Mosquitoes, ticks, flies, bears, mice, potato bugs, there are just so many critters out there to make your outdoor life miserable. However, there are some easy ways to minimize their impact on your summer schedule.
Mosquitos
Mosquito Dunks
Mosquito Dunks are a very effective tool at preventing mosquitos from reaching maturity. Use one per 100sqft of water surface. If you have large ponds try to put one of them every 20-30ft around the perimeter. These will provide you with 30 days of protection. These are perfect if you have a water surface that is relatively open and doesn’t have too many weeds.
Mosquito Bits
If you have lots of small puddles, a marshy area or lots of weeds on your pond it makes more sense to use mosquito bits. Just distribute them in the wet areas. Even if they land on spots that are dry they will be reactivated in the next rain. The mosquito bits provide up to 2 weeks of protection.
Natural Mosquito Repelling Plants
Mosquito bits and dunks are an excellent temporary solution but the costs will add up over time. For a regenerative lifestyle try planting Peppermint or Spearmint around your ponds, low spots and living areas. These plants have many other natural uses so it is great to have a source right on your property.
This bugzapper works great! I like to position it between the house and any brushy areas so it can catch the mosquitos before they reach us. There are cheaper ones out there but I prefer the ones with the vertical bars rather than the wire mesh. It is so much easier to clean. Just don’t put these right next to your bedroom windows. They are rather noisy when killing bugs.
Mosquito Vacuum
Mosquito Magnet 1Acre Cordless
The Mosquito Vacuums do an amazing job of clearing out mosquitos but it can take a bit of time to reduce the population if you don’t get early enough of a start. You also need to refill a propane tank every month. Do not put it right where you like hanging out. It works by attracting the mosquitos and then catching them. The joke goes that you should offer it to your neighbor so the mosquitoes get attracted and caught in their yard. :) However it is very satisfying to see the bag filled up with dead mosquitoes.
My family has had wonderful luck with the Mosquito Magnet. It generates it’s own electricity so you don’t need to have a cord in the yard.
Flies
Diatomaceous Earth
This is the same bug killer that is in all your flour including the organic stuff. It is cheap and relatively effective. Add this to your livestock feed and spread on top of the compost or manure piles to eliminate many of the bugs.
Just stay upwind when dispersing it so you don’t breath the dust in.
I have heard good things about this fly trap and expect to use it this year. The design is very simple and it is a very good price. Here’s hoping it is actually effective.
Fly Predator’s; Little tiny bugs that kill your flies while they are still in the larvae stage. Don’t use in the same spots as Diatomaceous Earth or in places experiencing a drought.
This giant fly trap can catch 10,000’s of flies. Just find a nail to hang it on and pull down some fresh sticky paper. As it fills up, tear off the old paper and pull down some new. Two rolls of this lasted us all summer! This is perfect for inside your buildings.
Ticks
Guinea Fowl are great at keeping the bugs down. Especially ticks. If you have a tick problem this might be a great solution for you. It is best to raise guineas from keets (chicks) so that they are more accepting of your property and the people on it.
A Natural repellant for ticks and flees. Plant this around the kids play areas to reduce tick problems.
Cedar wood chips are a natural bug repellant. We spread this around the kids play area to keep the ticks down.
Wasps & Hornets
We have a huge problem with wasps and hornets at our place. If you can’t find or reach the nests it can be almost impossible to get rid of them. Last year we found a new solution. We put 2 inches of sugar soaked in water inside a 5 gallon bucket and then positioned our bug zapper so it was hanging right above the the bucket. (The best results were with the zapper hanging partially inside the bucket) The sugar water attracted the wasps & hornets and the bug zapper killed them. After 2 weeks we had about 2 inches of dead wasps in the bucket.
Foaming Wasp & Hornet Spray or Gasoline
If I can find the nest I wait until night and douse it with gasoline. A big ground nest can take 3-4 gallons to fill it. I do not ignite the gas. The fuel is effective enough without it. The advantage of gas is that it will eventually dissipate and will leave behind a minimal amount of residue. I do not use this technique near a building or for nests that are high up in the air. For those I use a foaming wasp and hornet spray. I prefer to avoid it if possible but sometimes it is the best option. We keep a few cans on hand just in case.
Mice
Fresh Cab
This works great for keeping mice out of enclosed spaces like closets or cars you don’t use often. The larger the space the more frequently it will need to be replaced.
This trap can do a great job of catching mice for re-release back into the wild. Otherwise if you don’t have a good spot to release them it is also designed to hold a sticky trap inside. This makes it a lot easier to remove the mice without releasing them.
These traps are great for low traffic areas. It is important to have a variety of trapping techniques available because different ones will work with different mice.
Mice are a huge problem on the homestead. Equipment provides them with a spot to hide and the animal feed attracts them. This trap is perfect for outside, garage or in the barn. We have caught up to 10 mice in a night with just one of these traps.
Ants & Spiders
We spread diatomaceous earth anywhere ants or spiders are a problem. It will need to be reapplied each week until the problem is resolved. I like to put it all around the house and especially next to the doors. This is 100% natural and non-toxic. In fact it is added to almost all the flour you eat! Stay upwind as you spread it to keep from breathing the dust.
Use geese to scare away owls and hawks. The last couple years we purchased 1 each spring to guard our chickens from an owl and other small predator’s that hang around. Only lost 2 chickens while the geese were on guard. Be sure to get gentle ones like Embden. Also you will get best results if you have just 1. They will more likely to guard you and the other chickens rather than guarding the other geese from you.
Bears, coyotes, dogs
Herding Dogs
Two dogs working together can do a good job keeping away the varmints. Coyotes can kill a dog if it is alone unless it happens to be a Great Pyrenees. Other good breeds include the Aussie, Blue Healer, German Shepherd and Border Collie.
Electric Fences
Electric Fences. For getting started I really like the Gallagher electric smart fence. I can move this around as I move the coop and is a real fast way to protect the trees or the bees. It is a good idea to raising the bottom wire from the standard position to reduce shorting issues. This isn’t as strong as a permanent fence but it great for fast setup and easy maintenance.
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