Rich_007

Anmyone know if mozzie spray is pr-requisite ?

Will be lakeside for most of the time, assuming swarms of blackflies will be about, but what about the mozzies ? Do they ruin a nice evening out ?

Any ideas ? Anyone recommend best products to use ? Was thinking of flamethrower and/or napalm, but then it might upset folks.

Cheers.

Rich.

CalgaryAMC

Never noticed them in the Okanagan to be honest.

Ontario is another matter. Will not forget stopping for a scenic picnic on the shores of Lake Superior, only for the sky to turn black with flies as soon as we stepped out of the car...we jumped back in and took off.

MikeUK

Get DEET.. it works...

Rich_007

Ah but Mike that might be alright in ON but might be overkill in chilled out, environmentally friendly (LOL yeah OK chop down millions of trees, let loose gazillions of tonnes of stinky processing by-products into the atmosphere, rip billions of tonnes of stuff out of the ground) west coast BC.

We'll see.......

Deet is now on the holiday list, filed under (optional//medicines// scratching and/or itching).

Rich.

iaink

At the risk of hijacking the thread, has anyone here in Canada tried the Mosquito Magnet / Skeeter Vac type devices? Just wondering if they work well, or if its a waste of $400+. I want to reclaim my yard...or at least the deck! but I'm looking for someone who has tried them before stumping up the dosh. Seen mixed reviews elsewhere, but nothing from Ontario. Might work well in the cottage environment in the OP anyway, if you want to go upmarket and avoid nasty chemicals.

I always heard the insects were not as bad in BC...something to do with the rockies, but have no personal experience there. DEET works well here, but they still buzz around you annoyingly, and it may not be so good for kids... I'd have it on hand just in case though. My personal choice is the Off skintastic in the spray bottle, or if I am heading deep into the woods the concentrated DeepWoods Off, carefull though, that stuff will eat plastic and etch sunglasses. Dont like to think what it is doing to my skin, but it beats getting bitten! Citronella is the "natural alternative" but it has never worked very well for me.

Iain

Rich_007

Citronella is pants - gool 'ol southern US mozzies are a nightmre, different breed apart.

Them critters in N. Carolina ate us alive even with some hefty stinking local chemical spray on us, must've liked the Brit blood type. Took 2 months for the bigger bites on arms and legs to fade from bright red. I even have some hardened lumps still on my arms even now, almost a year later.

= Satan's little (flying) helpers.

Way nasty.

MikeUK

Good point Rich..

I believe in BC the prefered method is to smoke the local weed... this I believe deters the mossies or at least confuses them..
Failing that after a while you don't care.....

NessieOggy

Actually I didn't notice many mosquitos last summer along Okanagan Lake (central Okanagan area). As mentioned, a product with Deet in it seems to help somewhat.

The only insect we've noticed are bees, but that could just be because the fruit tree orchards above us are in bloom! Last year was a bad year for wasps though.

(Oggy)

dingbat

LMAO.....I use Avon Skin So Soft all mozzie season - shower gel and body cream. Keeps the buggers away.

CalgaryAMC

What about one of those Florida-type nets - I don't know what they call them - that are attached onto the house. You could enclose the whole deck.

To the OP: As I mentioned, I have never noticed flies/mosquitos in the Okanagan.

iaink

I thought of that, or at least the mesh tent things, but my better half pointed out the net would have to go underneath as well, as the little buggers would just get in from below otherwise. Dont really want to do it anyway as it would spoil the view which is the main point of sitting out there.

Iain