Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

1: Go to the local home improvement store.
2: Buy several bags of Portland Cement.
3: Take picture of bags of cement sitting on the deck next to the pool.
4: Send picture to bank, along with a brief explanation of what will happen to said bags if the pool is not maintained.


Alternately (and much less destructively) if there is still power to the house, you could simply pump out all of the water. Granted, a small amount will remain behind, however a single bucket of slow-dissolving stabilized chlorine tablets will last a long time.

elesjuan

iTrader: (11)

Scott; You need to get another bat and get them to make babies.. Sell em on the internet to people like me!

KPLAFIN

iTrader: (1)

Why would you buy a bat house? my dad and i used to throw them together in ~20-30 minutes, our property was full of them at one point in time, found that the ones facing the west tended to get more business than others, don't know if it was a fluke/coincidence or if there's a reason behind it but thought it was kinda strange. Plenty of info online on them to be found too.

p51hellfire

iTrader: (28)

I know all to much about that **** as well.....well you and me are separated by the friggin everglades as well... skeeter Heaven there!!!!
congrats on becoming a mod lol

BenR

iTrader: (2)

You should check with the city. Alot of municipalities are giving away mosquito fish for this exact reason.

Trent

iTrader: (11)

yeah, it's a HUGE issue in New Orleans with so many blighted abandoned properties.

One of those hawks pictured above would have a field day at my property. I have never seen so many squirrels. Fat ones too. I think the neighborhood kids must be feeding them or something. I saw one yesterday that looked like he was too obese to climb up a tree.

elesjuan

iTrader: (11)

Best thread on the interwebs... Ever..

NA6C-Guy

iTrader: (1)

Squirrels make good target practice. If I let them all live I would have armies of them roaming. Plus my dog likes to catch them as they fall out of the tree and shake them like a live action squeak toy. Side story, I have one I've been trying to catch for nearly a year, I call him Bob. He has unusual red fur and a bob tail. I would almost feel bad to kill him, but I try, he is just too smart and fast. I need to get me a bat box though, I have killer mosquito problems, but not sure from what source. I may have a few tires, but they are 500ft from the house and likely have oil in them... we have plenty of owls and hawks too, so not many critters smaller than squirrel.

levnubhin

iTrader: (30)

So correct me if I'm wrong, Bats are used to control mosquito population?
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y8s

iTrader: (8)

bats eat mosquitos.

i would put it more like this: lack of bats leads to out of control mosquito populations.

levnubhin

iTrader: (30)

hmmmm, anyone know where bats can be bought? I've seen them flying around but wouldn't mind them staying.
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sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

And mosquitoes are on the menu. A 1977 study in the journal Ecology found little brown bats fed on mosquitoes in 77 percent of their evening forays, consuming the bloodsuckers throughout the summer. BCI reports that little brown bats, big brown bats, and Mexican free-tails are three prevalent species in the U.S. most likely to occupy bat houses and feed on pests. The big brown bat specializes in beetles, while the Mexican free-tail bat lives in southerly climes. The little brown — which can eat 50 percent of its body weight each evening — is common throughout the Midwest and specializes in feeding on small insects — including mosquitoes.

Full article is on this hippie enviro site:
Conscious Choice: Bat Those Mosquitoes Away

y8s

iTrader: (8)

put up a bat house. they'll move in in a few years.

Importance of bat houses

Bat Houses

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

this one is nice and will hold up to 40 bats:

Bat Conservatory - Gaiam

I didn't realize bats could eat 600 mosquitoes an hour apiece.

levnubhin

iTrader: (30)

Nice find man. For $55 it's worth a shot.
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y8s

iTrader: (8)

follow the guidelines on the page I linked for location. ~15 feet off the ground, full sun (south facing) all day. either two back to back on a pole or on the side of a building works well.

gospeed81

iTrader: (51)

I know what I'm doing in the garage this afternoon.

My in-laws back yard is insufferable between the economy and Hurricane Ike's effect on local housing, and Houston's normal mosquito population to boot.

This is easily the most interesting and useful thing I've learned this year outside of turbocharging my car.

y8s

iTrader: (8)

just be aware that it's probably a little late in the season to get bats moving in.

ideally you'd put up the houses just before spring and bats MIGHT move in during mid to late spring. and they may not move in for a couple summers.

ScottFW

iTrader: (4)

Houston was the only place I've lived where the mosquitoes will bite you right through your damn shirt. Most skeeters in other places will get somewhat discouraged if they can't find bare skin. When the West Nile paranoia hit back in the early aughts, they'd have pickup trucks with big ol foggers in the beds driving through our neighborhood. Sounded like small jet engines. They still do that?

I am intrigued by these bat houses. Can't put them on any of my trees because they all have too much foliage that would block the sun from the houses, so I would probably have to mount it to the chimney. Anybody know what kind of guano production rate can be expected from a small bat house?

y8s

iTrader: (8)

no idea, but were you thinking of selling it to greenhouses?