Community Mosquito Control
While this article is mostly about the many options available to homeowners, mosquitoes are best dealt with at the community level. Here are some important factors that are common to successful mosquito control programs:
Source Control: Mosquitoes are targeted at their breeding sites in the water as pupae and larvae. It's far more effective and cost efficient than carpet bombing communities with mosquito pesticides.
Field Research: It's important to identify what species of mosquito you're dealing with (some don't suck blood, some eat mosquitoes), as well as where they are breeding. Once control measures are implemented, mosquito counts will need to be conducted in order to record progress and setbacks.
Experts: When mosquito populations surge, there may be more at work than bugs having sex. Experts see variables, weigh costs with benefits, and seek out an integrated pest control approach that won't harm ecosystems.
Education: Community members should be responsible for reducing mosquito habitats on their own properties. Educating people about the mosquitoes and mosquito control will also reduce the likelihood that they'll endure the spray-and-pray tactics that so often fail.
Organization: Someone needs to be in charge. Information needs to be disseminated so that community members are informed and engaged. Volunteers are often needed for mosquito counts and other tasks.
We pretend that it's easy. We buy bug bombs, yard sprays, sound devices, candles, bug zappers and other false mosquito control products that work as well as bribing the gods with animal sacrifice.
The truth is that pest control is never simple, and mosquito control is especially challenging. It requires knowledge of the insect – its life cycle, behaviors, and breeding. It requires research-based methods, not gimmicks that prey on our desire for a magic bullet. This article outlines practical, least-toxic mosquito control strategies that have been proven to work for individual home owners and communities alike.
Mosquito Control that Works
Get rid of standing water. Almost all types of mosquitoes need slow-moving or standing water to reproduce. Even tiny pools - such as those found in used tires - can produce swarms. Clogged rain gutters, storm drains, wheelbarrows,e best alternative to DEET. Unlike DEET, picaradin doesn't reek and is easier on synthetic fabrics.
Use bug lights to avoid attracting swarms of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are attracted to light, but not all light. Yellow bug lights, LED lights, and sodium vapor lamps produce light at a frequency the mosquitoes cannot see. So here is a simple mosquito control solution: replace traditional bulbs near decks, doors, porches, garages, and anywhere you'd like fewer mosquitoes.
Keep mosquitoes out with netting and barriers. If your home is under attack, check all doors, screens, vents, and incoming utilities for gaps. Repair screens with screen patches or clear silicone caulk. Install screens to any insecure vents. Use weather stripping and caulk to fill in holes around doors, windows, and utilities. If mosquito-proofing your home will take awhile, know that mosquito netting can be used for beds, kennels, baby cribs, and well…pretty much anything. If you're concerned with backyard mosquito control, save the money you were going to use on worthless mosquito yard sprays and buy a party tent with a bug screen.
Change your own behavior to avoid mosquitoes. Generally, mosquitoes are at their worst at dawn, dusk, and – to a lesser degree – during darkness. Avoid going out at these times. Or, if you must, at least be prepared for mosquitoes. Know that many breeds of mosquito are particularly fond of blue, black, and red. Wear thick, bite-proof layers and apply DEET.
Trim your lawn, shrubs, and trees regularly. Mosquitoes seek out long grasses and shrubs for the protection, shade, and moisture they provide. Do some yard work (or landscaping) with mosquito control in mind. You want less shade and moisture, more sunlight and air flow. Your property will become an inconvenient roost for mosquitoes and your neighbors will finally see you for the upstanding, responsible citizen you are.
Use the best mosquito repellent: DEET. According to field and lab tests conducted by the CDC and EPA, DEET is the most effective, longest-lasting mosquito repellent. It's not a poison; rather, DEET confuses mosquitoes and other biting insects so they cannot land for a meal. If you think DEET is icky, there are a few alternatives. Picaradin – found in Repel, Sawyer, and Avon Skin So Soft Bug Guard – offers long-lasting protection against most mosquito species and is probably th disease, drain livestock, and generally bother everyone. But relatively few of the 3,000 mosquito species are vectors for disease, and unless a deadly outbreak occurs, we should endure these pests.
Mosquito Control Products That Fail
Bug Zappers. They'll kill pretty butterflies and insects that eat mosquitoes. They'll also attract hordes of biting insects (including mosquitoes) to your property and you.
Mosquito-control systems that use lights, sounds, or smells. While such mosquito-control devices are getting more sophisticated, there is still little evidence to warrant their use. Devices that emit "mosquito-repelling frequencies" are pure rip-off bunk science. Devices that use light and odors may lure mosquitoes away from your juicy arm, but they may also lure swarms from surrounding properties to you.
Mosquito misting, mosquito foggers, bug bombs, and yard sprays. You might as well try subduing a snowstorm with fuzzy handcuffs. The only chemical beyond DEET that I would use is permethrin 5%, which is applied to tents, clothing, and other items as a repellent.
Citronella Candles. Regular candles – which also produce heat, moisture, and carbon dioxide – will work just as well. But really, no candle will offer much protection from the mosquito horde.
Why We Need Some Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes play a vital role in ecosystems and are particularly crucial to aquatic food chains where the immature larvae and pupae feed small fish, insects, and other organisms. Mosquitoes also do a great deal of pollinating. Yes, mosquitoes can spread holes in trees, bird baths, watering cans, low spots, leaky outdoor faucets or air conditioners, boats, street gutters – all can produce mosquitoes. Either drain these pools or treat them with Bti (featured right) products. Some species will journey long distances for your blood, but most of the ones bothering you on your property undoubtedly hatched on your property.
Natural Mosquito Control Products
Bti products. Bti is used in pools, ponds, or water sources that can't be drained. The Bti bacteria produce protein crystals that mosquito larvae gobble up. Later, they will suffer discomfort (hopefully) and death (documented). Bti - sold in donut, pellet, powder, and liquid form - will not harm fish, plants, people, or anything but mosquito and black fly larvae.
Mosquito repellent clothes. Outdoors and sporting goods stores will have clothing specifically designed to deny mosquitoes and other biting insects. Some will be impregnated with mosquito repellents. Others, like "The Original Bug Shirt", come with hoods and netting to keep bugs from biting your face and neck. Of course, a nice thick sweatshirt will shield you from even the most bloodthirsty mosquito.
Natural Mosquito repellents. Oil of lemon eucalyptus is the only natural mosquito repellent approved by the CDC. In tests, it compares favorably to strong concentrations of DEET, though it doesn't have as much staying power so you'll need to reapply more often. Keen to the demand for less-toxic products, most repellent brands produce a line of oil of lemon eucalyptus mosquito repellents. Repel and Cutter are two prominent brands.
A big fan. Mosquitoes are weak flyers that seek shelter in even a modest breeze. But the gods don't provide wind every day. On those days, try using a few well-placed fans on a deck, porch, or any small space you're trying to enjoy.