With spring and early summer
rains hopefully coming our way soon and both large field and small flowerbed
irrigations firing up, controlling mosquitoes and the threat of disease
transmission that they bring is something worth taking a close look at for all
of us. From an integrated approach,
mosquitoes are no different from any other targeted pest causing problems. We need to try and implement as many varying
and uniquely different control measures as we can to affectively control our
enemy-pests so that they do not become a serious problem.
For mosquitoes,
many of the control measures I will be recommending are preventative in nature
and should lower the overall mosquito population in your area and lessen our
dependence upon chemical control alone.
We must have a plan in place to control mosquitoes before they try to ‘carry us off’ from our backyard activities or
we hear reports about the alarming numbers of West Nile cases in our area
hospitals. Preventative control measures
do require a proactive effort. None of
these mosquito IPM strategies I will be sharing are very time consuming, nor do
they cost a tremendous amount to implement and I feel that you might be
pleasantly surprised by the results.
Understanding
our enemy is the first step toward sound IPM.
There are multiple and numerous species of mosquitoes that haunt our
area. All of these species of mosquitoes
require water to complete their life cycle.
The aquatic larval life stage of mosquitoes are referred to as
wigglers. These wigglers are
harmless. In most aquatic ecosystems,
wigglers form the base of the food chain.
Even most adult mosquitoes pose no threat to humans. It is only the female mosquito that parasitically
feeds on blood, and she only does that when she is ready to lay her eggs. These females utilize blood for a protein
boost to both give them the energy for the monumental process of laying
possibly hundreds of viable eggs. When
these female mosquitoes are ready for a blood-meal, they become almost super
parasites with some truly amazing abilities to seek out and successfully feast
upon unsuspecting victims.
These facts
usually set people to thinking about just how many mosquitoes there really are
around us all spring and summer. It can
be staggering to think just how bad mosquitoes would be if they were full time
parasites. That fact set aside,
hopefully we can make note of some weaknesses in the mosquitoes’ life cycle
that we can attack.
Mosquitoes must
have water to complete their life cycle.
My first recommendation for lowering the mosquito population in your
area is to deny them that water. That is
easier said than done. Even in the midst
of the current drought, we have not been mosquito free. That is because mosquitoes do not require
very much water. In fact, some of our
most dangerous disease vectoring mosquito species can complete their wiggler
larval stage and be ready for adulthood in as little as a cup of water and in about
five days, temperature depending. That
ability makes completely denying mosquitoes access to water impossible. However, with vigilance we can significantly
lower the mosquito population through limiting the availability of that standing
water.
We
can limit that water by doing a few little things. Mosquitoes can easily reproduce in things we
often overlook. A child’s toy left
unattended in the back yard that catches rain or yard sprinkler water, a pet’s
outdoor drinking bowl, livestock tanks, uncovered rain collection barrels, or
that water holding pothole in the back alley are all viable examples of places
that mosquitoes will choose to lay eggs and successfully reproduce. In every one of these examples, we can limit
mosquito reproduction. The child’s toy
can be picked up or water emptied, the pet’s drinking water can be changed
every four days, livestock tanks can be stocked with predatory fish, rainwater
collection barrels can be made air tight, and potholes can be filled or
drained.
Another
opportunity to lessen the mosquito population occurs when they are young
adults. Young adult mosquitoes do
breathe air, but remain partial to cool, damp, and shady areas. Locations like tall grass, weedy patches, or
horticulture features that include tall plants are all prime haunts for
mosquito hideouts. By keeping the grass
and weeds mowed or controlled near your house or barns should seriously limit
mosquito’s access to your family and livestock.
A nifty horticulture feature in your yard that involves tall, shade
offering plants can be treated with insecticides to kill mosquitoes before they
move to attack. Often cities,
communities, and owners of county homes proactively treat large areas for
mosquitoes. The product Malathion is
commonly used for this purpose. While
Malathion is proven to be predictably safe to humans and the environment it
should be handled with respect and with adherence to safely. If this is an option for you to treat an area
for yourself, please follow the label.
Finally
we come to dealing with the female mosquitoes that are actively seeking a
blood-meal. You might have heard of some
of these before but they still make good sense.
When venturing out doors, always wear a proven form of mosquito
repellent. Products containing the
active ingredient DEET are all proven to repel mosquitoes. Picaridin is a newer, differing active
ingredient and shows some real potential as a mosquito repellent.
There are
several ways to limit our exposure to mosquitoes. Mosquitoes prefer to remain inactive during
hotter hours of the day. For this reason
we could avoid going outside during dawn, dusk, or night time hours during
mosquito season if possible. Wearing
long sleeve shirts and pants when venturing into mosquito habitats can also
prevent some mosquito bites. Making use
of light traps or bug zappers, sticky traps, etc. will also nab several
mosquitoes before they are able to find a blood-meal.
Hopefully we have
shared some ideas with you that will keep those mosquitoes at bay this summer
for our community and families. Please
call or come by my office if I can help in any way. Good luck,
Blayne
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