Mosquitoes are Satan's spawn. We have dry summers so it's not a huge problem, although wildfires are.

Agggh, I hate them so much. Mosquitoes love me for some reason. Meanwhile, I have been married for 35 years and have never seen DH get ONE bite. Isn’t that crazy? Fortunately we have a screen porch at our beach house so I rarely sit outside after dark, but at home I don’t have the same luxury. I hate wearing Eau De Bug Spray, but sometimes I just have to.

Sue, yes, thank goodnes for a screen porch, although its been so hot and humid I havent been out there much.

I keep some Deep Woods Off on my patio table! They love me, too.

Bunny, wildfires arent a problem here although the Pine Barrens of NJ have them from time to time. We sometimes get the smoke from Canada’s fires. I wonder if it kills mosquitoes.

I haven’t been out much in the evening to feed the mosquitos, but I have seen more lightning bugs than I’ve seen in many years.

Mosquitos love DH, but I don't have the same appeal, for which I am happy. I loathe the smell and feel of stuff used on my skin, so I often just spray my clothing/hat, which works quite well to keep them away. =)

bpath -- I, too, have seen fireflies this year after many years of none at all. Such joy!

Tons of lightening bugs this year. I wonder why some people say lightening bugs and others say fire flies.

Mosquitos love me and I have such a strong response to them. I discovered a few years ago if I can resist touching them for 20 minutes after I get the bit that it completely goes away.

They were swarming me last weekend, after days and days of rain here. I have a fogger spray that works pretty well short term, if you don't mind the wintergreen-y smell.

And this is the best remedy for itchy insect bites I've found:

There are any number of generic versions of Benadryl cream, Target's is just one.

Mosquitos LOVE me - and they completely leave my SO alone. Drive me crazy - especially because I have such strong reactions to them.

Kendrah - I've never noticed if I have a different reaction if I don't touch the bite for a certain amount of time - I think I touch them before I realize that I've even been bit. I'm going to start paying attention - maybe that will make a difference for me also!

Fire flies vs. lightening bugs - I say both - but that's because I moved around a bit when I was young.

I was just speaking with my aunt, a recently retired doctor, and she said that she takes Zyrtec for mosquitos if she knows she'll be exposed to them. It seems reasonable to try if you happen to live / visit somewhere that you know will be briefly combatting intense mosquitos.

Ive noticed a lot of lightning bugs this year,too! I saved one from my birdbath today. My birdbath has a fountain to keep mosquitoes out.

Who remembers runningafter the mosquito truck as a kid? They sprayed regularly at the NJ shore towns where we went every summer as kids and we always chased after the spray trucks. Nothing like a good dose of ddt to keep the mosquitoes away. Yikes.

Prickly, does your aunt take ZyrTec as a prophylactic for itching and swelling relief or does it in some way make her less inviting to them?

I keep a big spray bottle of some kind of bug repellent in the golf kit on my cart, and literally douse my legs in it from ankles right up to my underwear. I don’t care what it smells like and it doesn’t contain Deet— although I would I’d still use it if it did. Twice I got bitten during a late afternoon golf game, once on my upper legs underneath my golf skort. No more bites for me!

I’m a big fan Afterbite when I get bitten- it works fast, and usually I only need to apply it once.

We've been trying something new this year and it seems to be helping. We expanded our one or two mosquito dunk buckets to 4 - one roughly in each corner of the yard. These are just 5 gallon buckets you can buy at the hardware store or possibly have and can reuse filled with water and at least a handful of leaves, pine needles and such to invite the mosquitoes to lay their eggs. The dunk means they won't survive. Birth control for mosquitoes. Replace roughly once a month. They also make granules to scatter in places where water can puddle long enough to be a problem.

The other thing we have been using in Tougher than Tom Mosquito TNT. This is a bait to get rid of the mosquitoes you do get. They say this can take a couple of weeks to really control mosquitos. You mix a powder with warm water and hang the cups, replacing once a month. You want them away from doors and places you don't spend a lot of time in because they will be drawing mosquitoes.

We've been using both of these together for a couple of months, and it seems a lot better than the last few years. With all the rain we've had so far this year, I don't think we'd be able to be outdoors at all without them. The TNT is about $60 for several months worth and the dunks are about $20 for a whole summer's worth if you buy in bulk. DIL is a mosquito magnet and cannot go outside without drawing them. I swear they were following her indoors too. We had to do something to step up our game and the misting systems are not an option. The kill so many beneficial insects and pollinators and I am allergic to the most common "safe" pesticide. The TNT and dunks haven't been a problem and are a lot safer.

Hope that helps.

Dedtired, our mom made us come inside when the mosquito truck made its rounds. We were the only kids who had to go in. Thanks, Mom!

We use a mosquito spraying company at our house. We have large shade trees and lush landscaping all around our home-it would be impossible to entertain outside otherwise.

The last time I used mosquito spray on my body was a few years ago. My husband planned what was supposed to be a quick three-day fishing trip for us (DH, DS and I) on the coast of Matagorda, Texas in the middle of summer. I have never seen mosquitoes so huge or so numerous landing on our bodies-no matter how much spray we had on! We had a VRBO booked on the river that feeds into the ocean for three nights, but left after the first night-we didn’t even care about paying for the other nights. My son and I just wanted out of there! We ended up in Austin the other two nights in a nice hotel-not on a river!

My DH and I try to avoid traveling anywhere in the summer where heat/mosquitoes are a problem, with the exception of our annual 4th of July lake trip with a big group of friends-where we don’t notice them for some reason. We travel to cooler areas (at our age now) to get out of this Oklahoma humidity/heat-at least a couple of times during July/August.

I know it’s controversial, but we have mosquito spraying. Otherwise our yard would be unusable. They come every 3 weeks. DH is the mosquito magnet too. I can get bad histamine reactions to bites where they really get large and red. For July 4 he still used bug spray. I also cannot stand the smell of bug spray. What we’ve also had here and I’ve seen others online complain locally is flies! Not the nice fireflies either. There seems to be so many more this year. Just bringing in groceries they get in when we open the door. I’m going to have to get one of those zappers. And Orkin sprays for ants and roaches. The joys of living in the humid south.

Lots of mosquitoes here in MN. We have a screen porch at our lake place and spend a lot of time in there. Otherwise if we're going to be outside when they're around we use insect repellent which is also useful for ticks - lots of Lyme disease here as well. I've lived here my whole life and we've never sprayed for mosquitoes. I've never really looked into it but I'd be concerned about how it affects the bees. I guess we're just used to dealing them as we don't think much about it.

Don't notice them as much as the little black flies that bite my ankles and lower legs. Sitting out in the garden, I sometimes have to drape a bandana across my legs. The fly bites hurt!

I usually don't get bitten, but did this week. On my wrist. We haven't seen many dragonflies this summer. They eat a lot of mosquitoes a day.

DH is never bothered by them at all. I can just take out the trash and get a bit somewhere. Fortunately I have a prescription from the dermatologist for poison ivy (clobetasol gel) that works great on mosquito bites too, so I dab it on and usually one application works. I usually spray myselt with some sort of spray every time I go outside for any length of time. And I carry an Off wipe packet with me sometimes just in case. I tried an herbal wipe I found it Whole Foods but have only used it once and it seemed to be ok but I was also around a fan so that may have kept them away. I’m going to do more research with these. It was a bit oily after applying but i guess that is ok if it’s adding a little moisturizer to my skin.

Lascatx, I use mosquito dunks too and have read about people setting up ’lure traps’ as you descibe in different areas of their yard. I may try that.

Who remembers running after the mosquito truck as a kid?

Me, me! OMG. And then the Good Humor Man, or Ice Water Truck, would come. yum

If we are at the ocean, the breeze keeps them away, thank goodness. Otherwise, up on our verandah, once it is dusk we use the mosquito curtains. They work perfectly, I love them. And when not in use, I have them tied back to the columns so they just look like white curtains. At night in the summer, we keep the door to the house open and the verandah feels like another room.

We do spray however, though not because of mosquitos. One summer I looked down at the stone paving around the pool and could see hundreds of ticks!!! Very rare to see ticks IME. Having had a friend who suffered from Bell's Palsy after a tick bite, and another friend who has Lyme disease, I cannot abide by ticks. We had people out to spray the next day and regularly ever since. It's literally a case of "pick your poison."

I wish I had a verandah, not that I would use it much, but just so I could say ” my verandah”. Brings to mind Katharine Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story, although i dont think she ever said that, but maybe.

Yes, Lyme disease is a big concern. I wont go walking in the woods in summer because we are loaded with deer. One friend was very ill with Lyme for an entire year and another got Bell’s Palsy, although he recovered.

Lascatx, I know people here have had success with the mosquito dunks. Thats my next plan of action.

I need that After Bite stuff, too.

Before my neighbors started spraying their yard, I would put a box fan by the patio table and that kept the skeeters away.

Ive had hardly any hummingbirds this year and I wonder if its a side effect of the mosquito spraying.

Decided to do a little further checking. All indications are that what's sprayed for mosquitoes is a general purpose insecticide that doesn't target only mosquitoes. It will also kill bees, butterflies (which of course includes the diminishing population of monarchs), moths, ladybugs, dragonflies, lightning bugs, etc. So if you have concerns about these other creatures it may be worth reconsidering mosquito spraying. I know some people do think it's more important to spray for mosquitoes and ticks as they carry a variety of diseases though they can also be kept at bay with repellent.

So far, and i probably just jinxed myself, the mosquitos haven’t been bad. We are usually outside every evening after dinner until past dark. Most of the time we light citronella candles. There is some kind of tiny bug that bites me and leaves a small bump that is itchy! I love benedryl spray for bites. We are enclosed by lots of trees and a wooded area across from us. i love that but i do think about ticks. We just inspect ourselves, no spraying. It seems bugs make a b-line for me??? The other night I had a lightening bug in my hair. My friends little girl said I was glowing 😂. (Tina Marie)

One got me on my neck right behind my ear. Boy, does that itch.

The mosquito sprayers purport to be organic and use natural repellants but that is a lie, or half truth.

National Wildlife Federation report <

@Kswl I believe as a prophylactic for itching/swelling from the bites.

I don't feel that the skeeters have been too bad, but oh my, the little black biting bugs. They swarm and drive one crazy. THey were bad last years too, they swarm at night when outside. I do live in a wooded area so maybe that makes them worse? Difficult to even water plants without them being everywhere around you.

Our area will spray by air, along the creeks. Some people have a service for their homes. My mom, who would have us come in when the spray truck came around, did have the yard sprayed two days before an outdoor party, but again we had to stay inside or be away for the day. But I didn’t want to go outside the next day, either, because all the inchworms had descended from the trees and hung there wriggling on their threads, right at my head level. Ugh.

I’d much rather have had an ice cream truck. I read about them in books, and when we were visiting cousins downstate, one came round.

We actually have an ice cream truck; it even plays music. I’ve never heard of a mosquito truck?! I think I’m glad I havent. 😳 (tina marie)

I am highly susceptible to mosquitos. They love me and I get big welts from their bites. Thankfully, we don't have any by our house due to the dry environment here.

I visited my brother in Mallorca in May. We arrived at his house.. didn't even take our luggage out of the car... and he showed us around his lush property. Within 10 minutes, I had at least a dozen bites. One under my foot arch! Of course, neither my brother or dh had even one bite. I was miserable for the next 5 days. He did have bug spray and I used it liberally. Still got more bites. I really dislike the little buggers!

@czarinalex I'd love to go to Mallorca. Did you like it? How did you brother end up in such an exotic locale?

I remember the fogging trucks when we were kids - never had any inclination to follow them, tho hubby says he and his buddies did. I think it was malathion they sprayed here?

And I think those tiny black biting things are midges...?

Mtn, maybe it's regional, but in the South verandas are always opened, no screens. If it is screened, it's a screened porch.

I mentioned my mosquito bite to DH, who went to the bathroom armoire and brought me this Benedryl product. It dries clear, and forms an airtight covering. It hasn't itched since I applied.

Oh those swarming little gnats! They seem to love to get in your eyes, ears, and nose. I forgot where I was where they had a funny name for the saluting motion you make when shooing gnats. Wish i could think of it.

My worst mosquito ( and blister) encounter was in Brazil. They were everywhere.

Dedtired, spraying will impact your hummingbirds and a number of other birds. Hummingbirds consume nectar for energy but also rely on small insects for protein. Bats and dragonfliles are great for eating mosquitoes too -- but they won't hang around in areas that have been sprayed - not good places to find dinner.

Mtn, we don't have a lot of issues with ticks here, so other than our dog's flea, tick and heartworm preventative I don't even give them a thought. A blueberry farmer told me he used nothing in his fields and when I told him we would spot treat for fire ants but not much else, he told me that the fire ants control ticks so he leaves them alone. We have fire ant allergies in my family so we have to treat hills in areas we need to work in in the gardens. I don't know that I would suggest importing fire ants for control -- they are no fun either, but I do find the less we do for pest control the fewer problems we generally have -- they take care of each other.

A trick I learned early on to avoid all the yuck on my skin was to garden in a cast off of DH's--long sleeve shirt, cotton pants. I spray THEM heavily with OFF-Deet spray. I wash my garden outfit at the end of the season. This summer I've even taken to walking with the shirt on. It repels the mosquitoes and the chemicals never touch my skin. DISINFORMATION ALERT: "It will also kill bees, butterflies (which of course includes the diminishing population of monarchs), moths, ladybugs, dragonflies, lightning bugs, etc." Our MN town sprays weekly from Memorial Day until mid August. PLENTY of bees, butterflies, dragon flies etc. etc. and don't get me started on the insane asian beetles, around here!! We do not live in town so pay the same company to swing through our "subdivision". This year has been a bust as it has rained each evening they are due to spray. We lived here for a few years before they began spraying. We invested heavily in mosquito netting clothes so we could do yard work, garden etc. The chemicals we purchased just to survive going to get the mail would give anyone cancer. Deet/Ortho mosquitoes spray for the garden/Fog machine. MULTIPLE "mosquito magnet" machines, it cost us more than filling my flower beds with plants did!! The $50 a season for them to weekly spray was not only cheap but 1000x more effective and healthier for us and the environment. It's been well over 10 years now of weekly spraying and I've seen no two headed snakes or toads with extra appendages we OBVIOUSLY have plenty of pollinators to grow crops and insects for bird food and to break down our compostables, AND we get to enjoy being outside!!

I'll second the spraying repellents on clothing tip - a university biologist told me that years ago.

And obviously not all 'sprays' are equal. Knowing exactly what is being used might be helpful, I think...?

I used to spritz a little Avon Skin So Soft on me or clothing before gardening. DK if they still make it or if Avon is even still around. Luckily I still have some and will take it with me when we go back to the cottage in August. Last time, sitting on a picnic bench watching the young ones paddle a canoe around and dogs fetch sticks out of a pond mosquitoes feasted on me. Thought I was being smart, staying in the sun this time. Didn't help at all.