Outsmarting Mosquitoes

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Purple martins and bats are reported to have voracious appetites for mosquitoes, too, but in fact, neither lives up to their reputations. Studies of the contents of purple martins' stomachs have concluded that mosquitoes are a negligible item in these birds' diets, according to the Purple Martin Conservation Association.

And urban entomologist Robert Corrigan of Richmond, Indiana, says, "While standing outside of bat roosts counting bats as part of my master's research, I was often eaten alive by mosquitoes. They (the bats) weren't exactly doing the job they're supposed to be famous for."

Both bats and martins, it turns out, prefer larger insects such as beetles, moths, flies, wasps and bees, which give a better return on their energy efforts.

THE LURE OF TRAPS

Numerous commercial mosquito traps are now on the market. Most work by releasing small amounts of carbon dioxide and/or octenol (1-Octen-3-ol), a substance chemically similar to gases produced in the rumen of cows. Mosquitoes lured by these gases are killed in sticky traps, vacuums or electrocution grids.

The American Mosquito Control Association determined these devices do lure and kill large numbers of some mosquitoes, but some species, in some areas, remain unaffected.

The association also advises that some manufacturers' claims of "acre-wide control" may be a bit overstated and that placing such baited traps on your property could attract mosquitoes that might not come otherwise. Priced from $200 to $500 each, these traps are expensive enough that you may want to ask for endorsements of their effectiveness on local mosquito species before making the investment.

It is, however, inexpensive and safe to stock up on citronella candles. They contain citronella oil made from tropical lemon-scented plants ( Cymbopogon , various species) that are native to Asia, where this oil has long been used as an insect repellent.

The candles have been shown to reduce mosquito bites by up to 42 percent while being burned, according to a study done by researcher Guy Surgeoner at the university of Guelph in Ontario. New machines designed to release ,prays based on citronella oil or geraniol, another plant-derived repellent with a sweet, rosy odor, also are available.

GROW YOUR OWN

Some gardeners keep scented geraniums on their patios and report that swishing their hands through the leaves makes it possible to enjoy being Outdoors without suffering mosquito bites. Art Tucker. research professor at Delaware State University and coauthor of The Big Book of Herbs, confirms that rose-scented geraniums (Pelargonium x asperum, sometimes sold as P. graveolens) contain both citronellal, which is similar to citronellal, and geraniol. Rut, he says, the widely promoted 'Citrosa' geranium, which is the so-called "Mosquito Plant," appears to contain only small amounts of citronellal and is not likely to be any more effective as a mosquito repellent than other rose geraniums.

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