Okay, swatters. Got any weekend war stories to share? Add accounts of your latest battles in the comments section below.
- Swarms of mosquitoes spotted across the Houston area [KHOU]
- Mosquitoes swarm, but relief is on the way [Houston Chronicle]
- Mosquitoes seem to be swarming Houston [Newswatch]
Photo: Christine Tremoulet [license]
I walked around Rice University with my wife this weekend. I got 4 bites on my hands and head (wearing long sleeves ftw).
My wife got 6 bites on her arms, and one bit through her jeans to get her leg.
They are horrible right now. I even had some in my car on the way to work. They need to send the skeeter trucks around!
Yeah. Those little bastards. What the hell?
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I just got back from being out of the country for a week and there were swarms of them at my house when I got back. I just walked in from being outside for 5 minutes and they were all over. At first I thought maybe it was because of some leak I might have that I didn’t know about or our bird pond (which was empty when I checked), but I saw nothing around that would cause them.
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While I’m not glad these buggers are everywhere, I am glad I now know why there are so many (and that its not just something unique to me)
Went to the UH/Marshall game Saturday. Everything was fine (including the win!). As we left the security guard warned us about mosquitoes. Sure enough, we were swarmed on the way back to the car. Yikes!
I went to see an art performance at The Joanna. It was running behind schedule, but the Joanna was full of mosquitoes, so I didn’t want to hang out there waiting. I hopped over to the relatively mosquito-free environs of the Black Lab for a beer. Then it occurred to me to go get some protection. I drove up to Walgreens to buy some mosquito repellant, but by the time I got there, they had been completely cleaned out! No Off left! (So I just went back to the Joanna and watched the performance while the mosquitoes feasted.)
My dogs don’t even want to go outside right now. Seriously – they just cower by the door until I let them back in, then I spend 5 minutes swatting the mosquitoes that snuck in with them. Anyone know any dog friendly insect repellents? Don’t want to cover them with DEET.
I feel awful today. My day is going to be ruined if i have West Nile.
We went to Brazos Bend state park, and it was the worst I’ve ever seen anywhere. Insect repellent helped, but not completely. I even got bites through my socks and shirt.
My dog was carried off while we were walking at Memorial Park. I lost 6 lbs – not from walking, but from blood loss…
Mosquitoes remind us we are NOT at the top of the food chain
jessica1 – Burt’s Bees Insect Repellant can be used on dogs AND humans! $8 a can and nothing but essential oils. Sometimes found at Walgreens, but always at Whole Foods.
I don’t remember the mosquitoes being this this aggressive since after Tropical Storm Allison. They swarm on us outside, bite through our clothes, then follow us into our truck and our house. The cat loves them, though. She thinks they’re fun little toys to chase. I’m glad someone’s having a good time!
@Ann: One of those little suckers (thank you! Please tip your waitress) flew into my apartment the other day. My cat was fascinated with it, chased it around, trying to crush it with his paw. Finally, the little bugger rested on the wall long enough for me to whack it with my sneaker.(The mosquito, not the cat.) Cat looked disappointed and annoyed with his human.
I went for a walk around the neighborhood with my daughter Saturday and we spent more time swatting mosquitoes off of us than walking. I figure with this year’s drought, the mosquitoes wouldn’t be as bothersome. Wellll….I thought wrong. Is it too late to buy stock in insect repellent companies?
I actually prefer the mosquitos over the Occupy Wall Street crowd.
Mosquitos don’t:
…recite bad poetry
…blindly repeat what’s said over a bullhorn
….rink Starbucks and use their Iphones while hanging outside the Bastille
…mind working for their dinner
But they have one thing in common….when winter comes they will be gone. Unless they occupy Palm Beach.
My wife and I took our young children out for a stroll last night and were met by the third intifada of mosquitos. The minute she stepped outside, three skeeters latched on sucking blood harder and faster than a newborn seeking milk.
We fought the countless legions with DEET, hand swatting, scare tactics to no avail. While at times we thought we were ahead in the battle, we sounded retreat after six blocks. Our children were fortunate enough to be safeguarded by the mosquito nets on the stroller.
Nevertheless, I am ready to order some permethrin and Thermacell repellants from Amazon before attempting another walk outside.
Forget the spray trucks. I think more evil forces are at work here. We need agent orange and napalm to rid ourselves of these pesky blood suckers (mosquitoes not politicians) and then we’ll still be left with the roaches.
Cody –
Little Bitches… It’s the females that bite. Go figure.
100% DEET from REI (sold as Jungle Juice) seems to do the trick. I put it on my clothes & hair. No bites all afternoon as I worked in my garden.
3 citronella candles and one of those incense spirals kept them off the back patio. They are absolutely the worst I have ever experienced, except this bunch are fairly slow moving & easy to kill. Perhaps they’re so bad because their natural predators – like dragonflies – have disappeared with the streams & lakes this year.
I don’t like insecticidal sprays or MosquitoDeleto systems because they also kill beneficial insects. The monarch butterflies are back in town as well – I saw 8 yesterday – on their migration to Mexico. Would hate to see them go in our quest to be rid of the pesky hordes of skeeters.
@ Jessica1, @ Flake:
I keep a box fan ($20. at your grocery store, Walgreens, etc.) at my back door. I turn it on when the dog wants IN. The breeze blows off the blood-suckers – no chemicals required.
Also, I brush her there in front of the fan, and, the hair flies away! Voila.
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This uniform explosion of insects since the rain really IS amazing! I’m seeing beasts about 150% the size of ‘regular’ mosquitos.
There’s something in the COH water (since they have no rain puddles right?) that is amping them up. Thank all those apartment complexes and office buildings who never modified their sprinkler schedules after rationing started.
Neither the city nor the county is spraying since, as the Chronicle put it, these particular mosquitoes “don’t generally” carry West Nile. So one must assume they will spray if by chance some of them are carrying West Nile. Although it will be a little late. Of course according to some neighbors the mosquito truck has twice “circled the block” around the mayor’s home. Maybe she gets sprayed “just in case.” Probably some others do as well. We, the little people, of course can just fend for ourselves.
cool. I live few feet from the mayor. I get to leach off her spray ;)
Perhaps she won’t be mayor for long……..
Most sources say Mayor Parker’s re-election is pretty certain. If you must flirt with the mosquitoes, spray yourself. Why should the whole place be sprayed because you’re too cheap to buy Off? Besides, Harris County does most of the mosquito control; the critters don’t observe city limits signs.
“Floodwater” mosquitoes generally don’t carry West Nile. (But maybe heartworm. Are your doggies protected?) Learn more here:
http://houston.culturemap.com/newsdetail/10-25-11-this-doesnt-qualify-as-a-mosquito-emergency-officials-explain-why-there-is-no-spraying-of-houston-beasts/
Even more boring than science: History. Yellow fever killed many an early Houstonian. http://bayoucityhistory.blogspot.com/2006/09/yellow-fever-blues-part-1-of-2.html
Actually the County is spraying but only in areas where WNV activity has been identified. The maps of planned spray locations and current WNV activity are at http://www.hcphes.org/hcmosquitoctrl/. You may now put your tinfoil hats back on.