People with porches or Smoke on the patio question...

phobicsquirrel

Okay so this might sound silly but it's bugging (pun intended)... I have a cfl light outside near my patio door but whenever I sit outside I am bombarded with moths and little bugs. Not so much mosquitoes, but sometimes they are out there too. I'm wondering what you guys do to stop this? I mean Even when I'm not out there they just mob my patio.

kingjk729

Moths and other bugs are naturally attracted to light .... they actually have the cfl bug bulbs available now .... they throw that barf yellow hue and the bugs generally dont go near it .

jlmarta

I guess some of it has to do with where you live. Here in this part of Northern California we're not bothered too badly by the flying critters but, once in a while, the mosquitoes can be a bother. The vector control people spray when necessary so it's not too bad.

Other than that, I have 3 ceiling fans spread along the ceiling of my patio and it seems that the flying stuff doesn't want to fly into the slipstream very often - i.e., fewer bugs. At least that's my take on it.

I can't prove that it works and there is a slight downside to it. The breeze can sometimes exacerbate burn issues with whatever stick you're burning. I'm not sure there is a good, all-around solution.

Marty

cabinetmaker

I sit slightly away from them, and use hot burning incandescents. They seem more attracted to it than to me, plus it'll eventually wind up killing them and that gives me a small measure of satisfaction.

Rob1110

Same here with the bugs. I have two lights on the deck and find that if I turn the brighter, closer one off, they don't bother me as much.

phobicsquirrel

ah, well I only have one light and I rent so I'm not going to install anything. I guess I could look at a bug type cfl or a 100 or so watt incan.. I was hoping for some special trick.. lol.

firetruckguy

2 words......... Bug Zapper.

Hays

Here's a good trick for ya that proved exceedingly effective at a recent family bbq: "Off" (brand) Patio Spray. Basically it's like an aerosol that you walk around your patio or open area with spraying it about, and it settles on everything. Give it 10-15 min, and get hours of bug-free-ness. It worked absolute wonders across a 200+sq ft desk facing a greenbelt (in other words, we would've had some serious buggage otherwise)

cabinetmaker

You could always smoke an acid, that'll drive everything away.

Dustin1981

I head outside about 1/2 hour before I plan on smoking and kill as many of them as I can, string them all on a piece of thread and hang them from the overhang as a warning. Kind of how old towns used to hang pirates at the harbor to show what happens to them if they come. But seriously I got one of the OFF candles and that seems to work pretty well and I also have a tiki torch with the bug oil in it and that helps as well.

phobicsquirrel

some good ideas here, thanks.

kuzi16

i turn the lights off and light the citranella (sp?) candles up

Jdorais

This time of year the moths are abundant in my neck of the woods. Annoying little sh!ts. I set up a fan on my patio and make sure the wind is blowing right in front of me. Those little buggers aren't strong enough to penetrate through the wind and invade my personal space.

YankeeMan

kuzi16:

i turn the lights off and light the citranella (sp?) candles up

What he said. I have several candles and spread them around the patio and they seem to work. In fact, many moths have committed suicide on them!

fla-gypsy

A good strong fan helps, a bigger porch is even better.