Win The War Against Mosquitoes.
Summer has returned to North America. Flowers are blooming; temperatures are climbing; days are lengthening, and bugs are breeding in most parts of the United States. While not all insects are harmful (honeybees, anyone?), many are pests that can bite, ruin plants and crops, or carry disease. For most people, the mosquito is the all-star summer pest: a nighttime bloodsucker that can ruin your camping trip or backyard barbeque. Here are some quick tips for protecting yourself and your family from mosquitoes and their bites.
1. Get Rid of Standing Water
If you don’t want mosquitoes to live on your property, don’t make space for them to breed on your property. This means eliminating any sources of standing water, such as bird baths, garbage cans, flower pots, wading pools, watering cans, etc. Mosquitoes will mate and lay eggs around water sources, meaning you will have to deal with legions of young blood-suckers once the eggs hatch. If you purposely collect water for gardening purposes or have a pond on your property, you can purchase “floats” or “dunks” that release bacteria into the water. The bacteria kill the mosquito eggs and often black fly larvae as well. You won’t want to use these products in any water you plan to drink. Note: Most chlorine-treated swimming pools are inhospitable to mosquitoes. Ensure you keep the chlorine and other chemicals at appropriate levels to discourage them from breeding.
2. Screen Them Out
Mosquitoes don’t generally live or breed inside a house. Still, they will invade to find their favorite food: your blood. So it’s worth it to make sure you have barriers in place. Properly maintained window screens and screen doors go a long way toward keeping mosquitoes out of your home. Check for holes in the screens and gaps between the screen and the window frame. Mosquito netting can also make a difference to your comfort at night. In developing countries, simply distributing mosquito nets and encouraging them to be put up around beds has slowed the spread of diseases like malaria and West Nile encephalitis. While these diseases are very rare in the US, it’s proven that the nets reduce the number of bites people receive while sleeping. This can be especially helpful if you have a baby or toddler in the house in the rare event that disease-carrying mosquitoes are in your area; babies and young children would be the hardest hit if a bite infected them.
3. Time Your Day Right
Mosquitoes are most active in the early morning and late evening during the cooler daylight hours. While this is inconvenient for morning exercisers and hosts of twilight garden parties, most people can plan picnics, weddings, and other summer outdoor events to avoid the mosquito rush hours. If you have to be outdoors, you can always use personal protection; wearing light, long-sleeved clothes and mosquito repellent lotions go a long way towards preventing bites. Suppose you’re wary of the ingredients in commercial repellents. In that case, there are natural alternatives, such as catnip oil; more unusual alternatives, such as rubbing dryer sheets all over yourself; and tiring alternatives – mosquitoes are less likely to hassle you if you’re active and sweating. If you’re dining, alfresco, citronella candles, incense, and (again) mosquito nets can help you avoid being pestered.
5. Secure The Perimeter
Sometimes your mosquito situation can be so dire that chemical warfare is justified. Backyard foggers and sprays are very effective at killing and repelling mosquitoes. Make sure you’ve taken steps to keep them from returning by breeding. Also, choose your sprays and foggers wisely: the ingredients in some pesticides are downright harmful to you and your family and to friendly bugs and animals in your yard and garden. Your neighbor’s cat and the ladybugs that keep your roses free from aphids don’t deserve collateral damage in your fight to be mosquito-free. Fortunately, the companies that make domestic pesticides have found safer ingredients for their potions in recent years-ingredients that don’t skimp on effectiveness. Black Flag, America’s oldest pesticide manufacturer, has a range of Backyard Foggers that minimize your yard’s exposure to harmful chemicals but show no mercy to mosquitoes. Their Mosquito Spray and Mist can also treat bushes, shrubs, tall grass, and other places mosquitos might nest. With these products, you can enjoy your summer – not spend it scratching bites.
