[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by smartcat

What did you use to cut the metal mesh? And what did you use to stick velcro?

Kitchen scissors (used for cutting fish) or tailor scissor to cut the metal. Stitched the velcro using nylon thread on to the metal mesh.

For something a lot faster, you can either use:

1) Builder's Bond, or






2) Araldite



But these take around 12 hours for a proper hold and can sometimes be messy since the glue will pass/leak through the net (she had to paint the residue black to avoid the messy look). So she decided to stitch it.

The screen worker was charging a lot of cash (guess around 130 to 150/sq.ft. Would have cost us atleast 50k for the entire work). When my wife suggested this alternative, he said this wouldn't work. Finally, on seeing my wife's DIY, they were impressed since we saved a lot of cash this way (around 6k for the net 2k for the velcro, glue, thread etc).

[roby_dk]

Originally Posted by vinu_h

That's a myth. O+ runs through me and mosquitoes rarely bother me. My wife on the other hand is B+ and mosquitoes give her all the attention.

Mosquito mesh is the neatest way to keep them out

Posting the full article here. In the Blood type section there is a condition for secret-ers which might be the case with you. I read multiple articles on this and almost all of them mention about the relation with Blood type.

1. Apparel
As mentioned above, mosquitoes actually use their eyes to target victims. Jay explains that mosquitoes are highly visual, “especially later in the afternoon, and their first mode of search for humans is through vision.” Wearing dark colors (navy, black) and red make you easier to spot, says Jay. (Note to self: Check camouflage summer wear.)


2. Blood type
It’s all about the blood for mosquitoes; well that and nectar. Adult mosquitoes survive on nectar for nourishment, but females rely on the protein in our blood for the production of eggs. So it’s little surprise that some blood types may be more desirable than others. Research has found, in fact, that people with Type O blood are found to be twice as attractive to mosquitoes than those with Type A blood; Type B people were in the middle. In addition, 85 percent of people produce a secretion that signals what blood type they are; mosquitoes are drawn to those 85 percent more than the non-secretors, regardless of blood type.


3. Gas
Mosquitoes can sense carbon dioxide up to 160 feet away; so the more one exhales, the more attractive they become. Larger people exhale more. Also to note, since human beings exhale carbon dioxide through the nose and mouth, mosquitoes are attracted to our heads, which explains the whole “mosquitoes buzzing about the ears all night” misery.


4. Heat and sweat
Mosquitoes apparently have a nose for other scents besides carbon dioxide; they can sniff down victims through the lactic acid, uric acid, ammonia and other compounds emitted in sweat. They also like people who run warmer; a hot sweaty human must seem quite delicious to them – couch potatoes, rejoice. Strenuous exercise increases the buildup of lactic acid and heat in your body, while genetic factors “influence the amount of uric acid and other substances naturally emitted by each person, making some people more easily found by mosquitoes than others.”


5. Lively skin
Some research has shown that the types and amount of bacteria on one’s skin can play a role in bringing on the mosquitoes as well. Our dermal casing is naturally teeming with microscopic life, and the whole shebang creates a distinct fragrance. In one study, a group of men were divided into those who were highly attractive to mosquitoes and those who were not. The delicious ones had more of certain microbes on their skin than the unattractive ones, but fewer types – a larger community but less diverse. The bacteria factor could also explain why some mosquitoes are drawn to ankles and feet, an especially ripe source of bacteria.


6. Pregnancy
Women with a bun in the oven are probably those least wanting to attract mosquitoes, but alas, some species are evidently more attracted to pregnant women than women who are not. One study in Africa found that pregnant women are twice as attractive to malaria carrying mosquitoes as non-pregnant women; researchers believe it is due to an increase in carbon dioxide – they found that women in late pregnancy exhaled 21 percent greater volume of breath than non-pregnant women. They also discovered that the abdomens of pregnant women were 1.26°F hotter, adding to the mosquitoes-like-warm-bodies component.


7. Beer
Who knew mosquitoes had a taste for beer? The little lushes. In one study researchers found that significantly more mosquitoes landed on study participants after drinking a 12-ounce beer than before. The scientists figured that it was due to increased ethanol content in sweat and skin temperature from consuming the brew, but they were unable to find the exact correlation, just that it happened. So nobody knows why, clearly the crafty pests aren't targeting inebriated folks as easy marks, but it does seem to be a thing.

[r_devakumar]

I am very sensitive to Mosquito sound / bite. Considering the health benefits, i stopped using the 'good night', spray etc. I am using the below combination to escape.

1. One section of every window is fitted with net and windows glass is always open and the other sections are closed / open as needed. This helps to prevent entry of mosquito to a great extend and also house is always ventilated.

2. Use electric bat as needed

3. Fordable net for sleep as needed (6x4 size).


The windows in our house are made of aluminum frame where fitting any standard net is difficult. I have made custom nets and fitted myself.


Image 1: Window type in my house. The windows opens outside and the grill is inside.
Image 4: Bought this plastic stripes (the one used for running speaker cables generally) and cut them similar to the size of window section. Cut the net for the size and fitted them in stripes.
Image 2,3: The custom net is placed between the grill and window section and supported by the plastic pipes / strips to fit them firmly.

[vamsi2390]

Other than my gardening balcony, the other 2 balconies are covered with a mosquito mesh employing a DIY using zip ties.
All the windows have mosquito meshes as well.

Originally Posted by wildsdi5530

The motor of the filter should be completely immersed into water to avoid overheating.

Agreed. I was changing water at the time of taking the pic. Most of the time it isn't ON as well as I have a oxygen motor as well.

Originally Posted by Fillmore

How does this help get rid of the mosquitoes ?
They are anyways entering from outside your house and not breeding inside the house.

The title only says 'Mosquito menace : What do you do?' And not 'how to get rid of mosquitoes'. This is a preventative measure to cut down their breeding as I have a lot of plants in the garden including a water lily tub.

[GTO]

The best & easiest remedy is to put the air-conditioner on. Mosquitoes hate a cold room. That and the metal nets that Smartcat shared keep us comfortable.

We found out about this the hard way. Long story, but once, me & my cousin were forced to sleep in the car on a family holiday. The mosquitoes just wouldn't stop biting us. We put the air-con on full blast and that was the end of it.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by GTO

The best & easiest remedy is to put the air-conditioner on. Mosquitoes hate a cold room. That and the metal nets that Smartcat shared keep us comfortable.

We found out about this the hard way. Long story, but once, me & my cousin were forced to sleep in the car on a family holiday. The mosquitoes just wouldn't stop biting us. We put the air-con on full blast and that was the end of it.

I haven't had that luck with my AC!
What did work a little for me was putting on the fan along with the AC as it was the fan that kept them away with it's force.

My house being on the ground floor sees a lot of mosquitos and flies, but thankfully - the mosquito racquet helped, as did using scents / diffusers (citronella, eucalyptus, lemongrass etc.).
In fact, my room is probably the only mosquito free room in the house despite the windows being open a considerable amount of time for ventilation (perils of a smoker )

[Rehaan]

I was being eaten alive by mosquitos in my room last year.

I was pretty desperate, so I bought this for Rs. 999 on Amazon.in

Amazon: Hunter Mosquito Repellant Machine



Here's my Amazon review:

(5-stars - Since it actually works sometimes)

I'm not a fan of "goodnight" and other things that claim to "keep mosquitoes away" since there's really no proof.

After being eaten alive in my own room, I bought this (and another better looking one from another manufacturer) out of sheer desperation.

I was not expecting it to work.

I followed the basic instructions: Keep the lights off, put it in a good location, run it for several hours at a time when mosquitoes are active, keep the room fan off, etc.

IT ACTUALLY WORKS!

Have caught about 10 mosquitoes in about 3 days of actual well-timed & well-placed use.

[roby_dk]

Originally Posted by GTO

The best & easiest remedy is to put the air-conditioner on. Mosquitoes hate a cold room.

That is absolutely correct mosquitoes will stick to walls and will not fly at all but this was working till we were two, have a little monster of 2 years who is not at all fond of taking any blanket on top of him. We have tried all ways to keep him covered. Earlier me and my wife used to operate AC on as low as 18-19 degrees with quilts to keep us warm but now we have to keep it around 26-27. We have spent sleepless nights due to my little one catching cold and fever multiple times as he didn't took quilt whole night. So the best way for us is to kill them with zapper, sprays and finally using net at night for a comfortable sleep.

[Rehaan]

Here's another option. I've not tried it -- but Thermacell in general seems well rated on Amazon USA.

Being sold by PCI in India now.

[arindambasu13]

I find that a combination of the mosquito mat (to kill mosquitoes in real time) and Good Knight smart cards (the paper cards which you burn and which emits fumes) works well for my house. The "smart cards" especially are quite effective and a boon when travelling. Just slips into a corner of the bag without occupying space like a mosquito coil pack would.

I also ensure that my open windows are covered with mosquito mesh and that I don't leave other doors and windows open after dusk.

[kozhissery]

1. I've all the windows covered with Mosquito Net (Hard type stainless steel and not Velcro - being removable and washable).
2. Close all the doors before 5PM so that mosquito does not venture in
3. Use the Mosquito bat to kill the ones that sneak in.


While traveling use Odomos or something like that and in some cases something like Good Night/Mortien etc

[hrman]

Not surprised that most of the answers on this thread are from BHPians from coastal cities.
During my Mumbai days, the only way we used to be able to sleep at night was using the 6X5 mosquito net around the bed. No amount of good night or all out would work.

In Bangalore, all of our windows have the metal mesh. In addition, we also keep the washroom and main door closed all the time and request people visiting our house to do the same. This has helped to a large extent and we have been living a reasonably mosquito free life at home. For the mosquitoes which do manage to get through, the good old zapper comes in handy.

[HKap]

I've spent most of my life living on the ground floor in Mumbai with plenty of trees around and a lot of hawkers/food stalls in my lane. Basically a mosquito hotbed. I found it extremely effective if I kept the windows shut from 4:30 pm to about 8:30 pm. Apart from this it was a combination of the zapper and hit/pestseal (PCI). Although hit and pestseal (super effective) gave me a sore throat and eventually I stopped using them. Odomos works well too. I won't apply Odomos to every square cm of the exposed skin if I'm indoors though. Just a few spots on the limbs and I would be ok.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

I was being eaten alive by mosquitos in my room last year. I was pretty desperate, so I bought this for Rs. 999 on Amazon.in

After reading your post, it took me about 3 seconds to make a decision -



Questions:

1) How big is this thing? Looks enormous
2) It does not work in daylight? Will it work if I close all curtains and darken the room?
3) Should it be hidden in a remote corner (like under a table) or placed somewhere prominent?
4) Can I keep it ON all the time?

[Fillmore]

Originally Posted by GTO

The best & easiest remedy is to put the air-conditioner on. Mosquitoes hate a cold room.

I guess Indian mosquitoes hate the cold.

Because I remember seeing a documentary on Nat Geo about how swarms of mosquitoes in the Artic literally make life hell for migrating caribou.

Also check Artic Mosquitoes