Call Us @ 248-631-6606 or 313-942-0789

OUCH! DARN MOSQUITOES! SPREADING WEST NILE DISEASE

Bit by a mosquito A mosquito is a blood-sucking fly. Only the female bites. She uses the blood to nourish her eggs, which she lays in standing water. She finds you by detecting the carbon dioxide you exhale. Then, when she gets close, she hones in on your body heat.

The first step in controlling mosquitoes is to dry out your yard. Did the dog lose his water dish in the shrubs? Is the kids’ Frisbee in there with it? Is the wagon stored in the garage or upside down behind it? How about the trashcan lids? Are they fitted tightly on the cans, or rolling around beside them? Any place that collects water can breed mosquitoes, including those spots in the lawn that stay wet. Make sure you change the water in your birdbath often.

Mosquitoes do not spend most of their time flying around looking for blood. They spend most of their time resting and hiding from predators. Reducing their resting areas will reduce their activity. Keeping your lawn mowed and your shrubs trimmed will help.

There are a number of pesticide techniques for controlling mosquitoes. Many municipalities treat their sewers, storm drains, and retention ponds with larvacides to control young mosquitoes. If you have a pond or water garden in your yard, treating it with larvacide would be a good idea. This is one of the reasons we chlorinate pools.

Fogging techniques use clouds of tiny droplets of pesticide to control mosquitoes flying through the air. Because there are many types of mosquitoes that are active at different times of day, fogging is most effective against the types of mosquitoes that were active when the fogging was performed. It is less effective against the mosquitoes that were resting during the fogging. Because of the expense, private property rights and liability issues, fogging is usually performed by or for municipalities. Although, some block clubs and neighborhoods contract such services as well.

The most practical approach for an individual homeowner to use in controlling mosquitoes with pesticide is to have resting areas (lawn, shrubbery, trees & foliage) treated. This will not be an effective long-term treatment. But it can make an outdoor wedding reception or graduation party much more pleasant.

Stevens Pest Control
248-631-6606
313-942-0789
E-mail: Rstevens150019mi@comcast.net