Hunting the urban mosquito

[Tremelune]

My lady and I live in NYC. Mosquitoes aren't usually a big problem, but when one gets in the apartment, it can be a huge, huge issue. If she knows there's a mosquito in the apartment, she can't sleep. It just won't happen. If she can't sleep, her day is ruined, and it is a long day. If her day is ruined, my day is ruined.

The apartment is cramped and full of stuff and my eyes suck. It's impossible to see these things. The only time I can see them is when they fly right into a light or land on a flat white surface, which they're too smart to do. They're NYC bugs, and they've been unnaturally selected. They also do a thing where they just hide for hours. This doesn't help the sleep situation, because she knows the mosquito is waiting, not gone.

What I need is some kind of spotter. A super flashlight that will light one of these suckers up and make it stand out. I'm not sure a simple bright, white flashlight will help. Do mosquitoes respond to certain wavelengths of light? If mosquitoes glowed bright purple, my life would be better.

Failing any special mosquito-glowing lights, can anyone recommend any super-bright, short-range flood lights?

 

[Tremelune]

Obligatory laser beams video:

http://singularityhub.com/2010/05/19/a-mosquito-zapping-laser-that-fights-malaria-yes/#more-16730

 

[waddup]

id get a full bed mosquito net from e bay $15.

edit: but that video was pretty cool

 

[Sgt. LED]

Not super spot, super FLOOD!

Solarforce masterpiece and a LDF lens from flashlightlens.com.
The one for the Mag fits perfectly. It'll make things bright enough to find it without the bug getting lost in the glare of the hotspot.
It's not a gigantic loft apartment right?

 

[sORe-EyEz]

hmmm, seems like i'm not the only one who uses a flashlight to "hunt" for these pest! :wave:

so far from experience, any flashlight with a smooth diffused beam rated above 20 lumens does a good job. brighter is better only if i can reach it with a fly swatter to hit it.

so far when they're stationary, even blue-ish tinted flashlights are fine, even tiny black mozzies show up on black nylon or canvas bags i have in my room. most are the black or tiger (with white spots) variants. so far i have not seen the larger reddish or silverish.

in flight most are fast, i have lost sight of them midway due to the sometimes high contrast of stuff in my rooms, & then they fly past the (ceiling, wall) lights...

 

[carrot]

I hear ya on that. Mosquitos in NYC seem to just pass through walls because I have no idea how they get in.

I really dig the Olight M30 for a bright flood. It comes with a diffuser cap if it isn't floody enough for you and it can run on a wide variety of combinations of batteries. I've never used it for mosquito hunting though.

One of those electric zappers rackets from Chinatown will make it easier to swat mosquitos in a crowded apartment as there is no need to wait for them to land.

When I go camping I have a really, really cool way of luring mosquitos to their doom. I have a small single-mantle propane lantern (fairly inexpensive) and my understanding is the mosquitos cannot resist the heat and the CO2 emission from the burning propane. When they go inside the globe they die a quick death from the intense heat. Some initial research on the internet shows that propane may be safe to burn indoors under some circumstances, so this may be an option to consider carefully but be wary of CO and CO2 build up which may smother you in poorly ventilated areas.

There are actually commercially produced indoors mosquito traps that I believe work under the same principle, which may be another option worth considering.

 

[ElectronGuru]

I've thankfully left the area, but I grew up in a 'mosquito rich' area and developed a technique for clearing a room before bed time. Its rather specific, so it won't work for all people/rooms.

The basics

Mosquitos are attracted to CO2 (carbon dioxide). This is how they hunt, looking for the gas they're pray (us in this case) expel).

Mosquitos like altitude. Like a jet fighter, they will circle high above you, then follow the trail of CO2 down to you.

Mosquitos make noise while in flight. So if you can hear the continuos high pitched whine, you know they are there, approximately how many you are dealing with, and at least a sense of which direction they are in.

Mosquitos are nocturnal. If there is ambient light, they will park themselves.


The technique

The space (room) should be confined, with all doors, drawers, and (at least for the hunting period), windows closed. When you are following them, you don't want them ducking out of site or range of your hand (or swatter). The ceiling must be low enough for you to reach (with hand or tool), smooth (acoustic texture still works but makes it harder), and bright white. Gray or dirty will hide them.

1) Wait for night, close up the room, turn off all the lights, get near the floor (laying on the bed works), and start breathing.

2) Listen for the whine. If the pitch is to high for your hearing, this will require much more searching/time.

3) With a flashlight in/near one hand, wait for flight (ideally step 2 works). Scan the ceiling with the beam. You want it bright enough to see the mosquito but dim enough that the mosquito will stay in flight. 50 lumens is plenty.

4) When you spot it, start tracking it with the beam. If you can, start walking around after it, holding the beam on it as you go.

5) When it stops and/or you are close enough to strike, go for it. The closer the flashlight gets to it, the more likely it is to park and the harder it is for the mosquito to see the strike coming.

6) Confirm the kill. Slow strikes are easier to verify (hand or cloth) than fast ones. Just peal back the hand/cloth and see if there's a body.

7) Lay back, turn off the flashlight, and wait for it or a new one to take flight.

8) Go long enough with out a whine, the room should be clear.

9) Open the window(s) back up

10) Sleep

 

[tandem]

Warning, zero flashlight content:

Before we had all the windows in our house replaced (which came with much better removable screens) mosquitoes were a huge problem. I'd have to clear each room before we all retired for the night. I found the best method to do this is armed with a vacuum cleaner with just the long wand - and all the lights on. No need to swat and clean up, just approach slowly and let the suction do its thing.

Also very effective for removing fruit flies.

I don't miss this duty at all.

 

[Flying Turtle]

Plenty of those critters around here. I usually just wait and pop them. If your lady is sure there's one around, and you're not, then I'd consider faking a kill in the interest of harmony.

Geoff

 

[balloffthewall]

No flashlight content:
I say pick your poison: get bit, or recruit a few non-dangerous spiders. Or a cat who likes to get flying things. Failing that, you're finding out what guerilla wars are like: a small, nimble foe versus a larger, more cumbersome, slow-moving enemy that has much to protect. :naughty:

Ball

I suppose you could also try isolating yourself in the room with mosquito nets, and narrowing down places to hide. I have a malkoff m60w, so I recommend a MCE; though anything with a diffuser cone should work.

 

[CarpentryHero]

Up here we have Misquitodactils, they can pick up and fly off with small pets..... :sigh:

I think weatherstipping around your bedroom door might help. Cool white LED to spot them(HID for extremists) and hunt em down. Burn some candles to limit the rooms there in.

Venus flytrap work?

 

[tygger]

As a last resort you could sleep with a fan directed at you. Strong ceiling fans worked wonders in south america as mosquitoes can't land in a stiff breeze.

 

[Dadof6]

I used to use a Surefire L2 for mosquito hunting and killing. The two levels worked perfectly for finding and blinding them for the kill.

 

[lctorana]

As a last resort you could sleep with a fan directed at you. Strong ceiling fans worked wonders in south america as mosquitoes can't land in a stiff breeze.

Snap. That's my solution, too.

The moving air also hinders the mozzies finding you, and the noise masks the noise they make.

The only thing I would add is to point the fan ABOVE you, not AT you.

(Tenuous) flashlight content:
Are mosquitos blind? If not, the yellow anti-insect lamps might help.

 

[tandem]

As a last resort you could sleep with a fan directed at you. Strong ceiling fans worked wonders in south america as mosquitoes can't land in a stiff breeze.

+1, we do that too but tend to prefer a cross breeze. Definitely can't hear the bugs with the fan on medium or high. Mosquito season here is usually warm enough to call for a breeze man-made or otherwise anyway and most older homes here don't have AC.

Barely maintaining flashlight content: wife sleeps on the left, flashlights on the right.

 

[foxtrot29]

Wait. Are you bitching about one mosquito? Oh man, during mosquito season there are thousands here -- and they inevitably get into the house. I'm happy if there are only a dozen or so buzzing around.

Western Ontario, Canada.

(All kidding aside, I do hear you -- mosquito's suck.)

 

[lctorana]

...mosquito's suck.

Well yeah. That's the whole point, innit?

 

[M@elstrom]

I found the best method to do this is armed with a vacuum cleaner with just the long wand - and all the lights on.

Ah ha! they say great minds think alike, I/we do this too combined with a bug zapper & occasionally some fly spray :thumbsup:

We may need to give this Bug Eater a try if the mozzie season is too bad (supposed to be more effective than a traditional zapper)

 

[RedfishBluefish]

Quick fix to your "if Momma isn't happy, nobody's happy" problem.

You already know that exclusion is the first line of defense. If you can't whack it, hit it w/ a laser, or she'd be dead set against hanging up an indoor UV bug zapper, you might try this. They are typically seen in restaurants in those metered dispensers stuck up in the corners. Based on natural pyrethrums, it's safe for homes, animals and plants.


Live here in the SE where we have a pretty long growing season for creepy crawly critters. Have had the same can for 5 years, one shot in an average sized room and your problem is over, done. Also a great thing to take camping, one shot in your tent a few minutes before you retire and you won't wake up with a bunch of bug bites in the morning.


Carrot is 100% correct about propane lanterns, smokes 'em. Made the mistake of taking LED lanterns to a barrier Island for a few days, might have well put out a Neon "Feeding Station Open" sign out, only thing missing was the A1 Steak Sauce. The Coleman Pinnacle lantern is stainless and awesomely bright, if you need runtime the dual-fuel Northstar works well. Just hang them from a line thrown over the nearest tree limbs attached w/a carabiner, away from the dinner/cooking area and you are good to go.

While the laser solution sounds like a lot more fun, the metered spray just works and works quickly.

 

[choombak]

In India, mosquitoes are "man's friends" - they are found across the length and breadth of our country. Overtime, I tried various methods, ranging from burning coils that emit smoke, electric dispensers that evaporate a mosquito killing liquid, to hand acrobatics that kill them.

Lately, there is this tennis racket that electrocutes them instantly, and it is available for cheap here. All you do is shut off the lights, listen for the whine, and wave the racket as if you are hitting a tennis ball - a tiny spark, a crackle, and the insect is dead. These are mostly imported from China, and look like this.

Meanwhile, what's the difference between a mosquito and a fly?
- A fly can fly, but a mosquito can't mosquito. Haha.

-Amarendra