Tootfinder

Some good news: I think I've succeeded in shutting down Pest Proof, a company selling a scam mosquito trap filled with yeast, sugar, baking soda, and citric acid. Its e-commerce site started displaying, "Site Inactive", today, at least. Over the past several weeks I've sent complaints to all 50 states, the EPA, the FTC, and to regulatory authorities in Canada and the UK where it was also being marketed. Someone listened, it seems. Traps like this kill innocent insects, not mosquitoes. #mosquitoes #insects

"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.

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

Good mosquito advice in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Originally from the Washington Post. [gift link] #mosquitoes #philadelphia #repllent https://share.inquirer.com/i6o8en

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

Here's another scam I'm trying to get removed from the market: the BiteShield Mosquito Trap. It's filled with yeast and sugar and is supposed to draw in and trap mosquitoes. Currently for sale in the USA, the UK, and Canada. Owner information is hidden behind a Wyoming LLC but I'm pretty sure it's the same scammer who runs Tougher Than Tom, a company based in Austin, Texas. #mosquitoes

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

I'm very curious what people think about the American Mosquito Control Association's warning about using Mosquito Dunks to control mosquitoes. They assert without evidence that mosquito buckets will attract mosquitoes to our yards, making the problem worse. My suspicion is that AMCA's corporate sponsors want people to spray more pesticides. #mosquitoes #pesticides https://www.mosquito.org/mosquito-bucket

In personal news, so far this year I've been bitten by only 1 mosquito. I'm sure August will change that but it's been nice so far. #mosquitoes

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/

Beta testing an indoor mosquito trap. I usually make these with plastic soda bottles but eyed a glass lamp base at the hardware store and thought I'd give it a try. Baited with a cheesecloth-covered jar of honey, rose water, and a few drops of orange liquor. And a cheesecloth-covered chunk of dark chocolate from Venezuela. It targets mosquitoes that are looking for a nectar meal. Useful for trapping annoying mosquitoes that somehow got inside. #nectar #mosquitoes

Instructions for trapping mosquitoes that are in your bedroom. #mosquitoes https://colinpurrington.com/2020/06/diy-soda-bottle-mosquito-trap/

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

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

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

Pyrethroids wafting out of a battery-powered Thermacell. This one can attach to my belt when I’m gardening. I have another for when we are dining out. They work great, but only if you’re OK with breathing pyrethroids, which are neurotoxins. #thermacell #mosquitoes #pyrethroids #repellent

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

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

Today I sent an email to pesticide regulators in all 50 states asking them to investigate Tougher Than Tom's advertising tactics. The Texas-based company is using generative AI to mislead consumers into believing the Mosquito TNT traps mosquitoes. #mosquitoes #ai #advertising #fifra

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

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 make a mosquito bucket, please cover the top with screening so that toddlers don't fall in. Per the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, approximately 40 toddlers drown each year in the United States. Happens all over the world. Happens even when buckets are half full. #mosquitoes #buckets #health #safety #parenting #kids

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

Just a reminder that Tougher Than Tom's Mosquito TNT is a complete scam. My review below has several tips on how to get your money back. #mosquitoes #austin #texas #insects #scam https://colinpurrington.com/2025/06/tougher-than-toms-mosquito-tnt/

Pesticide companies love to imply that their pyrethroid sprays can magically target mosquitoes, sparing other insects that might be totally innocent. I think we need to push back by producing lawn signs that show that when Death arrives in his white van, nothing with an exoskeleton is spared. If I could draw, I'd add fireflies, plus make the background a nice suburban yard. So just a mock-up right now. #mosquitoes #nature #fireflies #insects #monarchs #butterflies #pesticides

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

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

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