Living near ponds or water reservoirs? (houses, neighborhood, fence)

[tailgunner_ed]

I am always curious, if you live next to a pond (I see them all around LI, they are no bigger than puddles, but they are ponds) or a water reservoir, do you run into mosquito problems in the summer?
Any other issues with insects or soil?

Some of the houses we looked are very close to some of these, and we were concerned.

[twingles]

My friend backs up to a sump. My god, the mosquitoes along the fence line. Plenty in the rest of the yard too but the closer to the sump the worse it is. She keeps the citronella candle people in business.

[rocafeller05]

Any standing water out here is a breeding zone for mosquitoes. I know people who live on a lake and they can’t even go outside in their yard after 4. Just brutal.

[hotkarl]

I'm surrounded by swamps and have a few ponds on my property and the mosquito issue isn't terrible. I've been to homes nowhere near standing water and been obliterated by skeeters, so I would say each property is unique. I do have them, some nights are annoying but I've never had an unbearable problem.

[dman72]

Originally Posted by hotkarl

I'm surrounded by swamps and have a few ponds on my property and the mosquito issue isn't terrible. I've been to homes nowhere near standing water and been obliterated by skeeters, so I would say each property is unique. I do have them, some nights are annoying but I've never had an unbearable problem.

I've heard mosquitoes avoid people with blood alcohol levels beyond .10.

[BBCjunkie]

Some people have a body chemistry that's especially attractive to mosquitoes; I know because I'm a member of that unfortunate group. I can be in a group of people even in a non-water area and I'll get bit to death while others either get no bites or just one or two. And I follow all the standard advice, e.g., don't wear anything that has a fragrance (I'm allergic anyway so I never do), don't drink beer, etc. They still go after me first and foremost.

Speaking for myself, I'd never near any body of still water. Of course there's the definition of "near", because mosquitoes do have wings and they use them, LOL. A useful website is https://www.mosquito.org/page/faq which says this about their range:

Mosquito species preferring to breed around the house, like the Asian Tiger Mosquito, have limited flight ranges of about 300 feet. Most species have flight ranges of 1-3 miles.

Regarding other bugs near ponds etc, any place where you have wet, damp or decomposing wood it will be attractive to carpenter ants. They do not eat such wood but they nest (establish a large colony) in it, from which they branch out into satellite colonies in somewhat dryer locations such as houses, sheds etc. The carpenter ants travel back and forth between the main and satellite colonies as they forage for food. The carpenter ants people near the water often find in their houses are coming from satellite colonies in or next to the house, while a much larger parent colony is in the wet/damp/rotting wood site nearby.

[hotkarl]

Originally Posted by dman72

I've heard mosquitoes avoid people with blood alcohol levels beyond .10.

Maybe I should start drinking?

[tailgunner_ed]

Originally Posted by dman72

I've heard mosquitoes avoid people with blood alcohol levels beyond .10.

I think it's "other people".
Other people avoid people with BAC over .10%.

[tailgunner_ed]

Originally Posted by BBCjunkie

Some people have a body chemistry that's especially attractive to mosquitoes; I know because I'm a member of that unfortunate group. I can be in a group of people even in a non-water area and I'll get bit to death while others either get no bites or just one or two. And I follow all the standard advice, e.g., don't wear anything that has a fragrance (I'm allergic anyway so I never do), don't drink beer, etc. They still go after me first and foremost.

Speaking for myself, I'd never near any body of still water. Of course there's the definition of "near", because mosquitoes do have wings and they use them, LOL. A useful website is https://www.mosquito.org/page/faq which says this about their range:

Mosquito species preferring to breed around the house, like the Asian Tiger Mosquito, have limited flight ranges of about 300 feet. Most species have flight ranges of 1-3 miles.

Regarding other bugs near ponds etc, any place where you have wet, damp or decomposing wood it will be attractive to carpenter ants. They do not eat such wood but they nest (establish a large colony) in it, from which they branch out into satellite colonies in somewhat dryer locations such as houses, sheds etc. The carpenter ants travel back and forth between the main and satellite colonies as they forage for food. The carpenter ants people near the water often find in their houses are coming from satellite colonies in or next to the house, while a much larger parent colony is in the wet/damp/rotting wood site nearby.

Thanks, I was more worried about soil being too damp and might damage the house or not have stable ground. Obviously bugs and critters are everywhere, at least we don't have to worry about gators like they do down in FL. Even if I am not too attractive to mosquitoes (blood type maybe?) I have few people in my family who swell up badly with each bite and takes long time to heal. So I think it's best we stay away from those areas. I was expecting something seasonal maybe 15 days a year or so during their breeding period, but now that we are getting less and less rain (more concentrated rain seasons vs throughout seasons) I think they could be a serious problem. I'll keep out of those houses for time being.

[hotkarl]

I wouldn't rule out an otherwise suitable home that quick. Go take a walk around the neighborhood around dusk and see if you get eaten alive. Check it out a bit before scratching it off the list. Mosquitoes are everywhere on LI. You will find them in just about every single yard.
So living near a sump or pond may increase their presence, or it may not.