screened porches and mosquitoes (El Paso, Alamo: houses, neighborhood, new construction)

[doolish1]

Hi again!

I've noticed none of these houses have a screened porch. I am in mosquito capital Florida now. Basically, no screen means you can't use your yard here. So, why don't any yards in El paso have screened porches. Are there no bugs eating you at dusk?

[joqua]

Originally Posted by doolish1

So, why don't any yards in El paso have screened porches. Are there no bugs eating you at dusk?

The only areas where mosquitoes pose enough of a problem in the hottest months of summer are in the irrigated rural/farmlands to the north and south of the city. My farmer grandparents had screened porches but they are virtually unheard of today with most houses being year around climate controlled.

[doolish1]

You can walk outside and not get attacked? Sounds like a dream fantasy land.

[Army_Guy]

Originally Posted by joqua

The only areas where mosquitoes pose enough of a problem in the hottest months of summer are in the irrigated rural/farmlands to the north and south of the city. My farmer grandparents had screened porches but they are virtually unheard of today with most houses being year around climate controlled.

Only place I've really noticed them was in the upper valley by the Rio Grande as well as some parts of Fort Bliss by streams/creeks.

Otherwise, it's pretty awesome not having to worry much about mosquitoes.

[doolish1]

In Florida they spray the parks but other than that you stay inside or in your screened areas. I love to sit out and put a tv outside as well. I also walk a lot. I won't have to time my walks around dawn and dusk anymore.

[atrabilius]

Originally Posted by Army_Guy

Only place I've really noticed them was in the upper valley by the Rio Grande as well as some parts of Fort Bliss by streams/creeks.

Otherwise, it's pretty awesome not having to worry much about mosquitoes.

Are you talking about the Sacramento River? That's the only stream on the Fort Bliss reservation that I know of. I believe it flows down from the Sacramento Mountains east of Alamogordo going south through southeastern Otero County and ends at the salt flats south of Dell City that people from the El Paso area used to take salt from up until around the Salt Wars of the late 19th century. What other streams are there on Fort Bliss?

I came from east Texas, where there are not just mosquitoes but lots of other kinds of bugs swarming around. In northeast El Paso when I was a kid, houseflies were really the only flying insect problem (any plant that attracted bees in our neighborhood didn't take long to disappear from people's gardens), and now in my part of southern California, it's also houseflies, to where I can't keep my first-floor patio door open for very long. But I can definitely live without mosquitoes.

To the OP: My guess is that you are going to have to keep your windows and doors shut as much as possible and put screens on your windows, and invest in fly spray or flyswatters. Mosquitoes may not bother you but houseflies probably will.

[jcdownunder]

If you like being outside, El Paso is a whole lot more comfortable than Florida! I lived in north-central FL for 22 years and EP for 2 years before moving to Memphis (for 2 years). Now we are moving back to EP. Let me tell you....I can still remember just stepping outside for a few seconds to get the mail in FL - pouring down sweat, not to mention mosquitoes buzzing in my ears! I had to bathe myself in Deet if I wanted to do any yardwork! Nobody in their right minds would have a porch or pool without a screen! Other things I don't miss about FL - fire ants, water bugs, hurricanes......but the desert has sand storms.

[Violet West]

I don't really know why people don't seem to have screened porches here. I added one to my new construction home. I built it for privacy, for protection from bugs, for shelter from sun and wind, and for fresh air for my animals while keeping them safe inside. Big win.

You do have to worry about mosquitoes here in the summer. We have several cases of West Nile each year.

I live in the Upper Valley west of the Rio Grande (which does get water in the summer). The bigger problem is not the river though, it's the ponding areas and ditches alongside the roads which hold water all summer. Mosquitos, frogs, lots of wildlife.