Tootfinder

"California is releasing 500,000 mosquitoes. Here's why that's a good thing"
#California #Mosquitoes

California is releasing 500,000 mosquitoes into the San Gabriel Valley. It's actually a good thing
The sterile insect technique has been adopted worldwide for nearly 70 years.

The University of Wisconsin Department of Entomology has a nice primer on why so many people think bats (and purple martins) control mosquitoes. #bats #mosquitoes https://mosquitosite.russell.wisc.edu/preventing-mosquito-bites/bats-and-birds/

I updated my page on mosquito-control tips to include Thermacells (I own 2), plus added a section on the Mosquito Magnet and Biogents Mosquitaire (neither of which I've tested but I have some thoughts). #mosquitoes https://colinpurrington.com/fighting-mosquitoes/

If you spray your yard with garlic to repel mosquitoes you might be inadvertently inhibiting the reproduction of other insects. I.e., garlic-based whole-yard sprays are not as "eco-friendly" as pesticide companies claim. That's my take-away from this lab study showing effects on mosquitoes, fruit flies, and wasps. #mosquitoes #garlic #insects #pesticides https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092867426003387

Bonus points for the person at the allotment who covers their water buckets so that mosquitoes don't leave eggs. #mosquitoes #allotment

If anyone happens to walk by the reflecting pool in D.C., could you please examine the water for mosquito larvae? #WashingtonDC #mosquitoes

Video of a mosquito entering a DIY trap containing stagnant water and a Mosquito Dunk. Gravid females enter through an opening on the top (a black pot with bottom removed to make a funnel) but can't escape because they are attracted to light coming through the clear plastic sides (acrylic mixing bowl with bottom removed). Base is a black floral pot that I got for free at Trader Joe's. There's a sticky card hanging inside via a magnet and a paper clip but I don't think it's even needed. Better than standard mosquito buckets which only kill larvae. I'll post design tips on my blog but if you can't wait: I used a Dremel tool to hack off the plastic parts, then a glue gun to attach everything together. #diy #mosquitoes #insects #trailcam

If you're making mosquito-killing buckets, a great way to monitor for larvae is to add a white yogurt lid. And if you see them, add another chunk of Mosquito Dunk ASAP or dump everything out and start over. They also permit you to easily see egg rafts and thus get confirmation that mosquitoes are indeed visiting. (The photo here has many rafts but the two in the lid are easy to find.) Larvae and egg rafts are really hard to see in murky water inside dark buckets. #mosquitoes #diptera

Here are the two mosquito-killing box fans on my porch. I'm still trying to figure out how to orient them to maximize the number of the mosquitoes trapped. I think the best setup is likely to have them both blow away from me. And I'll probably move them closer to my legs because Asian tiger mosquitoes love smelly socks and feet. #mosquitoes

Friends, I managed to come up with a full ten (10) reasons why you shouldn't buy bug zappers. At the top of the list, of course, is that they barely kill any mosquitoes. But they also create noise pollution and can burn your house down, among other problems. #mosquitoes #insects #nature https://colinpurrington.com/2026/06/10-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-buy-a-bug-zapper/

I'm trying out a new mosquito-control contraption made by Ortho. It features a landing pad laced with powderized, lethal fungus spores (Beauveria bassiana) that can be transferred via tarsi to standing water elsewhere in the yard or in your neighbors' yards. The water in the container also has an insecticide (pyriproxyfen) to kill any larvae that might develop from eggs left by females. It's the home version of the expensive In2Care trap that can only be purchased by licensed pest-control folks. #mosquitoes #ortho #in2care

Top reasons to NOT buy a bug zapper.
1. Kills a minuscule number of mosquitoes
2. Fries pounds of innocent insects per week (and thus starves local birds)
3. Confuses lightning bugs (probably)
4. Wastes electricity
5. Generates light pollution
6. Generates sound pollution
7. Creates germ risk when insects explode (if near table w/ food)
8. Can catch fire and burn your house down
#mosquitoes #insects #nature

I never like seeing bug zappers and Spartan Mosquito Pro Techs for sale, but at least they are on the bottom shelf where scams belong. #mosquitoes

And don't forget to weaponize your pond. Mosquitoes in my yard have left approximately 1000 egg rafts in mine this spring. And because each raft has 100s of eggs the number of larvae that end up dying is considerable. #mosquitoes #pond #ponds

Made another mosquito-killing box fan to set up near chairs on my front porch. As mosquitoes approach they get flattened against the netting, which I spray with permethrin, a contact insecticide. #mosquitoes #permethrin #fan

US$8.99 for two Mosquito Dunks is too high. We need more companies producing Bti for consumer use. #mosquitoes

In my futile quest to get more people to make mosquito traps for their yards, I made a visual. Please share with friends and sneak into any presentation you're giving even if it's completely unrelated to mosquitoes. Mosquito Dunks contain Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis ("Bti"), a bacteria that is safe for everything except mosquito larvae, work for approximately 30 days, and are available at most garden centers and hardware stores in North America. Bti-containing powders and liquids are sold worldwide under different trade names. NB: the white lid helps you see mosquito larvae (if present it's time to add another dose of Bti). #mosquitoes #mosquito #ipm

Exhibit A for the "plant basil around your yard to repel mosquitoes" assertion. #mosquitoes #basil #gardening

Review of bug zappers that concludes, like all other reviews of bug zappers, that they are completely ineffective and kill tens of thousands of innocent insects. #mosquitoes #insects #nature https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/do-bug-zappers-work/

I added a PDF to my page about mosquito-killing buckets in case anyone wants to print something off to give to neighbors. Link to the file is near the bottom. #mosquitoes https://colinpurrington.com/2024/08/bti-honeypot-traps/

My new neighbor just told me that she saw my article in our local paper about mosquito buckets and is making them for her yard. #mosquitoes #swarthmore

PSA: If you smell an odor when your neighbors are getting their yard fogged for mosquitoes, that means the pyrethroids are drifting onto your yard, too. The chemicals can remain active for weeks and are not specific to mosquitoes. #mosquitoes #pyrethroids #nature #insects #pesticides

More information on nootkatone. Apparently popular in some perfumes. #chemistry #perfumes #mosquitoes https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/nootkatone-now-registered-epa

Was hoping this article in the New York Times would be about bats eating mosquitoes but I was wrong. Headline and a single sentence in the article were there to make bats seem like friends (they are, but not because of how many mosquitoes they eat, which is very few). Digital version [follow gift link] has a different headline. #bats #chiroptera #mosquitoes #nyc #newyork #insects #nature #biology #journalism #nytimes https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/18/nyregion/bats-nyc-highline-prospect-park.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zFA.CO8C.VYStaJ_P2guq&smid=url-share

I tested the Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech, the Aion Mosquito Barrier, and the Tougher Than Tom Mosquito TNT in my Pennsylvania yard. tl/dr: they don't kill mosquitoes but plenty of Americans are still buying them. #mosquitoes #grifting #pesticides #nature #biology #insects #diptera #carbondioxide #co2 https://colinpurrington.com/2020/08/yeast-based-mosquito-control-devices/?nocache=1

The neighbors had their yard fogged yesterday. Every 2 to 3 weeks it will happen again. Drives me absolutely insane. #pesticides #mosquitoes #insects #nature

In the "Serves Them Right" category, mosquitoes can be drained of their ill-gotten meals by Culicoides anophelis, a ceratopogonid midge ("no-see-ums") that can stay attached for days. I hope the puncture sites itch like crazy. #mosquitoes #midges #ceratopogonidae #insects #diptera #flies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I66VySLTwW0

There's a cute fox in this video but that's just clickbait. What I want to point out are all the mosquitoes flitting about. Probably there to oviposit (the surface is clogged with egg rafts) but perhaps some are just having a drink. And still others may be looking for love. Anyway, all as a way to encourage everyone with a mini-pond to use Mosquito Dunks (safe for foxes!). #fox #pond #mosquitoes #trailcam https://youtu.be/Gwl2sA-LcKw

Helpful tips for dealing with mosquitoes this summer. Not only is the article full of excellent suggestions from experts, it's noteworthy that spraying yards with pyrethroids is never mentioned. That's likely because experts view it as a waste of money. Originally published in the Washington Post but repeated in the Philadelphia Inquirer. [gift link] #mosquitoes #delco #philadelphia #pennsylvania #pesticides #deet #thermacell #bti https://share.inquirer.com/AMxElB

To amuse myself I'm evaluating baits for mosquito-killing buckets: oak leaves, straw, log, and beetroot skins. Leaves and straw are standards but I'm curious whether I can attract tree-hole species (e.g., Aedes triseriatus) with the partially submerged wood. And beets are packed with geosmin (a sesquiterpenoid), a known oviposition attractant. Stay tuned. #mosquitoes #science #biology #entomology

It's the 50th anniversary of the discovery of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti). Celebrate by decorating a mosquito-killing bucket and gifting it to a friend. I guarantee you they will be surprised. If you don't live in the United States just seek out the Mosquito Dunks equivalent. #MosquitoDunks #bti #bacteria #mosquitoes #nature #biology #diptera

Me taking photographs of mosquito eggs in the mini-pond. #mosquitoes #camera #macro #trailcam #pond #insects

Mosquito egg rafts in my mini pond. I added another Mosquito Dunk because you can also see some larvae. #mosquitoes #pond #diptera #culex

Just a reminder that Mosquito Dunks are sold in 20-packs for approximately $26. More economical than the 6-packs, which are usually in the $8-15 range. And definitely avoid the 2-packs. These things can last for years on the shelf as long as they are kept out of sunlight and high temperatures. #MosquitoDunks #bti #bacteria #mosquitoes

If you're a fan of using Mosquito Dunks in buckets to control mosquitoes, please join me in leaving a comment for the patronizing jerks at Saginaw County Mosquito Control Commission, a taxpayer-funded entity. These organizations operate all over the U.S.A. and justify their large budgets (for planes, fogger trucks, etc.) by promoting the use of insecticides even when there is no public-health emergency. #MosquitoDunks #saginaw #saginawbay #michigan #mosquitoes #bti https://www.instagram.com/p/DL5Jm3xODBz/

Over on reddit there's a great discussion on the difference between mosquito larvae and tadpoles. Good to know the difference before dumping contents of a container on the ground to kill them. #mosquitoes #diptera #frogs #karma https://www.reddit.com/r/MosquitoHating/comments/1tseic7/accidentally_started_a_mosquito_farm/

One of my favorite mosquito facts is that there's a spider in Africa, the vampire jumping spider (Evarcha culicivora), that specializes on mosquitoes plump from a recent blood meal. It was described in 2003. #inaturalist #mosquitoes #spiders #blood #salticidae #insects #africa https://youtu.be/dA6sCQlHPEs?t=78

I'm a big fan of cocktails and insect repellents so I will probably be ordering a bottle of Skeeter's. It contains the sesquiterpenoid, nootkatone, an EPA-registered mosquito repellent first isolated from Alaskan yellow cedar (Cupressus nootkatensis). #NewHampshire #mosquitoes #whiskey #alcohol https://tamworthdistilling.com/skeeters/

This is horrifying. I think only Connecticut has banned automated pesticide fogging systems. #pesticides #mosquitoes #butterflies #bees #pyrethroids #insects

White-dotted mosquito (Culex restuans) that I reared from an egg raft. The scales that form the white dots on the scutum can fall off over time but in a newly-eclosed adult like this an ID is pretty easy. They feed almost exclusively on birds, but sometimes on mammals and thus are one route for transmission of West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis. I think that because of their fondness for birds they are largely up in the tree canopy and thus whole-yard (i.e., ground-level) fogging with pyrethroids is totally ineffective. #virus #wnv #disease #mosquitoes #culex #birds #nature #inaturalist https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/359353002

For anyone in the United States who has tried the Spartan Mosquito Eradicator or the Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech, you can now leave a review about the company on Trustpilot. Or you can just visit the link to read mine. #psa #scam #mosquito #mosquitoes #hattiesburg #mississippi https://www.trustpilot.com/review/spartanmosquito.com