Off Grid Mosquito Trap - seems to be working!
With the flash floods this spring due to a rapid snow pack melt, followed by no spring rain, we are now experiencing drought. But it seems to be perfect mosquito weather as the voracious and aggressive nature of this years pesky mosquito seems to be very intense this year. I cannot burn smudges to help the animals find relief and we don't have the cash to purchase solutions.
So I went on line and found this simple idea to help trap mosquitoes and it seems to be working. I like this solution as the animals are safe, requires no dangerous chemicals and the birds can eat the bugs when they are dead. Trick to killing the bugs once they are in the trap is a rubbing alcohol diluted solution.
I got the idea from Mother Earth News and decided to try it out. Our solar system should be able to handle running the fan all night. I also made it so that it can either sit on the chicken coop floor or I can hang it just outside the chicken coop during the night. I'm also toying with the idea of putting a light on the fan at night to attract flies as we also have a black fly problem. It is working well with the mosquitoes and will try the light to draw in the flies as well.
We needed a solution this year as everyone out here is suffering terribly. I hope this helps, but so far this is looking very promising! I will update you in a few weeks.
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Oh this is great! @earthmother, check it out, you could benefit from it I'm sure!
I am wondering about the alcohol solution. How would you apply it? Just spray it in after catching so many?
I read that the alcohol solution is diluted and put into a spray bottle. Then I just spray the bugs. Both the alcohol and water evaporate, leaving a bug buffet for the chickens. Did not cost me anything to make as it was made with materials laying around.
Awesome, thank you ^_^
I dont have the solar to run it. I have a very small system. :( I love this idea!!!
This looks like a good solution. During the dry season my frogs, (2 small ponds worth of various species of frogs) geckos and bats pretty much take care of things. But when the rainy season starts it is all out warfare on the scourage. I had read somewhere (oldtimers setting in) that if you place a bottle of carbonated soda in front of the fan, it will attract more mosquitos. Perhaps when I set this up I will play with the carbon dioxide to see if it gets more.
super interesting. Mosquitoes absolutely love me. I always joke that those around me don't need bug spray, because I will act as the bug magnet for them. Last year I was living in a very rustic, outdoor home (the only indoor part was my bedroom and toilet) and I was eaten alive most days. This seems like such an awesome solution. Glad to hear it's working!
Around here, you would be one of those people who the mosquitoes carry away to their lair and we would then have to send out search parties to look for you. I hope that you are able to get something similar built to help you enjoy the summers! Let us all know how it works out ... if you are going to live a very rustic life again.
I have nominated your post for inclusion in the new @curateme list.
You are one of the first posts selected!
This is a brand new project that is just getting going; however, is not
yet fully active. I do hope this helps boost your visibility and
rewards as I have found this to be an article I truly enjoyed!
Wonderful idea, mosquitos are such a bother!
Blessings to you. @irishgirl
wow!!!!!!!!that's great design. i think it will work good against mosquito. may be it will be so effective against it.
however i know many things from your post. life, philosophy and many others things. it really a good job you are doing. stay blessed dear @wwf.
I'm going to take pictures at noon at it would have been about 24 hours since I started the trap. I'm amazed already! Thank you!
you are warmly welcome to my zone.....i am eagerly awaiting for your next amazing post.....
Found your post compliments of @poeticsnake Snekkey award!
What a fabulous natural solution! Thanks for your very useful , natural fix to a rampant problem.
~T
Thank you for finding my work and thanks to @poeticsnake for sharing too! We live off grid and work hard to be peaceful stewards of the land. As such we refuse to use chemicals out here to spray on weeds or insects. But the mosquitoes have been horrid this year. This solution worked well and we could run it on our solar system as well. I'm glad you like it!
I like this idea. I already have a fan running most days during the hot weather. I could take advantage of it and accomplish two goals at once. I hope it works for you. They are thick and hungry this year!
They are crazy this year. So far I've trapped hundreds of mosquitoes. I think it is working great.
A friend of mine designed a similar, but by the looks maybe simpler method to catch mosquitos and flies. He uses a box fan and fine netting that he clips onto the back of the fan and it sucks them right into the net. Works great! We lived in the swamp at the time. Best wishes. 🐓🐓
I would have done the same, except I don't have a box fan. But yes, that would work too! Thanks for sharing and expanding the ideas that others can use to help themselves as well!
I like this idea. I already have a fan running most days during the hot weather. I could take advantage of it and accomplish two goals at once. I hope it works for you. They are thick and hungry this year!
Glad you found a good solution. I live in the high desert where there is very little standing water. Last year I might have seen 20-30 mosquitoes in our house. Now down by the river is a different story. Blessings.