The Recording Club · Alley gym · Oct 5, 2026 · v2

Stop the bites in the alley gym

Step 1 costs under $200 and starts today.

Dry up the water under the deck, put one of our fans outside, and trap the females before they lay eggs. No sprays on the yard.

🆕 What changed Oct 5 (v2)
  • Step 1 is now $155.08, under $200.
  • We use a fan we already own. No fans to buy.
  • The second trap set, the picaridin pump and the drip pump moved to Step 2, only if needed.

🦟 Why they bite here

  • Daytime ankle bitersLA County now has invasive Aedes mosquitoes: small, black and white, biting all day. fact · GLACVCD brochure
  • The drip is the top suspectThey breed in a bottle cap of water, egg to adult in about 7 days, and do not fly far. A steady drip under the deck fits that perfectly. fact · GLACVCD guide inference: under-deck breeding not yet seen
  • Wind beats themFan wind cut mosquito trap catches steadily as speed rose to 8 mph. fact · J Med Entomol 2003 Air blown over a repellent screen cut landings on a person by 75%. fact · J Med Entomol 2002
  • Gnats and flies come from the alleyDumpsters, drains and wet trash feed flies and drain gnats. Santa Monica already requires closed, solid trash lids and a weekly check. fact · SM ordinance 7.10.040

🛒 Step 1: buy this week

$155.08Step 1, before tax. One Home Depot run, one Biogents order, one Amazon order.

ItemTypeQtyEachTotalBuy
Summit Mosquito Dunks, 20-packFloating donut. Kills larvae in standing water 30 days. One treats 100 sq ft. BIOLOGICAL 1$24.97$24.97 Home Depot
Mosquito Bits, 30 ozSame bacteria as the Dunks, in granule form. Sprinkle on wet spots and drains. Also kills fungus gnat larvae. BIOLOGICAL 1$14.97$14.97 Home Depot
Everbilt clear vinyl tubing, 3/8 in. ID × 20 ftCarries the plunge drip downhill to a drain. Drip fix option 1. NON-TOXIC 1$12.58$12.58 Home Depot
Biogents BG-GAT trap, double setWater plus a sticky card. Catches egg-laying Aedes females. No power, no poison. One set = 2 traps. NON-TOXIC 1$80.00$80.00 Biogents
Repel lemon eucalyptus pump spray, 4 ozPlant-based skin repellent for the gym entrance. Up to 6 hours. PLANT-BASED 2$6.19$12.38 Home Depot
Catchmaster fly ribbons, 20-packSticky strips near the dumpsters and drains. Pesticide-free. NON-TOXIC 1$10.18$10.18 Amazon
Step 1 total$155.08
🌀 Fan: use one we already have
  • Carry a fan outside and aim it low across the workout area.
  • Run it whenever anyone trains.
  • Bring it in at night and when it rains, unless it is wet-rated.
  • Plug into the outdoor GFCI outlet.

Step 2, if needed

Buy only if people still get bitten after 2 weeks, or if the drip has no downhill path.

ItemTypeQtyEachTotalBuy
Second BG-GAT double setTwo more traps if bites continue after 2 weeks. 4 traps total. NON-TOXIC 1$80.00$80.00 Biogents
Sawyer 20% Picaridin lotion, 1-quart pumpGym dispenser. Unscented, non-greasy, no DEET. Up to 14 hours on mosquitoes. Also $56.00 at Walmart from a third-party seller (Oct 5). MILD 1$65.99$65.99 Amazon
Little Giant APCP-1700 pool cover pumpOnly if the drip has no downhill path. Outdoor, submersible, turns on by itself. Garden hose adapter included. Drip fix option 2. NON-TOXIC 1$147.95$147.95 Home Depot
Camco 30 × 32 in. drain panOnly if the tub itself leaks in several places. Stopgap for drip fix option 3. NON-TOXIC 1$34.80$34.80 Home Depot
Step 2 total, if needed$328.74
no chemical at all natural bacteria or plant oil mild synthetic, on skin only

Prices checked Oct 5, 2026 on the linked pages. Pay with the TRC card. Home Depot items can be picked up the same day. Both steps together: $483.82.

⚠️ Optional, mildly chemical: Greg's call
  • Thermacell E55 rechargeable repeller, $29.97 at Home Depot. Heats a pad that releases allethrin, a synthetic pyrethroid, in a 20 ft zone. No smell, works well in still air, weak in wind, so it fights the fans. MILD
  • Wondercide outdoor spray, 32 oz, $37.99 at Amazon. Cedarwood oil on a hose end. Kills and repels insects it hits for a few days, including ones you would rather keep. MILD
  • Neither is in Step 1 or Step 2. Start without them. Add one only if bites continue 2 weeks after the drip is fixed.

📅 The plan, by day

Day 1

💧 Kill the water

  1. Run the plunge. With a flashlight, find where the water leaves it: a drip tube, the overflow, or a leak in the tub.
  2. Run the tubing from the drip downhill to a drain: option 1. No downhill path, or the tub itself leaks? Text Greg; that part is Step 2.
  3. Never send plunge water into the alley or street drain.
  4. Rake or sweep standing water out from under the deck. Let it dry.
  5. Walk the whole alley. Dump, flip or toss buckets, saucers, tarps, cups, bins and anything holding water.
  6. Drop a Dunk in any spot that stays wet: under the deck, TRC catch basins, low corners. Break one into quarters for small puddles.
  7. Sprinkle Bits in drains and wet gravel you cannot dry.
  8. Text Greg a photo of the dry under-deck.
Day 2

🌬️ Air and traps

  1. Carry one of our fans outside. Aim it low across the workout area, shin to waist height. Plug into the outdoor GFCI outlet.
  2. Rule: fan on whenever anyone trains. Bring it in at night and when it rains, unless it is wet-rated.
  3. Set the 2 GAT traps at the edge, at ground level, in shade and out of the fan wind. Put one near the deck edge. Fill with water to the line per the insert.
  4. Hang fly ribbons by the dumpsters and drains, away from where people work out.
  5. Close every dumpster and bin lid.
Day 3

🧴 People

  1. Put both lemon eucalyptus sprays on a shelf at the gym entrance.
  2. Post the sign below at eye level by the sprays.
  3. Tell trainers: spray ankles, wrists and neck before outdoor sessions.
  4. Start the weekly checklist below.
  5. Day 14: still getting bitten? Text Greg and buy Step 2.
🪧 Sign text to print

Getting bitten?
Spray ankles, wrists, neck.
Fan stays on while you train.

✅ Weekly and monthly checklist

Every week

Every month

Checks save on this device only. Sticky card refills: 10 for $12.99 at Biogents.

🔧 Fix the drip under the deck

  1. BEST · STEP 1 · $12.58

    Tube it to a drain

    • Push the 3/8 in. tubing onto the drip outlet. Run it downhill to a sewer cleanout, a sink or floor drain, or a planting bed.
    • No dips in the line, or water sits in it.
    • Santa Monica rule: spa water goes to the sewer or soaks into the ground on site, never down the alley. city checklist
  2. STEP 2 · IF NO DOWNHILL PATH · $147.95

    Catch it and pump it

    • Set the pool cover pump in the low spot where the drip collects. It turns on by itself when water reaches it, at about 2 in. deep.
    • Screw a garden hose onto it and run the hose to the same drain as option 1.
    • Plug into an outdoor GFCI outlet with an in-use cover.
    • About 1.5 in. of water stays after each run. Drop a quarter Dunk in that spot and replace it monthly.
  3. STEP 2 · IF THE TUB ITSELF LEAKS · $34.80

    Fix the source

    • Level the plunge so the overflow is not tipping. Tighten fittings. Call the plunge maker if the shell leaks.
    • Until then, slide the drain pan under it with a quarter Dunk inside. Empty it weekly.
Side-view diagram: a plunge tub on the deck with a clear tube running from its drip outlet, downhill under the deck, to a sewer cleanout. A dashed line shows the backup route: a pool cover pump sitting in the low spot under the deck, with a garden hose to the same cleanout.
Schematic. Option 1, the Step 1 tubing, is the solid line. Option 2, the Step 2 pump, is the dashed line.

🚫 What not to do

Bug zappersUnder 1% of what they kill are biting insects. Mosquito bites stay the same. Iowa State
Barrier spray servicesPyrethroids on every surface. Sprayed yards held up to 34 times the dose that kills a honey bee. Anderson 2025
FoggersSame pyrethroid family. Drift lands on plants and gear people touch, and it does nothing to the larvae under the deck. Michigan State

☎️ Call Vector Control

(310) 915-7370
  • Santa Monica is covered by the Los Angeles County West Vector Control District, not the Greater LA district. fact · LA County
  • Ask for an inspection of the alley at 1660 9th Street for daytime biting mosquitoes. They check public drains TRC cannot treat.
  • Public agency. Their site lists no fee. no cost confirmed on the phone yet

📝 Online service request