Mosquitoes are HORRIBLE--I have the solution!!

[Keltara]

I put up an earlier post back in May on what to do about mosquitoes. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=507169 They are so bad her up in the north (I live in Michigan) that it had been not only unbearable for the chickens, but also for us human folk. My two little girls are like little indians and LOVE to play outside. I have been spraying my poor children with "Deep Woods Off" with the highest content of deet. Guess what....mosquitoes had been biting through that! Aside from giving us "humans" some relief from the nasty blood suckers, and allowing us to enjoy the outdoors in this short summer season, I was worried about the chickens while they slept at night when the mosquitoes were at their worst (as if the day time wasn't bad enough). I received all kids of suggestions in my previous post from vanilla extract (which just made us smell delicious but no deterrent to mosquitoes), to catnip oil, purple martin houses and bats. Well I have found THE solution. We no longer need to use ANY insect repellant on ourselves and there is not a SINGLE mosquito on our treated portion of property. We live on 5 acres, but I treated all the manicured area around our house, coop and pool (20,000 sq. ft.). I got it from TSC. It's called "Wisdom TC Flowable". It is a liquid that you spray on your lawn using a liquid fertilizer broadcaster (the kind you attach to the end of your hose). The moment I finished spraying the designated areas, ALL MOSQUITOES WERE GONE! It lasts up to eight weeks. You need to avoid ponds, it will be toxic to fish, and flower beds and vegetable gardens as it also affects honey bees. The active ingredient is Bifenthrin. I was told Wisdom TC Flowable was safe to use around animals and I can now tell you from experience, it is GREAT stuff! I didn't spray it inside my chicken run (which is only 4'x12'), but I did spray the area all around our coop. My chickens do free range when we are outside, and now my human family and my chicken family are ALL able to enjoy the great outdoors COMPLETELY mosquito free. Even at night there is not ONE SINGLE Mosquito out there. When I open my coop early in the morning to let our hens out, I am still amazed that there is never a mosquito inside.
Wisdom TC Flowable gets 5 thumbs up from me!!

And my girlies (human and chicken) have ALL been mosquito bite free. YAY!!

 

[MrsKemmerlin]

What a cute picture! We have a pretty nasty mosquito problem down here too - will certainly have to look into that stuff!

Did they say if it was okay to be grazed upon after it dried?

 

[Keltara]

Quote:
Yes. They said it would be fine. It is WONDERFUL! I still can not believe how amazing this stuff is. The only thing you will need to be careful about is your flowers and veggie garden if you have one. The spray will affect honey bees so I avoided all my flower beds bu did spray around them. You also need to avoid areas around ponds.

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

Quote:
Xz 2!

 

[A.T. Hagan]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bifenthrin

 

[Keltara]

Quote:
Xz 2!

Denise
I'm sure in IL, you're suffering as badly as we had been with mosquitoes. I highly recommend this stuff. it's great.

 

[jjthink]

I am tormented by mosquitos as well. I wonder what the stuff does to birds (chickens and wild birds...) that eat plants and insects from sprayed areas......
JJ

 

[ekemily]

I'm glad that it has worked for you. I'll take the bugs, though. I just can't get the image of me spraying poison on the grass.... the chickens, horses, etc. eating the grass.... me eating the eggs that come from the chickens that are eating the poison, etc.
not to mention the long term residual effects in the soil. Does it seep down and affect well water? What about the good bugs? Does it harm them? I guess I am not well informed enough about it to make a strong stand, but, for now..... give me bugs!

 

[ranchhand]

A.T. Hagan :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bifenthrin

Thanks for the link, there's even a link to further info towards the bottom of the article. As a certified wildlife habitat, I reckon I'll just stick to making sure there's no standing water around!

Keltara, cute kids!​

 

[Darklingstorm]

ENVIRONMENTAL FATE OF BIFENTHRIN
Andrew Fecko
Environmental Monitoring and Pest Management Branch
Department of Pesticide Regulation
830 K St. Sacramento, CA 95814
December 28, 1999

"Bifenthrin is highly toxic to fish and aquatic organisms and it should not be applied near
water sources. This insecticide is relatively benign to mammals and birds, but its high
bio-concentration factor can affect higher-level predators."


I would be very careful using this product as it does not dilute or "wash" through your soil. IMO I would not use this around gardens or farm animals. Especially free ranging chickens that could/will eat the bugs that come in contact with the chemical.