Don’t Let Mosquitoes Ruin the Remainder of Your Summer Nights!

Mosquitoes seem to be becoming more of an issue as of late.  Some entomologists believe, that as a result of global warming, diseases carried by insects will continue to increase.  It is believed that since the beginning of time – Mosquitoes are responsible for one half of all human deaths.  This is more than all other causes combined.  Even today, Malaria infects about 250 million people annually with more than a million cases resulting in death.  West Nile Virus outbreaks appear to be happening with more frequency and its spread is directly linked to mosquitoes.

Understanding basic mosquito biology and habits have led to new found successes in the area of mosquito control.  There are about 175 species found in the US.  They need water to breed and go from egg to adult in 5 – 14 days.   It does not need to be a great deal of water, – old tires, abandon buckets or bird feeders etc.   Females lay up to 300 eggs at a time and lay eggs three times during her life.  The mosquito life span is usually less than 2 months and males often only live 10 days or less.  Mosquitoes mainly feed on plant and fruit nectar, but the female needs protein from blood in order to develop and lay eggs.  Male mosquitoes do not bite people.  Most mosquitoes cannot fly very far (1-3 miles) nor very fast (1-1.5 mph) and as a result most mosquitoes will remain within a several hundred feet of their breeding ground and where they hatched.   Mosquitoes can generally detect a host from a distance of about 100 feet or less.    Mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide we exhale, lactic acid and octenol in our breath and sweat, and the heat and humidity that surrounds our bodies.  It is often preferred to wear lighter colored clothing due to the fact that they hold less heat than darker colored.

There are many control remedies for mosquitoes such as:  skin so soft, dryer sheets, vitamin B, candles, bug lights etc.  Most of these have either been proven ineffective to marginally effective by the CDC.

Mosquito control is effectively accomplished through a multistep process.  First, emptying any items that are holding water and applying a larvacide to any large body of standing water in which mosquitoes can breed and larvae survive.   Second, applying a liquid insecticide to the low shrub and grassy areas in which the mosquitoes might seek shelter from the heat of the day.  It is also important to provide this treatment during the heat of the day when most of the mosquitoes are resting.   Third, apply a mosquito treatment to the bottoms of the plant leaves that the mosquitoes feed on.  This three step process, when done properly by a trained exterminator, will provide excellent control around your home for several weeks.   The adults are killed where they rest and feed and the larvae are killed where they live.  Since mosquitoes will not generally travel more than a few hundred feet and can only detect a human from up to a hundred feet away, a proper application in and around a home’s landscape will be very effective.

Horne’s Pest Control offers this type of service.  It is generally about $250.00 and comes with a four month service period.  Generally re-applications will need to be performed every 4 to 6 weeks.  At the end of the initial service period, you have the option to extend it another two months for half price.   On another note,  we offer discount programs if you have services with us and you can also bundle it into a monthly billing program for even more cost savings.

Click here for WRDW story on winter weather’s affect on summer bug infestations.