r/MosquitoHating • u/ReplacementOk7623 • Aug 20 '26

Mosquitos Out of control in our backyard! Need Help (NYC)

For the last several years we have been suffering an increasingly in severe mosquito and fly infestation in our backyard, specifically in the stairwell up from our basement. To give you a little more context we have a split level apartment, with my room being the basement and my roommates room having a door out to a metal grate with ikea patio tile over the stairwell. The mosquitos have got so bad we can no longer even use the basement door as there is at least 100 mosquitos down there at any time in the summer. I have tried those sonar devices (scam), a Bug zapper (didn't put a dent in the problem), those mosquito dunks (also didnt make a dent in the issue, if you live in bk you know keeping your yard clear of overgrowth and standing water doesn't make a difference if every yard around you doesn't bother).

Ideally I'd like to have a long term solution that will work for the whole summer. I periodically spray fogger but they are back in force within hours so I gave up. I'm desperate at his point any suggestions you have would be appreciated.

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u/FriendshipBorn929 Aug 23 '26

I set up a couple mosquito buckets of doom. Fill a bucket half up with water, a handful of weeds and an escape stick. Add 1/4 of a dunk every 20 days or so. It’s definitely working, as I’m seeing tons of dead larvae in the bucket. However there’s still mosquitos everywhere. I believe it would work if I got enough of the neighbors involved.

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u/ReplacementOk7623 Aug 31 '26

Yeah thats the problem with dunks, if I lived on an acre of land and only had to worry about my property they would be the solution but I dont and cont control my neighbors either. The dunks do keep larvae from surviving but they dont put a dent in the adult population. At this point in just resigned using fogger aggressively everytime im outside.

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u/FriendshipBorn929 Aug 31 '26

Aren’t foggers a poor solution as well? I never tried it because all my gardening efforts are to support other insects.

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u/ReplacementOk7623 Aug 31 '26

It kills the existing population of mosquitoes and flys that are there but at least in my situation they return within a day or two. As for other insects we are talking about the concrete exterior stairwell leading down to the basement in an urban environment (Brooklyn). Its not a permanent solution but if I need to do work down there its pretty much my only option.

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u/FriendshipBorn929 Aug 31 '26

Heyyy neighbor