# Mosquito problems



## Kevin (May 13, 2009)

Hey, I have a big problem. When the sun sets, those pestering mosquitoes start coming out and I would see them bugging my birds and I'm afraid they might catch sickness. I was wondering if you guys have ways on keeping the mosquitoes away from them?


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## Pigeon lower (Oct 23, 2007)

You could get screening, or even one of those things that make them stay away, no clue what there called.


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## Lovelace (Jan 10, 2008)

Get you a Dynatrap from Lowe's and put it in the loft, cost 100 dollars and its worth every penny.


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

Kevin said:


> Hey, I have a big problem. When the sun sets, those pestering mosquitoes start coming out and I would see them bugging my birds and I'm afraid they might catch sickness. I was wondering if you guys have ways on keeping the mosquitoes away from them?


I have my entire back yard sprayed regularly with a mosquito barrier. I also have those pest strips in the loft, I dip my birds. I have heard that those bug zappers which are turned on at night can also be very helpful.


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

They also have those new mosquito coils you can actually wear, I wonder if you could buy a bunch and put them around the loft? If they're safe for children they should (hopefully!!) be safe for your birds as well.


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## Kevin (May 13, 2009)

Thanks everyone, for now I bought those pest strips. It will be temporary, until I decide which one works best.


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## bbcdon (Oct 16, 2007)

Kevin, there is also a racer in Chico, CA, who puts a little bit of "flower of sulpher in his feed, as he states he learned from a pigeon master years ago in europe, that the residue on their beak will keep mosquitos away, as the fragrance annoys them. There is also a loft dressing that has sulphur in it, but it is quite fragrant.


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## Kevin (May 13, 2009)

Oh yeah, I've seen that on youtube I think. When he was mixing his feed right? Is his user name DENNISWEINRENCH or something like that?

His birds are awesome by the way, it's his own strain called 'Blue Demons'. All his videos are awesome!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Kevin said:


> Oh yeah, I've seen that on youtube I think. When he was mixing his feed right? Is his user name DENNISWEINRENCH or something like that?
> 
> His birds are awesome by the way, it's his own strain called 'Blue Demons'. All his videos are awesome!


Yes, I've seen several of Dennis" videos. I was thinking about putting mosquito netting around the aviary. The loft windows are screened, so the only way in would be through the aviary, so when the sun goes down, or on a rainy dismal day, the kind where mosquitoes are around, I put a half screen in the window to the aviary, and don't let the birds use it. So, I figured that if I put the netting around the aviary, in a way that I can pull it back on good days, I could still leave it open on those days.


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## Kevin (May 13, 2009)

I'm also lookin into getting some kind of mosquito netting, I'm just canvassing right now where I can get it cheap


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## bbcdon (Oct 16, 2007)

Yes, Dennis Weinreich is his name. His videos on youtube are very good. I corresponded with him a year ago. Very nice guy, and as you can tell from his videos, he truly loves his birds. I especially like the one that shows De Byter, his loft protector bird. That bird is aggressive!


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## Kevin (May 13, 2009)

I agree, he's one angry pigeon so don't mess with him. LOL! 
De Byter's babies look very beautiful too.


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## plamenh (Aug 11, 2006)

Actually in the book:
The Widowhood Book - A Complete Guide to the Best Methods of Racing Pigeons ... By C. A. E. Osman
it is mentioned this mixture with Flowers of sulphur where dosage is to each kg of grain, one tablespoon of cod liver oil and two tablespoons of flowers of sulphur.


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

Find the source of mosquito breeding ground and destroy it. Check for stagnant water or collected water that doesn't drain right.


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## Kevin (May 13, 2009)

Rod - Yeah, turns out my neighbor had a tub of water on his side yard, I spoke to him about my mosquito problem and he checked to see if it was coming from that. And it was. The tub of water had a cover with a hole the size of a quarter, they still managed to use that. Sneaky pests.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

We've always had a bunch of mosquitos due to our pond, creek (which ranges from deeper than I am tall, to not even an inch deep), neighbor's unkept pond and often tall-grassed pasture, and the woods surrounding us on one side. All of that helps keep the mosquitos happy. Luckily, we do have our share of toads, frogs, bats, swifts, fish, and dragonflies  So they help us keep them under control. I've never seen them bother my birds, so I'm not that concerned. We had the occasional blue jay die in the nearby towns, from west nile, but that was YEARS ago. Plus I think the mosquitos are too busy hampering me  They must really like the taste of my blood. Even repellent doesn't help me.
We do keep fly strips around the lofts and we also have a bug zapper (if it even works anymore, LOL). I wouldn't like the idea of spraying or having any kind of repellents near the loft because of the smell. I've heard that if you eat a lot of garlic, it repels bugs from us. I know it's good for parasites in birds, so maybe that applies to mosquitos as well.


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## Kevin (May 13, 2009)

MaryOfExeter said:


> We've always had a bunch of mosquitos due to our pond, creek (which ranges from deeper than I am tall, to not even an inch deep), neighbor's unkept pond and often tall-grassed pasture, and the woods surrounding us on one side. All of that helps keep the mosquitos happy. Luckily, we do have our share of toads, frogs, bats, swifts, fish, and dragonflies  So they help us keep them under control. I've never seen them bother my birds, so I'm not that concerned. We had the occasional blue jay die in the nearby towns, from west nile, but that was YEARS ago. Plus I think the mosquitos are too busy hampering me  They must really like the taste of my blood. Even repellent doesn't help me.
> We do keep fly strips around the lofts and we also have a bug zapper (if it even works anymore, LOL). I wouldn't like the idea of spraying or having any kind of repellents near the loft because of the smell. I've heard that if you eat a lot of garlic, it repels bugs from us. I know it's good for parasites in birds, so maybe that applies to mosquitos as well.


I agree. My mom just told me to buy some sprays and I told her that it might be harmful for the birds. So we bought a LOT of fly strips, we have one bug zapper hanging next to the loft.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

RodSD said:


> Find the source of mosquito breeding ground and destroy it. Check for stagnant water or collected water that doesn't drain right.


Kinda hard to do when you have neighbors who just don't care about their property. I go around changing the water in birdbaths in our yard evry few days, and check for anything that water could accumulate in, but the house next door has had a blocked drainpipe for the last 2 years, and the rental company that owns it just doesn't care. We had told them, but nothing. You can take care of your property, but ya can't control the neighbors, and who knows what mosquito water is lurking in their yards. LOL.


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## Ed (Sep 18, 2008)

MaryOfExeter said:


> We've always had a bunch of mosquitos due to our pond, creek (which ranges from deeper than I am tall, to not even an inch deep), neighbor's unkept pond and often tall-grassed pasture, and the woods surrounding us on one side. All of that helps keep the mosquitos happy. Luckily, we do have our share of toads, frogs, bats, swifts, fish, and dragonflies  So they help us keep them under control. I've never seen them bother my birds, so I'm not that concerned. We had the occasional blue jay die in the nearby towns, from west nile, but that was YEARS ago. Plus I think the mosquitos are too busy hampering me  They must really like the taste of my blood. Even repellent doesn't help me.
> We do keep fly strips around the lofts and we also have a bug zapper (if it even works anymore, LOL). I wouldn't like the idea of spraying or having any kind of repellents near the loft because of the smell. I've heard that if you eat a lot of garlic, it repels bugs from us. I know it's good for parasites in birds, so maybe that applies to mosquitos as well.



Go to your local pet store or anywhere you can buy yourself what are called "feeder fish" BUT you have to get the rosie red minnow "feeder Fish" not the goldfish.








get yourself about 5 bucks worth and dump them in the pond.
The rosie red minnow will eat the mosquito larva before they can hatch out and start to fly.
They are also VERY easy to breed in a small 10 gallon fish tank.
They do wonders if you have a pond with a mosquito problem.
Hope this helps out


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## Ed (Sep 18, 2008)

Treating "Feeder Fish:"
The only downside to these fish is that, since they are sold as "feeder fish" or "bait," they usually have parasites and other health problems due to overcrowding and poor care. Medications and good care can reverse this. Pick apparently healthy fish with which to begin. To treat a newly bought batch of rosy reds, I used Aquari-Sol by Aquarium Products, Inc. at half dose (I have soft water) for four or five days in a 5 gallon quarantine tank where they remained for two weeks. I vacuumed water off the bare bottom daily and used a corner filter. Salt levels of about 1 Tablespoon per 5 gallons were used initially but diluted with the daily water changes. Extend the quarantine if any fish die.


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## Ed (Sep 18, 2008)

http://www.fishpondinfo.com/rosies.htm


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

That would be a great idea, but I don't know how long they'd last with a bunch of bass and crappie swimming with them, LOL  Maybe if our pond was one of those little ornamental ponds.


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## Kevin (May 13, 2009)

I agree Jay, I use to have a neighbor like that. He would be drunk and start shouting out in the street. He'd mow the lawn at around 9:00 - 9:30 PM. That's just uncalled for. Glad we moved. LOL! 

Thanks Ed, but I wish I had a pond. My neighbor does, he's pretty cool and easy to get along with so maybe we can work something out.


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## Ed (Sep 18, 2008)

MaryOfExeter said:


> That would be a great idea, but I don't know how long they'd last with a bunch of bass and crappie swimming with them, LOL  Maybe if our pond was one of those little ornamental ponds.



HA
probably just a few minutes LOL
The bass and crappies would think someone set out a gourmet meal for them LOL


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

Yeah, I agree with those neighbor's that doesn't care. There is mosquito spray that has pyrethrin ingredients so that is not toxic to our birds.

I noticed mosquito problem before, too, until I figured out the source. You could see the larvae swimming there.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

RodSD said:


> Yeah, I agree with those neighbor's that doesn't care. There is mosquito spray that has pyrethrin ingredients so that is not toxic to our birds.
> 
> I noticed mosquito problem before, too, until I figured out the source. You could see the larvae swimming there.


Is the spray for people or animals? Would any of the bugs sprays made for the birds help?


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