Is your sailing bothered by bugs?

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Rob Rich

Sean, If you ever tell my wife that story...

I will sink your boat! You have been forewarned! See ya out there -- Rob
 
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Rob

Bombing Run

I was invaded not only by Mud Daubers, but also by Red Wasps this summer. Reds are particularly nasty, and have been known to go after people for no reason in particular. Upon opening my locker one day, two flew out and immediately tried to light on me. Must have been a pretty damned funny sight as I jumped up into the cockpit and nearly over the rail Solution - Raid bug bomb. Did it twice just to be sure. Haven't seen ANYTHING down there since I used the stuff (except for a few dead ones). Best Regards, Rob
 
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Sean

Rob.....its between us!

Don't worry.......I won't tell......just try to stay up wind from my boat these days as there is a constant stream of pesticide coming from it LOL!
 
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Steve Weisbrod

keeping wasps away......

Every now and then we will find a wasp nest (round tubes of mud) inside our Huunter 27. When we scrape them off it always leaves a dirt colored stain on the wood. I have found that if you don't scrub that away and cover it with some kind of wood treatment or furniture polish (we use Liquid Gold) the wasps will build another nest in exactly the same spot. The only 'upside' to the wasps is they kill and eat the spiders. On the topic of a slightly larger pest; the Canada Goose. We have been at the east shore marina on Rocky Fork lake for 13 years. As Ohio is a wildfowl flyway state, there are always hundreds of canadian geese around in the spring. Every spring when we put our boat in all of the docks are literally covered with goose poop...all of them except ours ( I have no idea why...honest). Anyway, this spring a new sailor came to our lake and is docked near us. He commented on how all of the docks had major-league goose effluvium problems except ours. I said "yep..it's amazing isn't it...well, I gotta go now...it's time for me to spread bread crumbs on all the other docks". Now I was just kidding, I would never do that, but he apparently told someone and to this day I am in the doghouse with all the other folks at the marina... except for the sailors on our dock. To them I'm a folk hero.
 
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Rick

I guess we are lucky!

Our boat is moored in the middle of Salem Harbor, Massachusetts and we sleep w/ the front hatch and companionway wide open. I believe I had one mosquito all summer(and believe me, he didn't last long). For some lucky reason, bugs don't seem to make it out to us. I would like to get a set of screens in case we spend the night in a "buggy" anchorage. It's on the "to-do" list!
 
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steve f.

no-see-um's,

Down here in SW fla. the mosquitoes (aka swamp angels) are one thing but the no-see-um's are the WORST!!! They can get through standard screening and wiggle in through your hair to bite the scalp. We spray our boat screens with some type of serious poisen (cancer causing I'm sure) and that keeps them from wanting in.
 
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Ken Mahren

Bomb the Little buggers

This spring while starting work on my boat, got bit by a spider while under the cockpit. Next day bombed the whole boat with two of those Bug Bombs.. Needless to say didn't see anything for the two weeks untill the boat went into the water. First night on the mooring, bombed the boat again... havnt' had any problems all summer.... Ken
 
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whamo

Wasp away

Somebody on one of the bbs's suggested motnballs to keep critters out, and somebody else putting the the foam softeners that go in a clothes dryer to soften clothers near places where wasps might get into the hull, to keep the wasps away. I did both, putting mothballs and softner pads in the bilges and in the lazarette. Since doing that, I've had no problems with wasps or with spiders inside the hull. I have plenty of spiders, but no wasps, outside the hull, however.
 
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Randy Rathmann

Flea Colars are effective but.......

don't waste your time or $ putting them on lines to your boat. Spiders fly! (on their web)I place flea colars around the mast and boom to keep critters out of my main sail. Putting them around stancheons sounds like a great idea too. Cut off the excess and place strategicly around the cabin. To keep the mosquitos out I just throw a moquito net I bought at a surplus store over the hatch. It has ties if there is a breeze.
 
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Fred Luttrell

New Jersey "State Bird"

Those GREENHEAD Fly's Know How To Drive You Nuts. Humid Days With Light Westerly Breeze's they accumulate on the sails and in the cockpit. They Wait for you to concentrate on a job that requires both hands then they Bite your ankles. OW ! We only have this problem a few times a year Thanfully when sailing the bay's of New Jersey. DEATH TO ALL GREENHEADS
 
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Bill Stumpf

The Spiders verses The Mosquitoes

This is my first year in Sandusky, Ohio. We seem to have quite a few spiders. My only defense is a small whisk broom and dust mop head on a long pole. Every morning I have to clean away dozens of spider webs on every conceivable place on the outside of the boat. They don’t seem to like the inside. Now I am told (and my experience seems to prove it) that the spiders eat other bugs. I have not had one mosquito bite all summer! The spiders and I have sort of an understanding. As long as they keep eating the mosquitoes and they don’t become more plentiful, I won’t gas them.
 
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Gary Jensen

Ridding critters.

I have a leaf blower aboard that generates 210 MPH wind... I can rid my boat of anything (dirt, dog hair, bugs etc) in less than 5 seconds....and I mean it!!!!
 
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MJ

Wasps!

I had a wasp hive in one of the engine compartment vent pipes. Somehow they built the hive through the flexible plastic pipe. That was interesting.
 
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Steve Kratchman

Bugs? NO MORE!

In our marina we use a product called PEST STRIP, a yellow pesticide strip hung inside the boat while away and it resides inside an attractiver plastic case. Some leave it hanging while sleeping and eating on their boat without reaction but it suggests not doing so. Similar to the Shell Strip we all knew years ago, this one is odorless. Most never have seen Mud Daubers (mud-building wasps)or flies or moths or spiders because of these pest strips. At the end of the season (they last up to 4mos.) I cut mine into two pieces and apply them inside the sails and bimini to keep the spiders and mud daubers from there. I also place one in the basement and my shed to kill off and keep out other pests. At $4-5.50 each from Lowes or Home Depot early in the season or your local hardware store upon special order, it is for us a very inexpensive and harmless and soilless way to do what a spray (very expensive)product will do and much safer far less odorific and damaging to surfaces, while being stainless. Check it out!
 
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Rob

Pest Strip sounds good

I'm going to check into that one. Thanks! Rob
 
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Bill

no-see-um's too a.k.a. sand gnats

We get the little buggers here too. The local lore (very effective) is to use Skin So Soft on exposed skin surfaces to keep them off. Works like a champ. Spray bottles available in drug stores here on the island, so I can even protect the bald spot on my head. A plus is that it leaves the skin soft as a baby's unowhat. I wouldn't promote the product brand specifically, execept that none of the alternatives I've tried seem to work like it. We were on the boat last night watching the sunset over Calibogue Sound, besieged by no-see-ums. A few shots with the spray bottle, and NO PROBLEM.
 
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Peter Albright

Which skin so soft

There are several varieties. Does it matter which one you use? The no-see-ums don't bother me, but my wife gets eaten alive!
 
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dave

bin laden and greenheads

they BOTH must die and the greenheads in the bays of nj may always be there and they know where ourt ankles are!!!!
 
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SailboatOwners.com

Final results

Final results for the Quick Quiz ending 10/7/2001: Is your time aboard bothered by bugs? 41% Mosquitoes / bees 28% None 27% Spiders 03% Roaches
 
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dave

NONE!!!???

please tell me where there are no bugs,bees, wasps or spiders so i can move there!!!!!!i suppose you don'y have birds seagulls or bad weather either!
 
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