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Published on Leave a comment on Biting Back: Nature’s Mosquito Repellents

The second of two posts about everyone's favorite insect. Here's the first.

photo via Terminix website

Flipping our calendars to the month of June brings thoughts of summertime, vacation, fun in the sun – and mosquitoes. Mankind has been battling this flying menace for thousands of years. We now have potions and lotions and sprays and devices designed by modern science to keep mosquitoes away. But what about Mother Nature’s own weapons? Dragonflies, bats, and purple martins all have a reputation for being effective against mosquitoes. Are they worth a try?

Dragonflies: YES

Dragonflies and their cousins, damselflies, have existed for more than 300 million years. This is longer than the dinosaurs lasted, and much longer than human beings have been around. Beautiful and beautifully engineered, dragonflies are capable of incredible flying maneuvers at impressive speeds. Their legs, wings, and jaws have interesting features custom-made for catching flying insects for dinner. Best of all, their favorite food is mosquitoes. Even at the larval stage of development, dragonflies feed on mosquito larva. In fact, some of the larger species are known as ‘mosquito hawks’ for this very reason. One estimate is that a single dragonfly is able to consume 600 mosquitoes per day. Dragonflies do not sting, bite, or otherwise intentionally harm humans. They appear to be most effective in controlling mosquitoes during the larval stage. However they are very enjoyable to watch in the adult stage, as they come in an almost endless supply of bright colors and are very entertaining in flight. Unlike many other insects, dragonflies do not feed on, nor are they attracted to, flowers or plants. Because they spend the majority of their life span as larvae, they require a clean and permanent source of water nearby to make them feel welcome in your yard. If you live within a quarter mile of a body of water, this is sufficient. If not, you may create an artificial source of water for them.

image by Magical Soulz via unsplash

Bats: YES

There are many types of bats that feed on insects in North America. Bats are not likely to harm humans. They eat their share of mosquitoes as they hunt in the early evening hours. It is estimated that an average bat can consume 500-1000 mosquitoes each night. Bats have been used in metropolitan areas as a natural and safe way to control mosquitoes, which sometimes carry diseases harmful to man. If bats are likely to live in your area, you can attract them by installing a bat house in your yard.

A 1980 renovation transformed the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, Texas into an ideal bat cave, soon attracting migrating Mexican free-tailed bats.  Info and photo from https://www.austintexas.org/things-to-do/outdoors/bat-watching/

Purple Martins: NO

The purple martin, a bird and member of the swallow family, has a reputation for eating lots of mosquitoes. While it is true that the martin and other swallows do eat a lot of insects by swooping through the air with their mouths open, mosquitoes actually make up very little of the purple martin’s diet. Martins tend to feed during the daytime and at fairly high levels above the ground. Mosquitoes, on the other hand, are more plentiful later in the day and into the evening, and are found close to ground level. Martins are fun to watch and many people enjoy attracting them to their homes by building birdhouses especially designed for them. But they are not an effective way to combat mosquitoes.

Purple martins returning to their roost at Bomb Island on Lake Murray in South Carolina.

Even the most effective of nature’s mosquito eaters cannot solve the problem entirely. A creature that can eat thousands of mosquitoes sounds very efficient, until you realize that the mosquito population is easily numbered in the millions. In addition, dragonflies and bats will probably eat other insects as well, or may wander away from your yard to pursue their dinner. In the case of dragonflies, they are dinner for someone else (birds, frogs, spiders) -  their presence in your garden is not always guaranteed. Nevertheless, if you are interest in a more natural way of reducing your mosquito population, consider giving Mother Nature’s repellents a try.

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2

Published on 2 Comments on Gallinippers*, Be Gone!

The first of two posts about everyone's favorite insect. Here's the second.

Long before the dawn of man, the mosquito was around, anxious to make a meal of him. In the 21st century, we have many years of scientific research providing us with a variety of complex chemical sprays and lotions to keep the pests away.

Alas, these modern products have only been available relatively recently. Early cultures had to 'make do', as we say here in the South, with other methods.

STRONGLY recommend reading this article about the Karankawas at the Texas State Historical Association website https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/bmk05

One of the first mosquito repellent methods consisted of smearing something on the skin. Early peoples didn’t know that only the female mosquito feeds on blood, or that she is attracted by a combination of aroma and temperature. All they knew was that the little buggers had an annoying, itchy bite. Therefore, if one could come up with something that would keep the mosquitoes off their skin, the battle was won. No one can know for certain how they decided on what to use, but it does make sense that they settled on something that smelled absolutely awful. After all, if it repelled their fellow humans, wouldn’t it work the same way on mosquitoes?

Journals of early European explorers in America relate the use of rancid bear grease, alligator grease, and even shark oil. The grease was simple to find – it was the layer of fat just below the skin of animals killed in a hunt or perhaps found already dead. The shark oil comes from the shark’s liver. The natives smeared the grease or oil, sometimes combined with dirt, over all exposed skin. As they often went with very little clothing, this meant they were usually covered head to toe with the smelly mixture.

Primitive cultures also figured out that if they built smoky fires, this seemed to keep mosquitoes away. Some cultures preferred a certain type of tree, such as black mangrove. Others were not so picky – any green wood was acceptable. The secret was to get the wood smoking while not allowing it to achieve a full burn. During the summer months when mosquitoes were in full force, much time and effort was spent collecting wood specifically meant to keep mosquitoes at bay. It is difficult to say which was more unbearable – being covered with dirt and animal fat, or withstanding the heat of a smoky fire in the middle of summer, complete with stinging eyes and choking breath. Clearly mankind was willing to do almost anything to keep the mosquitoes away.

This effect is easily achieved by forgetting to open the damper in your indoor fireplace. NOT recommended.

Less offensive methods evolved with the passage of time. Early peoples were very knowledgeable about the properties of the plants growing nearby. They soon discovered that plants with pungent or strong smells seemed to be effective against mosquitoes.  Many of these plants are still used today for the same purpose. One of the most familiar to modern culture is citronella. Lavender, eucalyptus, and garlic are just a few of the plants that have some effect on keeping mosquitoes away. Before glass windows or wire screens were commonplace, people often constructed window boxes in order to grow some of these fragrant plants just below the window in the hopes of steering the mosquitoes away. Even today, in many countries where mesh screening is not widely available, window boxes still serve this purpose. These plant remedies have never been quite as effective as smoky fires or animal fat, but they are certainly more pleasant.

Modern man is still battling with the mosquito. We are still very interested in keeping those hungry females from biting us, no matter how unpleasant the solution. But the next time you complain about applying one of those high-tech creams, lotions or sprays, just remember – it could be worse. It could be alligator grease.

  • “gallinipper” is another word for mosquito.

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