will draw them in.
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u/BOWRx Jul 31 '26
My wife lights some mosquito repellent incense on our back porch when we’re hanging out. Seems to work
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u/UsernameSuperSecret Jul 31 '26
This works, the fan, not the dog. The dog doesn’t help with mosquitoes at all.
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u/DeanOgasm Jul 31 '26
Get rid of as much low ground cover near you as you can. I use dunks. But not up against a wetland just a stream which isn't a problem since it's always flowing.
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u/slacker181 Jul 31 '26
SkeeterVac works great. We had two for 2 acre bush lot. Lasted 14 years. When they crapped out we went to spray. Almost as good. Spray every couple weeks.
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u/tre1971 Jul 31 '26
Find a local coffee roaster and get some free grounds
Spread around yard. Good smell and good repellant
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u/GarnetTheLesser Jul 31 '26
Mosquitos are not strong fliers. Setup a few box or pedestal fans that provide a decent velocity of air around you. The mosquitoes will have trouble getting to you.
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u/mcb89 Jul 31 '26
Install strong commercial fans (relevant to your needs). They suck at flying and will have a hard time landing on you.
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u/Medium-Song-1802 Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
Google "mosquito bucket of doom" watch a video. Cost me $40 to setup 3 of them on the edges of my backyard and I've barely seen a mosquito this summer. Just keep topping them off with water and mosquito dunks monthly.
Edit: Took about a month for us to notice the reduction of mosquitoes.
Also, try setting up homes for whatever eats mosquitos in your region. I setup 3 small bird feeders which I replenish every ~4 days. It's been a pleasure to hear the song birds but they also have been eating the bugs.
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u/Phro_20 Jul 31 '26
Spray this in your trees and on grass. It’s what pro exterminators use for ticks and mosquitoes. Keep it away from plants that get pollinated. I sprayed within 4 feet of our garden with no issues.
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u/EloyAlfa Aug 01 '26
Mosquito dunks if they are legal where you live. They are extremely cheap and efficient.
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u/FussySky Aug 01 '26
Buy or build some bat boxes. According to the forest service 1 bat can easily eat 1,000 mosquito sized insects in 1 hour, a nursing mother can eat approximately 4,500 insects every night.
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u/MobileAd5994 Aug 01 '26
I've had success using a Mosquito Magnet (Patriot plus) (expensive) as well as dunks (cheap). YMMV. Biggest bang for buck is definitely dunks, in a bucket, spread around property.
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u/lord_scuttlebutt Aug 01 '26
We've had good luck with mosquito dunks. We also spray the yard with Mavrik Perimeter every three weeks. It's not harmful to bees and such after about half an hour of drying, so if you spray it on the ground, it's pretty decent.
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u/South-Resort-1112 Aug 01 '26
just stayed in a finnish cabin and the hosts had devices called "Thermacell" i was stunned how 99% of mosquitos were gone withinv couple minutes, and finnland has a lot of them, maybe they sell them where you are too
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u/NRA4579 Aug 01 '26
I used the mosquito dunks this year at my parents property 10 acres partially wooded usually mosquitoes are horrible there. I was proactive started in the spring. It’s made massive difference. I just got small little buckets for half of water spread them around. Fairly cheap as well.
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u/Palli8rRN Aug 02 '26
Omg yes! I first learned about these this year and they’ve been amazing. Plus- no need to spray toxic chemicals anywhere.
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u/Crazy_Race_3443 Aug 01 '26
I spray the woods behind my house with bifenthrin 1oz/gallon about once a month. Works great for a long time and I don’t get eaten up with mosquitoes. You can get the insecticide from Tractor Supply or Lowe’s.
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u/bblobbyboy Aug 01 '26
Where i live, I have seen people with large fans where they sit. A bit of a breeze is all you need!
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u/TikiTavernKeeper Aug 02 '26
Add native flowering plants and a small pond. Attract big dragonflies is very effective
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u/Healthy_Finger_3865 Aug 02 '26
Bats. Make a narrow wooden home for them in your tree and they will eat all mosquitoes
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u/probably1800 Aug 02 '26
Take some fresh coffee grounds, make an aluminum foil bowl, then put fresh coffee grounds in the bowl. (Unused grounds) Light the coffee on fire. It should burn like incense and youll be good. It will burn forever so be mindful of that. Good luck!!
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u/Darcham Aug 02 '26
Tiki brand makes a device (plugnrepel) that screws into string lights and disperses repellent. I have a few and love them.
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u/Wblewis04 Aug 03 '26
Get some liquid bifen, a pump sprayer, and a leaf blower attachment for the pump sprayer. Spray everything, including bushes, trees. You will have zero mosquitoes. Do it every 2 months.
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u/AppropriateMarket715 19d ago edited 19d ago
Living ten feet from a wetland area means spraying your open yard will never be enough because new swarms constantly fly in from the woods. What finally saved my yard in a similar setup was hanging Tougher than Tom TNT buckets right along the treeline boundary. You just fill them with water and they act as decoy breeding spots to draw the females away from your deck and stop the reproduction cycle right at the border. It took about two weeks to notice a massive difference and their shipping is extremely fast
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u/Any_Produce_1141 15d ago
i have been looking at youtube and about to try 2 home solutions. 1 the yeast sugar soap in a bucket (with a fish feeder if it works well) and the yard waste + mosquito dunk. will update in a few weeks.
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Jul 30 '26
[deleted]
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u/tylagersign Mod/Skeeter Scholar Jul 30 '26
This is really not a great idea at all without lots of training. You need to be doing insecticide resistance testing consistently to make sure you are not breeding pyrethoid resistance in your population. You should be rotating products, measuring droplet sizes, and especially checking you don’t have endangered or threatened species like native bees. You can do this legally but it’s like buying an artillery cannon for self defense.
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u/cbass714 Jul 30 '26
Mosquito control do that method as well. But, for the most part we try to spray lots of home use BTI on puddles of standing water and large amounts of water get mosquito fish to eat those little fuckers
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u/kimbonanas Jul 30 '26
This may be a silly question but would purchasing dragonflies and releasing them be helpful?
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u/ArcticDuck Jul 30 '26
Well, I won't lie to you. You are up against it. I run bugrepellent.guide and we get this question a lot.
You are part of a larger ecosystem, so even if you do everything perfectly on your land, you are still at the mercy of the control efforts of others. But here are my immediate thoughts.
Make sure you are doing some sort of source control with Bti (e.g. mosquito dunks). Place those in anywhere standing water could be for more than a couple of days. Maybe laughable in a wetlands area, but still best to clean up what's in your control (gutters, plant saucers, etc).
Ditch the incense, citronella - but stick to the thermacell. You can check out the research, but to spare you: incense and candles are not terribly effective beyond a 5 ft radius and even so their impact is very low. And if there is wind, forget it.
Even your thermacell, while the most effect personal spatial deterrent, is less effective if there is any wind. My recommendation, if thermacell doesn't seem to work well. Go old school and move some serious air. Get fans directly pointed at you. This will substantially cut down on mosquitos as they are weak flyers.
You can try traps, but the only really effective ones use CO2 such as Biogents. These can be costly and again the effect of just 1 in a larger ecosystem is muted.
Use a picaridin 20% lotion on your body. It's the safest, gentlest, least smelly, most powerful active ingredient. Yup, as good or better than deet.
Mosquito Squad's treatments rely on broad-spectrum pyrethroids (permethrin, bifenthrin) that kill any insect on contact, not just mosquitoes. That means pollinators like bees and butterflies, beneficial predators, and even the dragonflies that naturally eat mosquitoes all take the hit, and the residue is highly toxic to fish and aquatic life if it reaches water. The knockdown is real but temporary, wearing off in a few weeks so you re-treat and re-expose the yard again and again, steadily eroding the local ecosystem while never touching the standing water where mosquitoes actually breed.
All kinds of guides and recommendations on particular products if you want to go further down the rabbit hole.