I have noticed some mosquitoes in the garden area. They have been out mid morning while I do my walk through. Looked up Mother Nature News, for a good way to keep the mosquito population down, this is what I found. To tell you the truth most of the ideas are good, but I am not into putting chemicals aka deet on my skin. If you can't eat it you shouldn't put it on your skin.
How to kill mosquitoes naturally
We'll help you take back your summer with
eco-friendly tips for how to control mosquito problems in the yard.
Mon, Jun 20 2011 at 12:49 PM
Ahhhh. The sounds of summer: the crash
of ocean waves, the crackle and bang of Fourth of July fireworks, the
sizzle of burgers on the grill.
Unfortunately, the sounds of summer also include the whine of pesky
mosquitoes. But there is plenty you can do to turn down the volume so
that you can enjoy the lazy, hazy days of summer.
Learning
how to kill mosquitoes naturally is important beyond ensuring a
comfortable backyard cookout. Mosquitoes present a health risk to
everyone in the family – even Fido. Mosquito-borne diseases – which kill
1 million people worldwide every year – include malaria, yellow fever,
encephalitis and, more commonly in the United States, West Nile Virus.
Mosquitoes also carry heartworm, a life-threatening disease for dogs.
So, it’s worth the effort to control and kill mosquitoes around
your house and to reduce your risk of getting bit. Here are some tips
for mosquito control:
Don’t give mosquitoes a nearby place to breed
Most mosquitoes can fly no more than one to three miles, and some
mosquitoes such as Asian tiger mosquito have a flight range of just 100
yards or so.
Eliminate standing water where mosquitoes breed by emptying in the
saucers of flower pots, hauling off old tires, cleaning rain gutters and
frequently changing the water in birdbaths. Walk your property with an
eye for puddles. Fix the problem.
Stock ornamental ponds with mosquito fish that eat the larva or
treat them with larvicide mosquito rings sold at home and garden stores.
Don’t give mosquitoes a nearby place to hang out during the day
Like their fellow bloodsuckers, vampires, adult mosquitoes rest
during daylight. Mosquitoes spend daylight hours hiding among
vegetation. Reduce mosquito shelter in your yard by trimming weeds and
keep the grass short.
Spraying the lower limbs of shade trees, shrubs and other plants
with home-use products containing deltamethrin and lambda-cyhalothrin
can reduce the adult mosquito population, according to the
American Mosquito Control Association.
Properly apply insect repellant
There are a number of proven-effective insect repellants that
provide hours of protection available. There are four repellants that
have been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: DEET,
Picaridin, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus and IR3535. The EPA considers DEET
and Picaridin “conventional repellents” and Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus and
IR3535 as “biopesticide repellents,” which are made from natural
materials.
The EPA offers these guidelines for the safe use of insect repellents:
- Repellents should be applied only to exposed skin and/or clothing. Do not use under clothing.
- Do not apply near eyes and mouth, and apply sparingly around ears.
- When using sprays, do not spray directly into face; spray on hands first and then apply to face.
- Never use repellents over cuts, wounds, or irritated skin.
- After returning indoors, wash treated skin and clothes with soap and water.
DEET is considered the most effective insect repellent. The
American Academy of Pediatrics recommends DEET not be used on infants
less than 2 months old. The label on products containing oil of lemon
eucalyptus warns against use on children younger than age 3.
Don’t waste money on bug zappers. Mosquito traps that attract
mosquitoes using carbon dioxide kill bugs, but they may not be trapping
the mosquitoes that are biting you.
Create your own breeze
Strategically placed fans will keep a deck or porch free of
mosquitoes, says Joseph Conlon of the American Mosquito Control
Association. “Mosquitoes are weak flyers and will not be able to
navigate properly against or within the air stream,” Conlon says. “There
is no set formula for how large a fan or how many you'll need. It's
simply a matter of experimenting until you obtain the desired effect.
It's simple, yet very effective.”
Other Leas Toxic Methodes
Please Read
Least Toxic Solutions For Killing
Mosquitoes
Eco Friendly Mosquito Control Methods. Use BT or bacillis thuringiensis israeliensis
'dunks' to kill mosquitoes in rain barrels. It releases a biological larvicide
that kills mosquito larvae after they hatch.
You can use citronella candles in outdoor
areas to keep mosquitoes and other biting bugs away when you are outside.
Use topical repellents on pets in conjunction
with heartworm medication prescribed by your vet. (Mosquitos carry heartworms
too).
Use only product with a low concentration of
DEET, under 10% for kids 2 to 12 and do not use DEET on kids under 2.
Please don't use mosquito foggers and bug
zappers.
They both kill tons of beneficial insects every year.
Preying mantis
are attracted to and killed by bug zappers and a dozen preying mantis kill more
harmful insects than one bug zapper on full time.
Bug zappers can easily kill a
dozen or more preying mantis a night!
For a natural mosquito repellent, try
Bite Blocker Herbal Lotion, Kadco Skeeter D'Feeter (citronella) and
Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent.
For mosquitoes in Standing Water try Summit Chemical
Mosquito Dunks (Bacillis Thuringiensis Israeliensis) and Golden Bear Oil
Specialties
For vegetation try Greenlight Yard Safe Cedar
Cide and Bonide Mosquito Beater
For airborne repellents try SC Johnson
Citronella candles.
Part of the above information is from the
Texas A & M Extension Service
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/
By Karl Schultz, Austin, TX