How to Get Rid of Annoying Mosquitoes
Quick Facts
Problem/Diagnosis
Each summer, mosquitoes descend on your backyard. Having your friends over for a cookout? They’ll run indoors if the pests are bad. While most mosquitoes are a nuisance, some can transmit serious diseases such as West Nile Virus and encephalitis in humans, and heartworms in dogs and cats.
Mosquitoes have been around for over 100 million years and there are nearly 3,000 different species found around the world. About 200 species occur in the United States and 77 of those species can be found solely in the state of Florida.
Florida is a hotbed for mosquito activity due to the fact that mosquitoes need water to survive. A female mosquito lays up to 100 eggs on the water’s surface and these eggs hatch in less than 24 hours, developing into larvae. During warm summer months, a mosquito can develop from egg to adult in less than 10 days.
Female mosquitoes require protein for egg development and laying, and since the normal mosquito diet consists of nectar and fruit juice, which has no protein, most females must drink blood to lay eggs.
The female mosquitoes locate their victims primarily through scent. They are extremely sensitive to the carbon dioxide in exhaled breath, as well as several substances found in sweat. Some people attract more mosquitoes than others, apparently based on how they "smell" to a mosquito. Mosquitoes can also detect heat, so they can find warm-blooded animals and birds very easily once they get close enough.
Solution
Prevention
At least once or twice a week, empty water from flower pots, pet water bowls, birdbaths, swimming pool covers, buckets, barrels, cans and playground tire swings.Clean out clogged gutters since the stagnant water can produce hundreds of mosquitoes each season.Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish. Water gardens are fashionable but become major mosquito producers if they are allowed to stagnate.Clean and chlorinate swimming pools that are not being used. A swimming pool that is left untended for a month can produce enough mosquitoes to result in neighborhood-wide complaints.Treatment
If mosquitoes are already taking over your outdoors, treat your lawn, shrubs, trees and groundcover with Bayer Advanced™ PowerForce® Multi-Insect Killer Concentrate, Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer For Soil & Turf Concentrate and Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer For Soil & Turf Ready-To-Spray. These formulations kill up to 60 nuisance insects including mosquitoes, fleas and ticks on contact and lasts for weeks. If rain is on the way, don’t worry, it’s rainproof in 60 minutes. It’s available as a concentrate or ready-to-spray.
Always read and follow label instructions
Products Mentioned In This Article
Bayer Advanced