Mosquito Coils

[Naycha]

So lately I've been noticing that mozzie coils are being suggested as a safe and natural way to kill pests in the growroom. Sure pyrethrum is safe, but I don't think people are giving the use of mozzie coils the proper consideration.

 

While they do contain Pyrethrum which is safe, there are a multitude of other ingredients which likely are not even on the label. The main constituent of mozzie coils is sawdust, coconut husks, or some other kind of filler. Other ingredients include binding agents, dyes, and other chemicals to help them burn and to enhance the action of the pyrethrum.

 

Now I'm not going to hold everyones hand, but if you bother to even do some half-assed research you will start to find some negatives. One such negative is the release of piperonyl butoxide which has been linked to birth defects. Another negative is the release of particulate matter (kind of like extremely fine ash particles) which can lodge in your lungs and cause problems (and I assume the particulates would settle all over the leaves and flowers of your plants). One coil will relase the same amount of particulate matter as 75-130+ ciggarettes. This is just scratching the surface of the negative effects and further research will reveal a multitude of health hazards

 

I'm not telling you not to use mozzie coils, but I am telling you to do some research for yourself so you can make an informed decision. This forum is a great source of information but members should still take advice (including mine) with a grain of salt, even more so where their health is involved.

 

I realise the members offering this advice are just trying to help, but perhaps it would be more helpful to at least do your research before you advertise mozzie coils as completely safe and natural to unwitting newbies.

 

Stay safe everybody........

 

Naycha

[wietlover]

For me it was a no brainer as to putting mozzie coils in a grow room

Couldn't be good burning something in ya grow area. Logic tells me that!!

Some piperonyl butoxide with ya THC?? No thanks

Cheers naycha

wiet

[Frazz]

Thanks for the heads up Naycha

your research is appreciated and a timely reminder to research all methods of pest control before jumping in head first

 

[Reverend]

Brilliant Naycha,

There is a reason it states on the packets outdoor use only.

Unfortunately a lot of people think that because it is natural it is safe, some of the most deadly poisons come from nature itself.

[Auntynorm]

G'day Troops.

 

Has the appropriate "research" been done on the kinds of synthetic poisons some of our members pour into their plants? We have all heard the claims from " a leading scientist" as to the things you should stay away from, bacon, coffee, white bread, breathing, they will all kill you. SO WILL THE SMOKE FROM DOPE!! Cancer is always a chance, but you can also get that from the aforementioned. I found coils are an effective way to kill gnats, that's what I was trying to achieve. I don't stay in the room with them, and the amount of P.B. they release must be within approved limits, or they would not be on sale. Particulate matter equal to 75-130 cigs. That gives us a span of 55 cigs. Must be that leading scientist again, a clever bugger that one. If your extraction fans are working properly, I think it should negate the particulate matter, also a good foliar drenching will clear up that problem. I promote coils as a reasonable alternative to some of the things I have read in these pages, things that will cause you instant harm, hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids are just two that spring to mind, and I would like to know what was in the "over the counter" remedies, the shops sell. Just the fumes from these acids will do irreparable damage to your lungs, if you get a good dose. And the people asking didn't have the faintest idea about these chemicals, a good thing I did. Believe me, I know these chemicals well, from working on the boats, hydrofluoric acid has been banned, it is that dangerous. You do as you see fit, but I'm going to keep using coils and will pass the info on, to others who ask. I most definitely am not about to see anyone cause harm to themselves, and I am certainly not about to cause intentional harm to anyone. Just remember, everything has a risk, everything, weigh up your options, use some common sense and take the path that is appropriate for you, simple. :guitar:

[Samurai]

common sence aint that common apparently...

 

if you wanna do it norm go ahead ...pass it on to someone as a safe way to get rid of gnats...then thats a shit go...

 

how about ...dont bring them in with you in the first place..

how about... letting your pots dry out before watering again

how about...yellow sticky traps..(cheap way.(can use lots milk lids with double)

how about...layer clay balls top and bottom of pots..

where i live there are a lot of gnats ..and mites......i do get them ...but i spend more time without them, useing these simple methods and good clean practice....

all of these suggestions ARE a safe method...and can get for reasonable price

And fly spray ...what were you thinking...

Call me a flat earther if thats what you call anyone that dosnt agree with your ideas,...I try different ideas all the time...But really come on norm ....mozzie coils?? all the best HM

[The Claw]

Sorry Normy, but I couldn't see mozzie coils working in my room, with the extraction system the air is changed very rapidly, the smoke would be sucked straight out. I tried one but you could not smell it.

[Auntynorm]

G'day Troops.

 

G'day Hydge.

 

I will attempt to address your points.

 

Firstly, I did bring the gnats in with some soil, my blue, I did let them dry as completely as soil will allow, I used fly strips, probably the same as the yellow pads, I'd say, but they stick to everything, when your fans are running hard, I didn't have any clay balls, fly spray was used as an attempt to kill the gnats, but I quickly gave that the flick as it slightly burnt the plant, also you must remember this was my first indoor, and I was learning as I went along. It's a bit hard to keep a room spotless, when you have a dirt floor to contend with, I did my best. All this is being addressed right at this moment, if you look at my thread, you will see the concrete slab for the new room is under way. The concrete arrives soon, it's ordered. I should have this new, purpose built area finished in about 3 weeks, I just have to wait for my new, free shed. By the way the age of the plants when I did this treatment, only needed to do it once, was 6 weeks. They didn't suffer, far from it, I think the elevated Co2 levels did wonders.

 

Now as regards the main grist of this whole thread, mozzie coils. I've found them to work, well. Rev said there was a statement on the pack that says to be used outdoors only. Well I used them, all different brands, for over 30 years up north, and I can't, for the life of me, remember seeing this written on any of the packs/tins of coils I bought. You would think it would have registered, at least once, in all that time. I used them indoors almost every night, otherwise you would have woken up anaemic. Most of the houses/flats I lived in were, by necessity of my work, near rivers, lagoons, swamps, mud flats. Some of the mozzies could kick their way in through a fly wire screen, then bleed you out, Nth Qld Mozzies, big buggers. Anyway, I'm going to keep on using them, you do what's right for you. That's one of the great things about this site, the ideas being put forward continually, healthy.

 

G'day Vrod.

 

What sort of monster extraction system are you using? A 1 metre fan and 3 phase motor? A reject from a wind tunnel? I'm using a 300mm ceiling fan for extraction, and thought that kicked arse, in my small tent. The new room is even a bit smaller, but I will stick with it.

 

:guitar:

[El Gato]

I love the smell of mozzie coils. I hail from central QLD and I know mozzies and sandflys. I've had many nites sleeping with one of them close by.

 

My kids are CRAZY though, like heaps. (one of which has her second birthday tomorrow)

[The Hash Nibbler]

For your own safety and health Norm and for ya dogs sake , listen to common sense, please......

 

http://www.toxicsinf...Pyrethroids.htm

 

If ya read that and ya still want to use em, the sprays or the coils then you know the risks.

Surely ya health worth more than about $25 for a good control for ya pests in ya garden, one that is designed for the application you want and has been trialled for that application. I'm on a pension too mate, so I know what it's like to struggle sometimes and frequently eat one meal a day to get by if needed.

I also found a horror story about a woman who ended up in a wheelchair with all sorts of health problems, but source was not what I would call a reliable source.

You can think of me what ya will, but at the end of the day all I care about is that people grow safe, in their growing and through what they ingest from the enviroment and end product. Peace. gh72

Edited August 9, 2011 by Grasshopper72