Driving with Mosquito Hordes

[Marsha Cassada]

We've had a ton of rain lately. Disgusting. (The next farmer I meet who complains about it being too dry may get a punch on the nose!) Of course the mosquitoes are now out in famished armies. I spritz my horses at least twice a day with OFF, but I'm not sure it's good for them. I'm thinking I will try to bathe them today to get off some accumulation, if I can find a spot that isn't ankle deep to stand them on. Poor Dusty has welts from their bites.

Any tips from those of you who are plagued with this regularly? To have those clouds of vampires swirling around us while out in the cart--just the thought makes my skin crawl. I hate to give up our workouts, but the distraction of a thousand little violins may not be conducive to safe driving.

 

[RhineStone]

My husband is an agronomist. He has a commercial applicator's license. We spray our property which is backed up to a woods. Much less mosquitos. Much more area to function in. Much happier horses and people. Follow label instructions. Just because a pesticide happens to have a name that most people can't pronounce, does not necessarily make it bad.

Myrna (who has read Laura Ingalls Wilder's account of how grasshoppers devastated Pa's entire wheat crop, and caused the family to have to move and start over instead of enjoying a small wealth out of debt. My son asked, "Why didn't they just spray the crop?" Progress/Technology good.

)

 

[Margo_C-T]

I agree with Myrna; nothing intrinsically 'bad' about insecticides; key is to follow the directions carefully and use only when actually needed!I like Adams sprays for horses; it also repels mosquitoes and gnats(which are a REAL problem here when it is both hot AND dry...as it is NOW!)

Margo

 

[LazyRanch]

I used to live in IL, where I think the State Bird is mosquitos - never having lived inland, I had no idea mosquitos came that size.

We added a little vinegar to morning feeds and brewer's yeast to evening feeds. Big help.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Eww. Eww, eww, eww!! Mosquitoes = evil. There is nothing in life quite as annoying as that horrible whine.

Thankfully our hordes mostly come out at dusk so the easy solution here is to drive in the daytime but if we're forced to be out at that time of day we all cover up. I think if it were a regular problem I'd buy a driving bug sheet and a good bug mask like Cashel makes for riding horses and go from there. Mom raised me to be paranoid of all the cancer-causing ingredients in bug sprays so I tend not to use them but if I lived in one of those state-bird places I think I'd get over that tendency.

I have no urge to be carried off!

Leia

 

[LazyRanch]

Eww. Eww, eww, eww!! Mosquitoes = evil. There is nothing in life quite as annoying as that horrible whine.

Mom raised me to be paranoid of all the cancer-causing ingredients in bug sprays so I tend not to use them but if I lived in one of those state-bird places I think I'd get over that tendency.

I have no urge to be carried off!

Leia

Yeah, I don't like the whole chemical bug spray thing. I started eating the brewer's yeast myself and was really happy with how well it worked for us - and it's natural. Just don't feed the yeast and the vinegar at the same feeding!

Also, I have met several people who cut up dryer sheets and pin them on to their clothing. Last week I met someone who actually braids a section of dryer sheet in his Quarter Horse's forelock! He swears by it - although, he admits he gets a lot of ribbing from his cowboy friends.