TMD Sept. 24

What can I do about mosquitos?

Mosquitos can be a big problem in our area throughout most of the year.  Some can even carry disease like malaria, St. Louis Encephalitis and now the West Nile Virus(although the last two are very rare in our area).  The good news is there are ways to keep them down to a tolerable level.  The following is a list of preventative measures you can take to keep mosquito numbers down:

Empty everything around the area that will hold water.  This can include buckets, old tires, plastic tarps, toys and even tree stumps.

In areas that need to have water, change it every 4-6 days.

Trim tall grasses around your home and trim and clean up shrubs around the place.

For water troughs that livestock use, put a few goldfish in the bottom to keep the larvae under control.

Check rain gutters for clogs.

Fill in low areas around the house that could hold water.

Other places like rain barrels or bird baths can be a good place to put a product called Mosquito Dunks.  This spool will last for 30 days releasing a biological control that the larvae will feed off of.

Use citronella candles or coils to deter mosquitos when outside

For areas that mosquitos remain a problem and nothing else seems to work, try spraying the yard with malathion.  Also spray surrounding bushes and tall grasses.

Here is a little trivial information for you:

There are over 2500 species of mosquitos in the world, nearly 200 species in the United States and there are 45-50 species in our area.

Female mosquitos are the only ones that bite us

Mosquito eggs can lie dormant for up to 5 years waiting for water.

The female can lay up to 200 eggs at one time

All mosquitos must have water to complete their life cycle

My quote of the week comes from Margaret Thatcher.  It reads, "Being powerful is like being a lady.  If you have to tell people you are, you aren't."