Homeowner Mosquito Tips

With the first appearance of West Nile Virus for the year in Montgomery County, there's been lots of buzz about mosquito control and prevention. Nobody likes mosquitoes, but many homeowners are still on the fence about starting a mosquito control program through a professional company. For those of you who aren't quite ready to jump up to a monthly mosquito program, I wanted to take the time and organize a checklist that can help identify and cut back on mosquito breeding areas in your yard to help curb the spread of mosquito-borne illnesses like West Nile, Zika, Chikungunya, and for our four-legged family members, Heartworm. The first and most important this you can do to protect yourself and your family from mosquitoes is also the simplest. Wear DEET or other proven repellents when you go outdoors. A common misconception is that mosquitoes only feed at night. We have over 80 species of mosquito in Texas, with enough species in our area to result in feeding mosquitoes at all hours of the day. Take a few minutes each day to check your yard for stagnant water. This is something I see frequently, and sometimes even weeks after the last rain has come through. Not all water is as obvious as the puddles that form in your backyard, water often sits stagnant in french drains, in clogged gutters, unused flowerpots, children's toys, and many othe natural and man-made containers. While it is almost impossible to treat all of these areas without a system like the In2Care trap, reduction of suitable habitat will still lead to a reduction in mosquitoes. It isn't enough to just pour out water, for lasting solutions you need to work to prevent the conditions that lead to pooling water in the first place, which sometimes means climbing up to the gutter and scooping out all those pine needles.

Larvicide long-term water. Bt, while not a complete solution for mosquitoes, is readily available to the public and helps kill off any mosquito larvae which are still feeding before their pupal stage. Applying Bt to long-term water sources like ponds in your backyard can reduce the number of larvae that reach the flying, and biting, adult mosquito stage. These steps are easy to take for any homeowner, and while they won't completely eliminate mosquito populations, they can lead to a reduction over time with the number of mosquitoes in your yard. For those who aren't ready to move to a more complete and professional mosquito service, this strategy is a great place to start. For homeowners whose homes back up to greenbelts or have neighbors unwilling to do their part in the battle against mosquitoes, self-disseminating systems like the In2Care trap are a great solution to cut back on the pesky bloodsuckers in our area.

For more info or extra tips call (281)607-0297 or email info@entosmart.com