What do you do for mosquitoes?

I live in Wisconsin and mosquitos can be very troublesome in summer. Deep Woods has worked for me. I use the highest strength version and keep a can in my car at all times. I spray it on and rub to make sure it covers every bit of exposed skin including ears, neck, face, etc.

Ugh…that would put me off of AP pretty quickly!  I'm lucky to live in central Oregon where there aren't any mosquitos worth mentioning.   I think that I've been bitten maybe 5 times in the last 13 years compared to being eaten alive in my backyard in central Tucson where they thrive during the summer.  The Oregon mosquitos leave a sting that only itches for 15 minutes…then it's gone.  The Tucson mosquitos attack mostly ankles and feet and the sting itches down to the bone for 2 weeks.  It's bad.

I hope you guys in bug country can find a good solution!

John

I can vouch for the effectiveness of Thermocells. Have used them during mosquito season on our back porch and they are very effective repellents. They use a synthetic compound called allethrin - 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allethrins

For those not familiar, the applicator is a small electric or butane burner that heats a small strip of material with the repellent. The butane powered hand unit is quite effective for ~10-15 ft circle (like around a patio table.) They need to be used with care, but are highly effective.

Note from Wikipedia on allethrin toxicity

The compounds have low toxicity for humans and birds. It is highly toxic to fish and aquatic invertebrates. At normal application rates, allethrin is slightly toxic to bees.[1]Insects subject to exposure become paralyzed (nervous system effect) before dying. Allethrins are toxic to cats[2] because they either do not produce, or produce less of certain isoforms of glucuronosyltransferase, which serve in hepatic detoxifying metabolism pathways.[3]

Hello Alex,
So they bite you, meaning, you are still delicious. 😎
In Japan, the most popular mozzie repellant is "katorisenko".
Please search the web with "katori senko mosquito coils".
If not available in your drugstore you can certainly buy it online.
When imaging outside I usually put it under the PC table.
It does smell a bit, but you'll get used to. The mozzies won't.
Works well for me, but I may not be as delicious as you are 😉
Cheers, Robert

I'm in a densely populated area of Tampa and they're awful here, I can't imagine how bad they must be in a swampy area in Southern Louisiana. It's gotta be similar to the Everglades. Anything >= 15% DEET works well for me as long as I cover myself in it…exposed skin and clothing, they have no problem biting through t-shirts or anything else that's comfortable to wear in the heat. I do have a slight reaction to it though, skin feels warm, hands feel puffy. I'm wearing long sleeves, pants, and a hat to minimize the direct skin application but I don't know if I'll be able to stand that in July thru Sept. The bee keeper hat sounds like a good idea.

I've never had any luck with any of the burners/devices/etc unless it's completely calm outside, which is rare here.

I just picked up this hobby too. Summer nights here, especially July thru Sept, are pretty uncomfortable. Between the heat, humidity, mosquitoes, and roaches that will define the next several months it should give me a good idea about my actual passion/interest level.

A word of wisdom...

We have our share here once summer is upon us and we use different versions of what the guys mentioned earlier. I think it is best to minimize the need for you to be outside. Not a mosquito repellent but it goes hand in hand with one I guess?

You mentioned PA and focusing, maybe consider investing in an autofocuser, and a polemaster? My routine usually is setting up before dusk while mosquito activity is still low, turn on everything and go in. Once it's near astro dark, I start the PA routine with the polemaster, and if needed (usually I keep my tripod/mount outside covered), I go outside and tune the PA in under 1 minute. The rest is done strictly from inside, I only go out again in the morning to take the OTA inside and cover the mount.

I also take my flats inside when I move the OTA in. Having a flat panel lit up is an invitation to all mosquitos in the neighborhood.

Very simple solution Alex after fighting them for years: remote access your laptop that is hooked to the mount from the inside. That works of course only at home. On the road maybe from the car? Otherwise … Deep Woods Off was for me always perfectly, and that as example in late spring in Algonquin Park, and whoever was there knows what that means, there a billions of them!

Whew, lots of replies today.  Thanks for all the feedback and apologies on quoting everyone in a single post, but I prefer that over a bunch of different replies.

Josh:
Being from south Louisiana, I understand this post haha. I would lose about a quart of blood per night. I found the best option to be a "mosquito" hunting suit. It's just a very fine mesh jacket and pants set.

Ahh, I had forgotten about the mesh sets.  I will have to look at them again as an option along with some of the other suggestions.  Thanks for the reminder on them!  I have lived in many places, and south Louisiana definitely takes the cake for mosquitoes out of everywhere I have been.

Hello Alex,
So they bite you, meaning, you are still delicious. 😎
In Japan, the most popular mozzie repellant is "katorisenko".

I will look into this product.  I'm not sure I will find in local anywhere, but if it works well, then maybe ordering it will be an option.  Thanks for the suggestion!

George Cox:
I'm in a densely populated area of Tampa and they're awful here, I can't imagine how bad they must be in a swampy area in Southern Louisiana. It's gotta be similar to the Everglades.

Hey George!  I lived in Brandon for many years.  I used to fish every night after school at a pond by my house 5th-7th grade and then junior and senior years in high school when we moved back.  My father was military and worked at MacDill.  Maybe it was because I was younger, but I can honestly say it never came close to comparing to where I am now.  Even down in Okeechobee I've never seen it as bad as it is here.  I bet the everglades are probably comparable though.

Jérémie:
A word of wisdom...

I was wondering if that meme would show up.  Thanks for not disappointing!  It's always good for a laugh.

Alan:
I use rynoskin for ticks and other annoying things.

This looks very promising.  I might order some this week after I read into it a little.  I just got home from work.  Thanks!

Michel Makhlouta:
We have our share here once summer is upon us and we use different versions of what the guys mentioned earlier. I think it is best to minimize the need for you to be outside. Not a mosquito repellent but it goes hand in hand with one I guess?

You mentioned PA and focusing, maybe consider investing in an autofocuser, and a polemaster? My routine usually is setting up before dusk while mosquito activity is still low, turn on everything and go in. Once it's near astro dark, I start the PA routine with the polemaster, and if needed (usually I keep my tripod/mount outside covered), I go outside and tune the PA in under 1 minute. The rest is done strictly from inside, I only go out again in the morning to take the OTA inside and cover the mount.

I also take my flats inside when I move the OTA in. Having a flat panel lit up is an invitation to all mosquitos in the neighborhood.

I use SharpCap Pro for my polar alignment.  It really only takes a minute for me to do it.  The focusing is less than a minute.  I just usually stand outside while I do the alignment, then go to a bright star, calibrate PHD2 guiding, get the camera focused, and then plate solve my way to the target.  I could go inside between and limit my exposure, but I also like being outside during the plate solving just to make sure I don't get any snags on the first movement each night.  I did a bunch of cable management, so this really shouldn't be an issue, but as people say, better safe than sorry.  This whole process usually takes 5-10 minutes.  I often take my flats inside.  I typically never leave my equipment outside overnight though.  It just seems too risky in my climate.  Also, after 2 AM there's often so much dew/humidity that you can't see anything anyway.  I hadn't seen much value in an auto focuser shooting with my DSLR, but now with my new mono camera and filter wheel it might be a worthy investment and help with mosquitoes, too.  I'm also trying to be budget conscious as I have already doubled it in a matter of a two months lol.

Uwe Deutermann:
Very simple solution Alex after fighting them for years: remote access your laptop that is hooked to the mount from the inside. That works of course only at home. On the road maybe from the car? Otherwise ... Deep Woods Off was for me always perfectly, and that as example in late spring in Algonquin Park, and whoever was there knows what that means, there a billions of them!

I looked at the area on satellite, and I have talked to others that have been there.  There is lots of water around, so I would imagine it would be bad.  Part of the problem is I am pretty close to the Gulf of Mexico, so we have mosquitoes April-November.  Folks in my neighborhood will actually run inside at dusk even in the middle of a conversation because you will get swarmed bad enough that it blots out the sun a little.  I am pretty much remote other than PA and focusing.



Also, for all those that mentioned DEET or Off Deep Woods, maybe my blood is just nectar to mosquitoes because even when I bathe in it I still end up covered in bites.  I used 30% DEET last week and it didn't do a thing for me, although I was in shorts and a t-shirt last week since I didn't know if they would be bad yet.  Even last winter when I used DEET with jeans, a jacket, and hat, I still got chewed on pretty badly.

Again, thanks all for the suggestions.  I have some more research to do!

I live in New Hampshire's mosquito infested woods.  In winter it's very cold here.  So, outdoors, the choice was bug bite or frostbite.

My solution was to go indoors.  I built a heated cabin out in a field and an observatory 30 feet away to avoid heat effects.  I connect the two over an Ethernet cable.  Very comfy. Includes a window bench suitable for sleeping, a wine rack and a small fridge for beer and snacks. A WiFi repeater brings Internet 500 feet from the house.

Bob

I like this idea, plus you can sleep.

Patience.

Not sure how it would work on your property but look up Talstar-P.  I use it twice a season around my house and telescope shed to make those tasks bearable.