Archive

Archive for the ‘Mosquito Control’ Category

Mosquito Traps Form Part Of An Effective Mosquito Control Program

March 31st, 2010 No comments

Not every kind of mosquito carries every kind of disease, however a single bite from the right mosquito at the right time, and you’re infected.  Prevention…the best protection!  Because according to University of Florida entomologist Jerry Butler, “By reducing the feeding rates just a little, you reduce the probability of transmission of diseases greatly“. 

Mosquitoes love to feed on humans, and selecting their next meal is relatively easy for these high tech hunters with compound eyes capable of spotting the slightest movements and receptors so sensitive, they can detect the smell of CO2 in a person’s breath from as far away as 400 meters.  Lucky for us, those same abilities also tend to lead them straight into mosquito traps.

However any effective mosquito control program should first start with a thorough inspection of the potential battlefield; your yard!   Check for and eliminate any standing water anywhere, in both the obvious and not so obvious places.

1. Eliminate Breeding Sites
If it can hold water for more than a few days, it can breed mosquitoes, and female mosquitoes can lay their eggs in as little as an inch of water. Just one mosquito can produce 1,200 young and a five-gallon bucket of water has the potential to produce enough mosquitoes to invade an entire city block in a residential community.

  • Toys – Make sure the kids pick up after themselves, rain will fill toy trucks, teacup sets, even frisbees left lying in the grass. The same for old-fashioned tire swings, which collect stagnating rainwater, or any old tire left laying in the yard.
  • Tarps – Any kind of plastic or nylon cover, whether it is draped over a stack of firewood or a boat, will eventually begin to sag and develop pockets where water can collect. Tighten them where you can and check them frequently.
  • Yard equipment – An upright wheelbarrow, an empty flowerpot, even an abandoned shovel or spade can hold water long enough to develop mosquito larvae. Store equipment inside, or turn it over so that rain will run off.
  • Birdbaths and paddling pools – Take a hose to the birdbath at least once a week during warm weather to keep the water from stagnating. Turn the kids’ pool over and stand it up against a wall when they aren’t using it. If you have a swimming pool, make sure you clean and service it regularly.
  • Puddles – If you have low spots in the yard where water gathers and is slow to drain and  the water stands for more than a week at a time, you’ll get mosquitoes.  Fill in the spots, install drainage pipes, or change the landscaping to keep the water away.
  • Rain gutters – Water can back up and become stagnant when the gutters get clogged with debris.  Check the gutters regularly, especially after heavy leaf fall. Also, keep the yard raked. Overturned leaves hold water, and mosquitoes love to breed in them as well.

During the day mosquitoes like to rest in warm, moist vegetation so make sure you keep the grass mown and the bushes trimmed.

2. Personal Protection
When you do go outside, try to keep as much of your skin covered as possible by wearing long sleeves and long pants.  Avoid dark or bright colors that will attract the Read more…

Tiger Takes a Beating

November 29th, 2009 No comments

MegaCatch 3000 rev1.2The Mega-Catch™ 3000 combo lure has been developed to provide even better capture rates of targeted species like the Asian Tiger, a vicious day-time biter, and recognized laboratory vector of over 30 arboviruses including West Nile virus and Dengue fever.

Testimonial
Just wanted to update you; the Mega-Catch™ 3000 seemed to get about 50% more than with no lure.  Thanks for all your help & this ultra mosquito catcher is the BEST – it works REALLY well…thanks again”.
Ron Jones,
SC. USA.

University of Florida mosquito researchers are watching with a wary eye as dengue makes a return to the state after more than 50 years. Twenty cases of locally transmitted dengue have already been confirmed in Key West.  And Monroe County officials have issued a health alert and launched an education campaign urging residents to eliminate water sources in and around their homes where mosquitoes can breed.

 The last big dengue epidemic in Florida in 1934 left more than 25,000 Floridians ill, which is why health officials are currently urging residents to take appropriate precautions now. 

Read more about home  mosquito control and how to get  rid of those possible breeding sites to avoid a yard full of biting insects and reduce the risk from the diseases they carry.

Mosquito Bites 101 – Prevention and Treatment

November 18th, 2009 No comments

Find out how to treat the bite as well as what  to do to reduce the number of biting incidences and the risk of mosquito-borne diseases for you and your family.

Mosquito-Bites-101-Web

PREVENTION:

Start by devising an effective DIY mosquito control program which incorporates a proven trapping system to reduce mosquito numbers, personal protection in the form of repellents, and a proactive approach to reducing and eliminating mosquito breeding sites around your property.

Elimination
The first step in reducing mosquitoes on your property is to identify and eliminate all sources of standing water including low spots, ditches, and gutters. 

Mosquitoes will breed in anything that holds water, including many everyday items such as a child’s toy, plant saucers, buckets, garbage can lids and pet food dishes.  All easily overlooked items!  

During the day, mosquitoes love to rest in tall grass or amongst shrubs in a moist, shady spot. Keeping the grass short and bushes trimmed deprives them of a resting place. Rake up any fallen leaves as well.   An overturned leaf can hold enough water for a mosquito’s eggs, as well as give them a place to wait out the day.

Trapping
Let science help solve your mosquito problems.  Today’s mosquito traps are smaller, more effective and surprisingly affordable!  A consumer favorite, the Mega Catch™ Ultra has outperformed many competing traps in independent tests, thanks to its unique, propane-free, CO2 system.   Combining proven mosquito-attracting science in a simple to operate, user friendly design the Ultra gives coverage of up to 1.5 acres and is designed to operate with or without Mega-Catch’s™ patented ‘Variable Quantity Slow CO2 Gas Release System’. 

The optional CO2 system has been designed to enhance trap performance by increasing the range and capture rates (by as much as 300-400%) of a wider variety of mosquito species and other biting insects.
                    
Repellents
Bear in mind that repellents do not protect all users equally. The effectiveness of a repellent depends on the mosquito species that is biting as well as the age, sex, level of activity, and attractiveness (to mosquitoes that is) of the human using the repellent.

In general, mosquito repellents work by masking the chemical cues that invite mosquitoes to dine.  Read more…

Categories: Mosquito Control

Winter DIY Mosquito Control

October 27th, 2009 No comments

Q.  If they don’t fly south for the winter, where do mosquitoes go?

swarm of mosquitoesA. Mosquitoes, like all insects, are cold-blooded creatures. As a result, they are incapable of regulating body heat and their temperature is dependent upon their surroundings. Mosquitoes are known to function best at 80o F, become lethargic at 60o F and cannot  function below 50o F.  Not all mosquitoes die from the cold and over-winter in various guises: 

  • Some species of mosquitoes overwinter as adult females in a state of diapause (a hibernation-like state of arrested development), hiding out in barns, tree holes, basements, attics, etc. anywhere they can get out of the wind. 
    Typically, the female mosquito mates before the onset of winter, refusing to take a blood meal, instead feeding only on sugar.  Their ovaries stop working, so their eggs will not mature.  And they store plenty of fat to sustain them over winter. In spring when the temperatures rise, the female emerges from hibernation, seeks out a blood meal and lays the eggs that produce the next generation of adults.
  • Certain mosquito species lay winter hardy eggs able to survive extreme weather, such as cold, ice, and drought.  Typically in late summer or fall, the female lays her eggs in areas where the ground is moist.  In spring, when temperatures begin to rise and moisture is produced by spring rains and melting snow and ice, these eggs will hatch, progressing through larval, pupal, and finally adult stages to begin the cycle all over again.
  • And other species of mosquitoes can survive winter in the larval stage.  All mosquito larvae require water, even in winter.  As the water temperature drops, it induces a state of diapause in the mosquito larvae. Development only resumes when the water warms up again.

Winter Mosquito Control
Winter is a great time to institute some DIY home mosquito control.  We all know mosquitoes need still, stagnant water to breed.   Read more…

The Cat N the Mosquito Trap

October 21st, 2009 No comments

Kitten-and-trap
Mosquitoes love your family and your pets
.  In addition to being a nuisance, mosquitoes are known to transmit diseases such as West Nile virus and Heartworm in cats and dogs.

The FDA has traditionally advised keeping your pet indoors around dawn and dusk, because that’s when many mosquito species feed. However that advice is no longer enough to protect your pet. The Asian Tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is an aggressive daytime biter and it carries both West Nile virus and heartworm parasites.  So each time your pet is outside in mosquito territory, it is a sitting target for hungry female mosquitoes seeking a blood meal. 

West Nile virus along with the age-old, ever adaptable mosquito, is probably here to stay so ongoing precautions are essential.  The same thing that protects you against mosquito diseases also protects your pets. Prevention! 

  • Eliminate breeding sites
  • Use mosquito repellents, and
  • Decrease exposure

Eliminate Breeding Sites
Change the water in birdbaths and paddling pools weekly and clean debris from rain gutters.  Eliminating standing water and long grasses will also help create an inhospitable environment for mosquitoes, encouraging them to go elsewhere

Repellents for Pets
There are a number of mosquito repellents available for pets, however as no repellent is 100% effective, heartworm preventatives should still be used.  When choosing a mosquito repellent for your cat or dog, bear in mind that certain chemicals may be harmful or even fatal to your pets.  Human repellents containing DEET have been known to poison cats and should never be used on them. Read more…

Mosquito Control 101: Don’t be a mosquito attractant this summer

June 29th, 2009 No comments

Ants at a picnic? They just want everything on the menu. For mosquitoes, you are the menu.  And if skeeters have a favorite time of the year, it’s summer break, all those bare arms and legs slowly marinating in suntan oil. Let the ants have the potato salad; the mosquitoes want sushi!

Mosquitoes use their antenna to seek out hot targets putting out carbon dioxide (CO2) the stuff we exhale.  If you’re huffing and puffing around the back yard, playing with the kids or flipping burgers on the grill, you’re especially appealing.  So if you want off the mosquito radar, hold your breath or find them a meal replacement – more on that later!

Read more…

Categories: Mosquito Control