Time to start the war on Mosquitoes!

Time to start the war on Mosquitoes!

Once mosquitoes have reached the final stage of their 4 cycle life they are very difficult to control.  In the battle against mosquitoes, the best defense  is a good offense.

Winter is winding down and it’s been a wonderfully wet one. This is the time of year to inspect your home and property for potential mosquito breeding sites.

As homeowners, the best chance we have at eliminating or at least lessening the number of mosquitoes we experience in the warmer weather is by destroying their breeding sites.  Adult mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water.  This is where the larvae grow, turn into a pupa and then into an adult.

Some Adult mosquitoes stay near their breeding sites. Others can travel long distances, even up to several miles. We can’t control other peoples properties but we can do our  best to control our own by removing any potential breeding sites.

Some are more obvious then others,  such as swimming pools, bird baths or clogged rain gutters. Less obvious places could be an uprooted tree that has collected rain water or a ditch that has gone unnoticed.

Make sure to dispose of old tires, plastic sheeting, trash cans, boats, wheel barrows and flower pot bottoms. The easiest way to stop these items  from collecting water is to turn them upside down when you are not using them.

Remove standing water on flat roofs, repair leaking faucets and air conditioners that produce puddles.

Ornamental pools can be aerated or stocked with mosquito-eating fish. Water movement helps because mosquitoes prefer quiet, non-flowing water for egg-laying.

We can fill or drain ditches and swampy areas and fill tree holes and stumps with mortar or sealant to prevent accumulation of water.  It is important to eliminate standing water and seepage around animal watering troughs, cisterns, and septic tanks. Also, be careful not to over water lawns and gardens to prevent water from standing. Mosquitoes can go through their life cycle in 10-14 days depending on how warm the weather is.

You know what Ben Franklin used to say; “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”   Happy hunting!