Mosquito Infestation

Discussion in 'Horn Depot' started by mars, Jul 30, 2007.

  1. mars

    mars 100+ Posts

    I apologize if there is a discussion already in this forum-- I used the search feature, but couldn't find anything...

    The past few nights I have gotten eaten alive in my sleep. I haven't seen any mosquitos or other pests, but I have TONS of itchy bites all over my body.

    Outside of the bedroom window I discovered that my wheelbarrow and a plastic trashcan were full of standing water. So, I assume that mosquitos were breeding like crazy and getting into the house. I dumped out the standing water and put the trashcan and wheelbarrow upside down so that it doesn't happen again. I also sprayed some Raid all over the ground and around the window frame.

    I think I got even more bites after doing this. What products work to kill off mosquitos both indoors and outdoors? I know there are a ton of products, but that many of them don't work.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated.
     
  2. jmatt

    jmatt 1,000+ Posts

    Do you sleep with windows open? Did you notice mosquitoes in the house? Or their notoriously annoying high-pitched whine at any time?

    Do you have pets?

    Maybe they're flea bites...
     
  3. mars

    mars 100+ Posts

    I do not sleep with the windows open. I do have a small dog, who sleeps in the bed with me and my first thought was fleas. I have looked all over her and can't find any. I gave her Advantage just in case. She doesn't seem to be scratching. I do hear a lot of high pitch noises where the standing water was.
     
  4. PipFunatUT

    PipFunatUT 500+ Posts

    humm thats strange... are you covered when you sleep? are the bites when you would normally be covered?

    i doubt they are mosquito bites...

    first i recommend washing all the sheets/ blankets.. then see what happens
     
  5. brntorng

    brntorng 2,500+ Posts

    Could be chiggers. They're thick this year and any "bites" take time to appear so they would have occurred outdoors earlier in the day. Have you spent any time walking, running, or biking in grassy areas, especially taller grass? That's where they hang out.
     
  6. mars

    mars 100+ Posts

    Yeah, now I'm thinking chiggers. I am absolutely covered in bites. I had done some weeding before they appeared, so maybe that's what happened. And, if they take a while to appear, that could explain it. These things itch like crazy.
     
  7. brntorng

    brntorng 2,500+ Posts

    Over the counter 1% hydrocortisone cream should make the itching tolerable. Plan to reapply every 4-6 hours. At night, a dose of benadryl can help, but you should probably avoid it during the day because it makes you drowsy.

    They're easy to avoid in the future. A DEET based repellent sprayed around your ankles is enough. Also, old timers used powdered sulfur sprinkled on their socks and lower pant legs.

    I, too, got them real bad many years ago. No fun whatsoever. I still get one occasionally, but spray my ankles whenever mowing, etc.
     
  8. mars

    mars 100+ Posts

    Thanks!
     
  9. pulque

    pulque 1,000+ Posts

    For bites and poison ivy get benadryl spray. It is the best stuff, better than cortisone.
     
  10. mrteabiscuit

    mrteabiscuit 25+ Posts

    It's bedbugs. Burn your mattress.
     
  11. Uninformed

    Uninformed 5,000+ Posts

    For chiggers we use to put clear fingernail polish over them. Supposedly it is a myth that chiggers inbed in the skin and the fingernail polish suffocates them. However, fingernail polish does work, probably by sealing the skin from contact with air. This means that calamine, topical antihistamines, and topical cortisone creams will work just as well.
     
  12. sessamoid

    sessamoid 500+ Posts


     
  13. brntorng

    brntorng 2,500+ Posts


     
  14. SomeMildLanguage

    SomeMildLanguage 500+ Posts

    I had 20 or so chigger bites on my thighs a few weeks back. The red marks are just now going away. There's hardly anything itchier.
     
  15. mars

    mars 100+ Posts

    Yeah, this is horrible. It HAS to be chiggers. Can't believe I've lived27 years in Texas and never experienced this before.
     
  16. William Cannon

    William Cannon 250+ Posts

    Chiggers usually like tight places - sock elastic, underwear bands, and underwear if you got'em snugg. If you have them on your ankles, thighs, waist, and manhood, then it's chiggers.

    If it is chiggers, the nailpolish rememdy is a myth since chiggers don't burrow into your skin. What it will do is keep the bite from rubbing against your clothing, which generally causes it to itch more.
     
  17. Doughbroz

    Doughbroz 250+ Posts

    import some fire ants and the chiggers will soon be gone...
     
  18. ChiroHorn

    ChiroHorn 100+ Posts

    Bedbugs. Wash the sheets in HOT water & change weekly (at a minimum).
     
  19. ctrl+alt+del

    ctrl+alt+del 500+ Posts

    Well, if it's mosquitos, I can tell you this: We have a pest control company come to our home once a month to spray the whole lot with a natural agent that deters them. I haven't been bit more than twice a night since June and I live in southeast Houston where we have had standing water since about 1983. It is well worth the $50/month.
     

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