General Care Discussion :: Citronella and reptiles?

[reptilegrrl]

I have been googling and am unable to find any info on whether or not citronella is safe for reptiles. We have a very, very bad mosquito problem here, and I am considering buying a new product which is essentially a hose sprayer with citronella solution inside.

I know the mosquitos are biting my box turtle, because I see them swarm his pen. And of course they bite us humans. Although I won't spray him directly with the hose sprayer, of course he will be surrounded by the vapors if I spray the yard. Same with my aquatic turtle.

So does anyone know if citronella is dangerous to reptiles?

[N4784N R4613]

You should get ahold of grey goose, it is his job to kill mosquitos(well not exactly, but he finds them so that they can be killed.) he may know of a more natural way to kill them, or just keep the population down.

[reptilegrrl]

Unfortunately, the basic population control measures are not useful here. We have had rain every day for more than a month, so it's not possible to eliminate standing water... it's standing in my backyard, in the ditches all over the neighborhood and in the surrounding bayous. Friday my house even flooded! I do toss mosquito dunks into the standing water, and I have mosquito fish in my pond, so mosquitoes don't breed in there. But even during times that are not so rainy, we have very bad mosquitoes.

Citronella is a natural plant material, that is why I am hoping it will be safe for reptiles. We have used a cedar granule sprinkled around the yard (but not in the turtle pen!) but with all the rain, the cedar granules do no good.

[DavidY]

There's another natural product called Mosquito Dunks that contains a natural mosquito larvacide that kills the mosquito larvae before they can hatch. I usually break the dunks into smaller pieces and toss them into any areas that collect standing water during the spring. They start working right away and usually last a month. The continue to work even if the puddle dries up and then fills up again later on. They are supposed to be safe for fish, plants, birds and wildlife and even other insects except the mosquito and black fly larvae.

I also invested in a "Skeeter Vac" from Blue Rhino and I swear by those things. They're a little pricey but they've practically eliminated both the mosquito, black fly and horse fly problem we used to have. They work much better than the Mosquito Magnets (which are useless in my opinion).

I live in the Northeast "jungles" and the mosquito and black fly populations here are ridiculous. We used to never be able to go out into our backyard between the months of May and early September with all the biting insects. Now we don't have any problem at all. There's still some mosquitos (and black flies in the spring) but they're barely even noticeable. I can be out all day and evening and come back with only one bite.

You can do a search on both those products and check 'em out for yourself.

[steve]

I don't think the citronella is a problem, but what else is in there could be. You could always bring your herps in and cover their habitats while you spray away.

[reptilegrrl]

There's another natural product called Mosquito Dunks that contains a natural mosquito larvacide that kills the mosquito larvae before they can hatch. I usually break the dunks into smaller pieces and toss them into any areas that collect standing water during the spring. They start working right away and usually last a month. The continue to work even if the puddle dries up and then fills up again later on. They are supposed to be safe for fish, plants, birds and wildlife and even other insects except the mosquito and black fly larvae.

I also invested in a "Skeeter Vac" from Blue Rhino and I swear by those things. They're a little pricey but they've practically eliminated both the mosquito, black fly and horse fly problem we used to have. They work much better than the Mosquito Magnets (which are useless in my opinion).

As I mentioned, I toss the dunks in all of the standing water around the house I am not sure they do much good, because our problem is not reduced.

Thanks for the advice about the skeeter vac: it IS expensive and I am not sure we can afford it, but if it works that well maybe our neighbors will go in on one with us (there are four living units on this property and we all suffer.)

[DavidY]

I have some bamboo cuttings soaking in two pails of water on my deck. One day I noticed hundreds of mosquito larvae swimming around in them so I put a few crumbs of the dunks in each pail. The next day all the larvae were dead and I haven't seen any in there since. Most likely your mosquitos are coming from nearby areas. They fly upwind to find a host so when they're all heavy and filled up with blood they can just drift back to their nesting site with the wind. They can travel up to a couple of miles in search of a meal so it's impossible to treat all the standing water that far away. The Skeeter Vac helps with this problem since it attracts the mosquitos that come to your area from nearby breeding sites. When you set the trap up in the beginning of the season, you kill off the females that would otherwise begin the population for the rest of the season. With fewer females laying eggs there will be far fewer mosquitos to start the cycle next year too. If you're able to keep the trap running through an entire season, the following year you'll notice a major difference. It costs a lot to buy the trap and to run it since it goes through a tank of propane in 5 or 6 weeks. Also the replacement sticky paper and octenol attractant costs about $80 for a year's supply. You can get their biggest trap which will cover about an acre and see if you can split that with your neighbors. If your population is really bad you might need 2 of them.

[SpotsMama]

Reptilegirl, I know exactly what you're going through because we're having the same problem here in Dallas. We're on high ground and always before the water has drained quickly, but we've had so much rain lately it is standing everywhere. Every little uneven spot on the ground is full of water and has been for days. Therefore, the mosquitoes are legion.

There's an organic gardening expert in our area named Howard Garrett. He has a website and publishes a colume in the Dallas Morning News. I've seen him recommend cinnamon oil and lemon for mosquito control. Also, here's how he responded to a very recent question similar to yours:

"We would like to install a mosquito misting system in our yard. Do they work?

P.H., Fort Worth

I don't recommend any misting system that uses killing sprays. Even organic pesticide sprays kill more beneficial insects and microbes than mosquitoes.

I recommend that you spread dry, granulated garlic on the ground and use a garlic spray before outdoor activities. Garlic repels mosquitoes. Commercial plant-oil sprays by Eco Exempt also are effective."

[DavidY]

Hmm, I wonder if you could feed your boxies garlic? I've heard of some guys who work outdoors a lot eating lots of garlic to keep the mosquitos away.

[reptilegrrl]

I suspect there would be a risk of Heinz body anemia, but also, I doubt they would eat it.

I will try sprinkling it on the ground around the cage daily, but because of the wetness here I don't have much hope. I have garlic growing in my garden and it does NOT discourage pests.

[SpotsMama]

It's finally been dry here for about three days and the mosquito population has plummeted. thank goodness!

Mr. Garrett doesn't like organic insecticides because they also kill beneficial insects but if the plague of mosquitos like we had recently had continued, I'd have been tempted to sacrifice the beneficial insects. Too many mosquitoes is a health hazard.

[reptilegrrl]

I agree, Spotsmama! West Nile virus has been found all over Houston, plus my poor boxie is being eaten up.

[SpotsMama]

Can you bring him in until it subsides?

[reptilegrrl]

No, he would have to live inside all year round. I am in Houston, and our mosquito problem only goes away when we have a freeze, and then only briefly.

[grey goose]

The only mosquito I know of that could possibly (though not probable) bite your turt is Cx. territans, but they only bite frogs as far as I know. Turtles skin is just too thick and most mosquitoes only go after warm blooded mammals.
What I think may be happening is midges (aka "punkies", "no see-ums") are swarming around your turt when he is in a shaded part of his pond.
Like mosquitoes, they cannot tolerate direct sun and although annoying, they are harmless. Unfortunately, mosquito dunks (BTI) really don't work very well on midge larvae.
As far as chemical control, I really can't recommend anything with all the rain you've had lately.....but here's a link that may help:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2129.html