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Reduce the spread of mosquitoes
06/25/2011 |
Lately, the news has been focused on the Arizona wildfire, but just before that, can you remember all the flooding that was occurring from the Dakotas to the East Coast and down to the Gulf Coast? Many areas are still flooded and heavy rains have still been occurring. This will lead to the next natural phenomenon, mosquitoes. Of course, mosquitoes occur every summer, and there are some things you can do about them.
There are about 200 species of mosquitoes in North America. The biggest problem is not that they are annoying. But they can transmit many deadly viral diseases and parasites to people, pets and livestock. There have been great strides in reducing some diseases, such as malaria. Other ones, like the West Nile virus have moved from Africa to the United States. Mosquitoes also transmit several varieties of encephalitis and the nematode, which gives heartworms to dogs.
Mosquitoes can be grouped by how and where they lay their eggs. Floodwater mosquitoes lay their eggs on low-lying dry ground that is later flooded. High water levels may cause enough flooding for several years of eggs to hatch all at once. Under summer temperatures, the adults will emerge about two weeks after the initial heavy rains or flooding. And then they can be a nuisance for two weeks. Some of these mosquitoes will fly more than 10 miles from flooded areas, maybe farther with strong winds.
Container-breeding mosquitoes lay their eggs in stagnant water in tree holes, clogged gutters or anything else that will hold water. Eggs are laid on or near the water surface and hatch within a few days. A couple hundred of them together look like a quarter-inch spec of dust floating on the water.
The adults hatch from a pupa stage that lasts one to four days. They live a week or two. The male mosquito drinks nectar from flowers and does not bother people. The female must drink some blood before she can produce any eggs. Some species prefer mammals and some prefer birds, but they will take what comes their way. Most species prefer feeding in low-light levels at night, late evening, early morning or in the shade.
Controlling mosquitoes must begin with making sure they don't hatch in the first place. Do you or any of your neighbors have any of the following potential mosquito nurseries? Old tires, buckets, swimming pool (even a tiny one), rain gutter, flat roof, leaking faucet, air conditioner unit puddle, birdbath, fountain, pond with no fish, puddles, tree holes, low area flooded by sump pump water or septic tank, animal water bowls, irrigation water that puddles, flowerpots with saucers, or any other thing left out that collects water.
The easy way to fix the problem is to drain every one of these locations at least weekly. Any puddle that lasts more than four days could produce mosquitoes.
In locations that cannot be drained, the best step is to kill them at the larval stage. A safe, nontoxic way to control mosquitoes is to use a product containing a biological larvicide called BTI. (Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis). There are several brands that use BTI, and some of them have a slow release method of dispersal. From Summit, Mosquito Dunks have been around the longest, and I have found they work very well. They look like small compressed sawdust donuts that float on water; they kill mosquito larvae before they become flying, biting, disease-spreading adults.
Mosquito larvae ingest the bacteria as they feed and then get sick and die. The bacteria do not affect fish, mammals, birds or bees. Some other varieties of BTI do affect caterpillars of moths and butterflies.
Treating for the larval stage is the most effective way to control mosquitoes. Adult insecticide sprays may look good to the onlooker, but they are not as effective at controlling mosquitoes.
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