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I'm going camping in two weeks and I really don't want to get bit up by mosquitoes. So I want to figure out a way to commit total genocide of all mosquitoes in at least a 20 mile (32 KM) area around the campsite.

I also want the camping trip to be enjoyable, so nukes, doing a total gamma soak, or otherwise irradiating the area is not going to be a good solution.

Ideally a budget of around $100K, and while the area should be mosquito free, the solution should not kill the non-bloodsuckers. I'd also prefer not be be tried for war crimes.

As to technology level, let's say current to very near future, thought the more current the better.

Edit: To close voters real world questions are on topic.

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  • $\begingroup$ Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat. $\endgroup$
    – James
    Commented Jun 13, 2018 at 15:07
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    $\begingroup$ Just found a video on YouTube about how Disney manages to keep mosquitos out of Disney World, which is a big ass swamp land. youtube.com/watch?v=_30jPKzWdN0 In otherwords, this already exists. $\endgroup$
    – Aron
    Commented Jun 18, 2018 at 16:41
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    $\begingroup$ @Aron Disney keeping things they don't approve of out of their parks - well that's not a surprise. :-) But good catch on the story. $\endgroup$
    – StephenG - Help Ukraine
    Commented Jul 22, 2018 at 15:57

22 Answers 22

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100k would buy you many Mosquito Traps

Mosquito traps are now readily available. According to one in particular, Envirobug, the following is how it works:

by using a combination of UV light and the small amount of Co2 gas produced from the titanium dioxide impregnated collars on the inside of the traps. The gas is produced through catalytic reaction from the UV light and heat produced from the lamps. When the trap is running the centrally mounted fan creates a powerful downdraft that mosquitoes entering through the upper windows searching for a blood meal are powerless to resist. Once trapped the constant flow of air around them in the basket, kills them by dehydration. enter image description here

For a low price of $129 you can get one. This means you can afford 775 mosquito traps. By evenly dispersing them, I'm pretty confident that there would be little, to zero, chance of you as a mosquito resisting going into one and surviving.

You can now camp in peace. (However just to let you know, I don't condone slaughter of them... we need to think of ways to coexist with all our fellow lifeforms...)

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    $\begingroup$ Other insects could fill the niche, and we don't have to kill every single one, just the species that bite people. I'll leave them alone when they leave me alone. $\endgroup$
    – AndyD273
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 17:06
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    $\begingroup$ If you’re buying that many, I’d think you could swing a volume discount. $\endgroup$
    – HopelessN00b
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 22:00
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    $\begingroup$ @AndyD273 mosquitoes are herbivores until pregnant - this means that one could use these traps to capture and potentially keep just the pregnant females - and provide them with a source of food for the short few months they need it ... afterwards you could release them back into the world. Camping trips aren't forever. $\endgroup$
    – UKMonkey
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 10:55
  • $\begingroup$ @UKMonkey Mosquitoes aren't exactly endangered. Hard to see what would be accomplished... $\endgroup$
    – Therac
    Commented Jun 13, 2018 at 19:50
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    $\begingroup$ Yes, and they don't work. For example, no research was done into what part of the spectrum it should cover; and intensity variations invisible to us but blatant/annoying to them were ignored (e.g., fly sees 5x faster than us; most are probably flickering to mosquitoes tho steady-seaming to us; compare flicker of bad LED dimmers --- both driven by network frequency of about 50Hz`)? $\endgroup$
    – user3445853
    Commented Jun 13, 2018 at 23:17
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On a slightly envelop pushing note ...

Come to Steve's Ant & Mosquito-Free Resort.

Many years ago eccentric wanna-be billionaire Steve decided to built a natural wildlife reserve without pesky mosquitoes. To this end he took 32 km² of prime country (a circular park 6.2 km in diameter).

Sealing it in a dome using special air filtration systems and airlocks he wiped out all the mosquitoes and ants in it. Then it was repopulated with carefully selected animals, flora and fauna and insects that don't bother people.

Now we are ready to open it to the general public.

For a small premium you and your family can enjoy a camping break in our fine resort.

How can we afford this? Well, the fee is \$ 100K to help pay our investment costs. But worth it for the family that likes to have camping holidays without hospital stays afterwards - think of the savings!

And we have easy terms and you can pay this once in a lifetime trip off as easy monthly installments.

Bonus

No hostile species that might eat baby Jane. We didn't let any of those nasty mountain lions, coyotes, rattlers and bad bears into the park. Our deer is guaranteed to be more Bambi-like than in any other park.

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    $\begingroup$ Heh, clever. Big dome though. The materials science for that would probably be a good investment. $\endgroup$
    – AndyD273
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 13:44
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    $\begingroup$ Simpsons did it! :P $\endgroup$
    – BruceWayne
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 20:08
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    $\begingroup$ How do you control the deer population without predators? $\endgroup$
    – Arcanist Lupus
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 20:30
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    $\begingroup$ @ArcanistLupus Same way as in most of Europe. People with rifles, with the bonus of us getting to eat tasty venison. $\endgroup$
    – Graham
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 21:00
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    $\begingroup$ @Graham Steve Corp. is a caring corporation and we don't kill surplus animals ourselves. We tranquilize them and ship them elsewhere. :-) And what happens them after that is something our lawyers assure us is not our responsibility. $\endgroup$
    – StephenG - Help Ukraine
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 23:44
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You can't go wrong with FIRE

I am not talking about burning down the area, no. Simply making a big stack of wood, or many small ones around the campsite and setting them on fire will mostly suffice. That's what we did in Sweden during midsummer night, anyway.

The little suckers really hate the smoke, and it also makes for some great atmosphere & is also great fun for the kids!

Maintaining a bigger area, you will probably need to hire someone to help you maintain the flames. But baring a heavy rain, that's all in the way of it. If you want to invest against the rainfall as well you might want too look into substances such as napalm.

Sadly (or luckily if you ask a biologist) that solution won't exterminate the bloodsuckers, so there's no permanent danger to the biosphere.

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    $\begingroup$ This kills bees too, you know. $\endgroup$
    – The Square-Cube Law
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 14:25
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    $\begingroup$ @Renan I am really positive that it only incapacitates them $\endgroup$
    – dot_Sp0T
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 14:27
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    $\begingroup$ I have personal experience with it. I've seen people using it to get honey out of hives. I don't mean professional apiculturists with proper housing for the bees, using a special smoke to drive them out of their hives. I mean people using simple fire smoke to get honey from wild hives in the woods. Just make a small fire under a hive. The bees drop dead. I have personally done this to get rid of wasps more than once too. $\endgroup$
    – The Square-Cube Law
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 14:41
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    $\begingroup$ @Renan: Is that the heat or the smoke? Bees and beehives are impressively temperature sensitive. I'd probably not be very happy if you lit a small fire under me, but it wouldn't be because of the smoke! $\endgroup$
    – Joe Bloggs
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 17:39
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    $\begingroup$ @JoeBloggs I believe it is the smoke. The fire doesn't even have to be close... If the smoke gets there taken by the wind, they die. I think they are more sensitive to carbon monoxide and whatever makes smoke black. In fact, a simple gas lamp can obliterate a hive if you are patient enough (I've seen it, and I think this is cruel. A regular fire at least does the job quickly). $\endgroup$
    – The Square-Cube Law
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 18:24
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Genetic engineering terminator genes into the local mosquito population would eliminate the mosquito population since the genes spread far through the population, and then when 2 mosquitoes mate that have the terminator sequence they produce offspring that are sterile, leading to the collapse of the population.

+100 for unintended consequences and it spreading worldwide, eliminating virtually all mosquitoes.

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    $\begingroup$ The real world equivalent is a massive release of sterile mosquitoes to compete for mates. $\endgroup$
    – arp
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 17:22
  • $\begingroup$ For sure, but the worrying part is that some people actually want to do this (Locally) and might actually wind up with the aforementioned unintended consequences! $\endgroup$
    – Sarah Szabo
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 17:24
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    $\begingroup$ @arp This is a real world solution too, and could work. The good news is that it shouldn't cross species, so you can target the mosquitoes that are the problem, and leave any others basically alone. That should limit the unintended consequences, since its genetic, not viral or otherwise contagious. $\endgroup$
    – AndyD273
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 17:25
  • $\begingroup$ Be careful, such a genetically engineered mosquito could have unintended consequences, such as some developing a natural genetic resistance and creating a mosquito / anti-mosquito arms race (much like super bacteria and weakening antibiotics of today). We may actually end up with super-mosquitos everywhere as a result. $\endgroup$
    – flox
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 12:42
  • $\begingroup$ unfortunately ground level studies by third party researchers at where these GM mosquitoes have been released, are showing no drop in mosquitoes or the infections they carry. Perhaps the ladies know how to spot the infertile guy and avoid him after all. It was really a stretch to assume that mosquitoes mate at blind random without any mate selection process at all. Even squirrels and pets know how to avoid GM food when given other choices, if they can discriminate at eating stage then why not at mating? $\endgroup$
    – Nikhil VJ
    Commented Jun 13, 2018 at 4:55
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as of today, in terms of effectiveness, this is the best you can get. Alas, it's still on the prototype stage and it would cost a tad more than $100,00

Mosquito laser

Or you could just buy a cheap metal net, electrify it at night and enjoy the sound of the suckers frying themselves.

Other than that, unless you use a kiloton of good ol' DDT, you can't wipe out mosquitos in such a wide radius without eradicating the rest of insect life.

**EDIT: ** This Futurism article goes more into details, including the fact that the real thing is eve harder to realize than previously trumpeted. My apologies for an incorrect link. Administrator, please demote the answer

Update on mosquito photon net

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  • $\begingroup$ Could you explain something about that mosquito laser, for example how much it would cost, what the problems are, ... Links can get outdated, which would leave the first part of your answer meaningless to future readers. $\endgroup$
    – Secespitus
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 13:45
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    $\begingroup$ Difficulty not relevant for our purposes, anti-mosquito lasers are exactly the sort of thing we like, you just need to extract some details from behind the links rather than relying on the links themselves. $\endgroup$
    – Separatrix
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 14:14
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    $\begingroup$ The DDT option has been used in the past, with disastrous consequences. Some humans are poisoned to this day and they must keep their weight by medical order. If they lose weight the poison trapped in their bodily fat will be thrown back into their bloodstream. +1 for the mosquito laser, though. $\endgroup$
    – The Square-Cube Law
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 14:26
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    $\begingroup$ I originally wrote an answer but then realized I've practically duplicated yours so here is an additional link to the TED Talk about the mosquito laser ted.com/talks/nathan_myhrvold_could_this_laser_zap_malaria $\endgroup$
    – MonkeyZeus
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 17:59
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    $\begingroup$ @Separatrix "anti-mosquito lasers are exactly the sort of thing we like" This needs to get worked into the site tour somehow. $\endgroup$
    – kingledion
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 19:24
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Weaponized citronella

With a few tweaks, the popular repellent can be made even more potent, giving the little monsters teeny-tiny panic attacks. Deploying in a ring arrangement, with your campsite at the center, using a smoke bomb as a base, the pests can be driven away to a radius of your choosing.

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    $\begingroup$ Actually I like combining this with the genetic engineering idea, first we introduce a gene which is both beneficial but also conveys an even stronger weakness to citronella. After it's spread through the population, then we deploy the weaponized citronella. Just be sure to use a high enough concentration so you don't accidentally breed back in a resistance. $\endgroup$
    – user3067860
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 18:26
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Simple. Relocate several thousand bats to the area. Also, camp under a walnut tree. Mosquitoes and other insects avoid them.

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    $\begingroup$ @JoeBloggs A walnut is about the size of a baseball. If one falls from the right height it could hurt a lot. Maybe not kill I suppose... $\endgroup$
    – AndyD273
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 17:57
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    $\begingroup$ @AndyD273: I’d definitely agree with hurt a lot. Interesting question though.. What is the terminal velocity of an unladen walnut? $\endgroup$
    – Joe Bloggs
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 18:01
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    $\begingroup$ @AndyD273 dw.com/en/walnuts-allowed-to-fall-off-tree-german-court-rules/… Make sure it is not a German campsite. If so, install net. Catch walnuts. Eat walnuts. $\endgroup$
    – Sentinel
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 19:19
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    $\begingroup$ You either have really small balls, or you've got really big nuts. $\endgroup$
    – Mazura
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 2:38
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    $\begingroup$ @JoeBloggs African or European? $\endgroup$
    – UKMonkey
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 10:56
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Wipe out mosquito larvae with acoustic larvicide.

Acoustic larvicide is a relatively young technology with controllable results. If you blast sound waves somewhere between 18 kHz and 30 kHz in water where larvae are growing, it will rupture their air bladders and either kill them immediately or otherwise prevent them from fully maturing. Depending on the duration and intensity of your acoustic death ray, you can control approximately what percent of the population is killed.

These devices seem to be available for sale currently. A handheld device can be purchased for about \$7000 (probably less now, that article is from 2012). A larger one may cost a bit more, but probably still well within your $100k budget. Hire a couple of fellow mosquito-haters to use it on all the standing water in the area once a week for a couple months before you go camping and there should be none left to bite you.

Pros:

  • Technology is currently available
  • Has minimal effect on other wildlife (except for food chain considerations)
  • Within budget
  • No more mosquitoes

Cons:

  • No immediate effects on biting population. You must prepare beforehand.
  • You may need to bring in some other pollinators to keep the local flowering plants happy
  • You may need to find new prey for the predators that depend on them for food
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    $\begingroup$ Nice! I wonder what it does to Dragonfly larva? I like them. They eat mosquitos. $\endgroup$
    – AndyD273
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 19:13
  • $\begingroup$ OMG this is awesome! $\endgroup$
    – The Square-Cube Law
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 21:11
  • $\begingroup$ It's a gun that makes sound. Who charges $7000 for that... Beats? $\endgroup$
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Commented Jun 13, 2018 at 17:12
  • $\begingroup$ +1 This may even be a practical near future solution. Weaponize a chemical fuelled (long mission duration) drone to go and visit every pond and puddle, dip the probe in and disrupt the larvae every so often as required. $\endgroup$
    – KalleMP
    Commented Jun 14, 2018 at 7:49
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Mosquito predators. Something already exists called "fly predators", which are a parasitic wasp which kill fly larva, but which are themselves invisibly tiny and harmless. Breed them in a lab and spread them in such a concentration that they kill all the mosquitoes before starving to death. To prevent unforeseen ecological problems, make it so they can't breed outside of the lab (maybe make them all female, just don't use any frog DNA!).

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Alcohol: the cause of and solution to all of life's problems

  • Step 1: Hire as many bums and/or college students as possible.

  • Step 2: Buy as much extremely cheap booze as possible.

  • Step 3: Put the booze into the bums/college students.

  • Step 4: Strategically position the bums/college students throughout the desired area.

  • Step 5: Wait for the mosquitoes to strike. Flies and bees can alcohol poison themselves to death eating rotting fruit. Hopefully this also works for mosquitoes.

  • Step 6: Enjoy not having mosquitoes.

On the minus side, the mosquitoes will come back eventually. On the plus side, you'll be too drunk to care!

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    $\begingroup$ Interesting aside. How do mosquitoes behave while under the influence of LSD? $\endgroup$
    – Sentinel
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 19:21
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    $\begingroup$ I think you are onto a winner. "Survival Vodka". Just keep sipping the stuff and even the grizzly bears run away puking. Multipurpose - "works as booze, aphrodisiac, insecticide, repellant, fuel, and all purpose cleaner - yours for just $100 a bottle." I think you may have stumbled on Russia's secret weapon. $\endgroup$
    – Sentinel
    Commented Jun 11, 2018 at 19:34
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    $\begingroup$ Mosquitoes don't die by biting people under the influence of alcohol. I say this from personal experience. $\endgroup$
    – The Square-Cube Law
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 12:58
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    $\begingroup$ @Renan I assert that you didn't drink enough. $\endgroup$
    – kingledion
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 13:03
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    $\begingroup$ @Renan I've upvoted because it's a funny answer and good for a storyline, but I agree with you: it doesn't help... $\endgroup$
    – Fabby
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 21:09
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For $100k you can have your very own mosquito chopstick bot and a years supply of tadpoles.

Your mosquito chopstick bot will diligently pluck mosquito's from the air all day and night long until the job is done.

Your tadpoles need only be slipped into any standing water, they delight in slurping mosquitos larvae down from the surface. Hmm yummy.

Bye, bye mosquitos.

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The most migratory of mosquitoes only travel a maximum of 7 miles (11.26 kilometres) from their birth point as larvae (wrigglers). Therefore you could treat every water source within that range of the borders of your protected area where larvae can spawn with a solution.

Possible solutions include Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis), methoprene, or oil and also the introduction of natural predators in large numbers. Guppies (small fish) or Gambusia (a mosquito hunting specialist guppy species that are already used in this way) would be an excellent candidate as they can be introduced and breed rapidly. The introduction of small birds such as purple martins, swallows and waterfowl would prey on the adult mosquitoes. Dragonfly nymphs also hunt the larvae and dragonfly adults the adult mosquito form so they could be bred up in large numbers and introduced as well.

You'd also have to enforce strict water receptacle controls within your boundary, therefore remove containers where small pools of water can form after rain. It would also help to provide mosquito lures outside your borders to redirect the mosquito population as well as planting citronella and others plants which repel mosquitoes within your boundary.

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  • $\begingroup$ Nice idea to plant the native citronella source, It would be great if it actually works. $\endgroup$
    – KalleMP
    Commented Jun 14, 2018 at 7:51
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Several years ago this was in the news. The 'Photonic Fence' by Intellectual Ventures - mosquito killing laser arrays which could in theory be made cheaply in scale from scrap DVD burners & webcams. It's been stagnating a little bit maybe, or at least I haven't heard any news on them moving forward w/ any installations or anything. Maybe philanthropists are too squeamish about IR radiation &/or eradicating any species at all to really get behind it & make it happen? (Even though it can select for specific species & mosquitos that bite humans only account for 10% of all species, so killing just those seems like a perfect compromise, IMO)

Here's the Photonic Fence Patent/info Page you can probably license it from them if you are doing a huge number at scale, but they probably want a lot of money. I don't know the legal ramifications of building your own version for personal use using info you can find about theirs as a reference... but my gut says it's probably fine even without a license, so long as you don't cause them any negative publicity or otherwise irk them. Building said device for under $100 (probably not including tooling) would be extremely difficult, but almost certainly possible if you throw enough time & skill at it.

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Most answers that will kill a large number of mosquitoes would also cause a lot of collateral damage to other native life in the woods you go to. Some would cause collateral, irreversible damage to humans, and probably property as well.

You cannot kill all mosquitoes in an area without causing irreparable ecological wreckage. If it were possible, we would not have problems like Malaria and Dengue in the world. You can, however, kill all mosquitoes that come close to you. As some have mentioned, mosquito lasers are a thing. You will kill the odd fly or bee as well, but you won't be causing more damage than you would already cause by stepping on insects by accident anyway.

You can also invent some sort of machine that mimics human sweat in smell, and which traps mosquitoes inside it. With small holes, this would be a very specific selector - any other insects that get in will do so by accident, and will be a minority. Just leave a few of these turned on in the area you are going to for a few days prior to your trip, and also during it.

Finally, in many mosquito species males make a sound which is inaudible to us, but which tends to scare females (and only the females bite humans). You could have soundboxes making this sound 24/7 - it will not kill them, but it will scare all but the rare deaf females away. Those could be dealt with electric rackets, which would do for a fun camping activity.

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  • $\begingroup$ I like the idea of a $100k soundbox humming the sound mosquitos hate. I do realise it is inaudible to us but, how many decibels would be needed to cover the required area? $\endgroup$
    – Willtech
    Commented Jun 14, 2018 at 10:21
  • $\begingroup$ @Willtech I don't know, but there are gizmos that do that sound and cover a whole room which you can buy for 3 dollars in some places. Rather than a single superloud one, you could spread thirty thousand regular ones around. $\endgroup$
    – The Square-Cube Law
    Commented Jun 14, 2018 at 10:25
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Bring the Ladies!

It's a well known fact that mosquitos preferentially bite women, Particularly pregnant or ovulating women, so bring plenty of lady-friends and they can be your bodyguards. For $100k you should be able to pay for travel expenses for a hell of a lot of your friends.

And if you don't have that many friends, you can achieve the same result with strangers.

Edit after feedback and consideration:
This plan doesn't strictly kill all the mosquitos, instead providing alternative targets. However you could use the "blood poison" approach. There are "vaccines" in the works to poison and kill any mosquito that bites a treated person, they're intended to protect against Malaria.
Combined with $100k worth of human shields to not only avoid being bitten but kill any mosquitos around it would probably achieve exactly the result you're after.

  • Human shields mean you don't get bitten
  • Only blood-suckers die
  • No collateral damage except for your unfortunate companions
  • Radius can be achieved by encouraging hiking amongst your group, but coverage is likely to be a bit spotty.

For best results, wait in the tent for a few days before emerging, the worst of the biting (and grousing) should be over by then.

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  • $\begingroup$ This does not kill the mosquitoes as the OP requests. In fact, you will be helping them breed more. $\endgroup$
    – The Square-Cube Law
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 12:57
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    $\begingroup$ But what if Andy is himself a pregnant woman? $\endgroup$
    – Madlozoz
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 13:08
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    $\begingroup$ @Renan 100k worth of pregnant woman will not kill mosquitoes, but could easily destroy vulnarable lifeforms $\endgroup$
    – Madlozoz
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 13:10
  • $\begingroup$ @Madlozoz I think appraising pregnant women (or any other person at all) would make someone an horrible person. $\endgroup$
    – The Square-Cube Law
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 13:13
  • $\begingroup$ Oh, the wife definitely gets bit up way worse than I do. Stopping the complaining about mosquito bites is a big part of wanting them all dead. $\endgroup$
    – AndyD273
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 19:18
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As mosquito's home in on CO2, the easiest route is to place updrafts of CO2 in localised areas (all over the place pretty much). It's hard to home in on people if there is a nearby CO2 updraft or it varies at random continuously.

The concentration doesn't even need to be high - just enough (and close enough together) to make prey detection impractical at any range. So it doesn't have to even be lethal to mosquitoes.

This isn't an issue for you, your guests, global warming/climate, or any non-bloodsucker. The only critturs attracted specifically to CO2 will almost by definition be those locating prey by their breath, which is basically bloodsucking insects looking for larger beings. Other insects might be affected by CO2, but the concentration would be low, so it wouldn't be lethal - and the amount of time an insect spends in a CO2 updraft would be linked to its bloodsuckerness - non bloodsuckers only enter updrafts at random, and leave them at random, so they get below average exposure even among all insects. Dedicated bloodsuckers on the other hand may be drawn to the updrafts but can't find prey within a varying environmental level of CO2.

Humans and mammals of course aren't likely to be affected at all. Even exhaled air contains considerable oxygen, and a higher level of CO2 isn't a problem - if needed the level of O2 could be raised slightly, the same way, which would benefit humans and animal life, but give no benefit or encouragement to bloodsuckers. The environment of course won't be affected - on a global scale any amount used will be microscopic in the context of other sources.

A sub-ground distribution mesh based on dry ice or another source, randomised oscillating (both direction and on-off) fans/valves, and perforated pipework directed upward, might be all it needs. You and all you love, including non blood suckers,will feel little beyond normal, and you can admire the mosquitoes as they fly around wondering where the hell their prey is ;-)

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LIZARDS!

As a Floridian, I feel your itching. Natural solutions are often best, and one of the best natural solutions is lizards. They will eat mosquitos, but they also eat other things when the mosquito population is low (they opertunisticly hunt mosquitos)

You should be able to get a substantial lizard population for $100K.

The only real downside is that whatever eats lizards in your area is gonna have a field day and probably a population surge.

Of course, if you wanted to be more practical 10 cans of spray-on DEET is probably cheaper then $100k of lizards, and may actually work better.

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  • $\begingroup$ I like the idea of $100k of lizards for its environmental problems. But, I like the idea of natural solutions. And DEET. $\endgroup$
    – Willtech
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 10:53
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For $100k you could build "The Oracle"!

1,000,000 lumens of irresistible ultraviolet light up a big pole surrounded by a cage energized with 100kV of electricity. Zap! Mosquito's come get me!

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  • $\begingroup$ As a bonus, you blind people or non-mosquito animals that look at it, while also decimating native moth populations. $\endgroup$
    – The Square-Cube Law
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 12:55
  • $\begingroup$ Easy to screen out moths larger than mosquitoes. Possible to angle the UV light mostly above head height for the campers causing problems only for squirrels and birds in the trees. $\endgroup$
    – KalleMP
    Commented Jun 14, 2018 at 7:58
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Mosquitoes home in on the carbon dioxide of your breath when you exhale. Based on the old adage of 'can't see it, can't bite it', the solution is simple: don't exhale for the period of your camping trip.

Other solutions include:

  • Scuba re-breathers, space suits (such as Armstrong wore on the lunar surface).
  • Large fans to disrupt carbon dioxide concentrations (which has an added bonus, since mosquitoes are poor fliers).
  • Your own genetic mutation to exhale less or no carbon dioxide.

These are all defensive measures of course, guaranteed to have the least impact on the environment. More offensive measures include:

  • Add birth-control tablets to all the water sources within a specific radius up to three months before your trip. I'm sure you'll be okay with the effects it'll have on you - it's for the greater good, right?
  • If such changes do not appeal to you, Plan B is to find each mosquito, and remove its wings surgically. They'll still bite you, but they'll have to walk all the way to get to you first.

But the best (saved for last) is a patent I'm working on; something I like to call 'The Slasher'. It is a system of cut-throat razors, strategically positioned around the camp site. The mosquito lands, and as it looks from side to side to select its target, it decapitates itself.

Enjoy!

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  • $\begingroup$ Make the slasher out of graphene for maximum effectiveness (& so you can justify charging an obscene amount for it if you like) $\endgroup$
    – Nathan Smith
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 23:42
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Giant fans

Mosquito are grounded in case of wind (I'd say 10km/h)

So, assuming you camp on a flat ground (grassland, beach...), installing giant fans providing constant wind would protect you (without killing mosquitoes).

Anywhere in the mountain

Insect can't stand low air pressure

Flying animal need air pressure

So it is unlikely you find many mosquitoes above 2000m high (from my experience, 1200m is already fine in tropical climate)

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  • $\begingroup$ I have been bothered by mosquitoes well above 3000m. Do some quick Googling and you'll see that mosquitoes have no problem flying at any elevation. Their biggest obstacle at high altitudes has more to do with finding stagnant pools to breed in, suitably humid air, warm temperatures, and creatures to bite. In any case, 2000m isn't anywhere near high enough in most places to create any kind of problem for mosquitoes. $\endgroup$
    – BlackThorn
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 19:30
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I remember reading an Asimov novel (maybe The Bicentennial Man) where, to avoid loopholes in the Three Laws, human designers decided to make them unnecessary: robots are specialized for small tasks and some of them are just robotics birds that prey plagues.

You could have in the near future small drones that hunt just mosquitoes, ignoring any other animal. So you could release a couple of dozens of these drones clean the field without affecting any other animal.

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Have you considered camping in a more northern climate?

Mosquitos like warm humid evenings (and long walks on the beach)

They don't like cold weather, they don't like dry weather, and they die very quickly in either.

For 100 grand, hire a few blimps with a giant sunlamp each and warm up a stretch of tundra until it's balmy and nice

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    $\begingroup$ If you have ever walked through a northern Swedish forest in July you will immediately realise it gets worse, not better, if you go north. If you warm it up, it gets even worse. Your description is a recipe to create the largest concentration of mosquitoes ever seen. $\endgroup$
    – gerrit
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 12:55
  • $\begingroup$ 100 grand is not that much. Assuming coal at $100 per metric ton and 200W/m², you get an hour of toastiness in a 42km² area. $\endgroup$
    – Sanchises
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 13:17
  • $\begingroup$ Moderate climate won't do, but height would. I'm not sure what is the limit for flying insect, but I'm pretty sure that you won't find mosquito above 2000m. From my experience, they are not anoying (if existing at all) around Toba Lake (1200m, equator) $\endgroup$
    – Madlozoz
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 13:24
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    $\begingroup$ I kind of consider where we live to be "northern climate", and you are right that half the year there are no mosquitos... You just wouldn't want to be camping during that time. Or, at least I don't, the snow tends to collapse the tent. Then you get summer, and the buggers try really hard to make up for lost time. $\endgroup$
    – AndyD273
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 19:25
  • $\begingroup$ Good points all, Though I did suggest "tundra" and explicitly suggest heatlamps to change the local climate. Being hundreds of miles from the nearest mosquito-ridden environment in an artificial summertime would certainly have no mosquitos! Sanchises has a good point about the cost/effectiveness of heating the region though. spot-lighting yourself with a single heat-lamp wherever you go would probably be more effective. $\endgroup$
    – Ruadhan
    Commented Jun 13, 2018 at 13:54

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