Simple Yard Tips to Help Keep Mosquitoes Away
From Dr. Jonathan Day, Medical Entomologist and Professor, University of Florida
While standing water is where most mosquitoes lay their eggs, it is the adult mosquito that carries the encephalitis virus. Only in very rare cases is the St. Louis encephalitis virus passed from infected females to their eggs. This is why it is important to maintain yards to help reduce the number of adult mosquitoes, which may be carrying the virus. Here are some simple tips to help reduce the number of mosquitoes resting in your yard.
Lawn: Mosquitoes like to rest in tall grass. Keep your grass cut short.
Trees/Hedges/Bushes: Keep your tree branches, hedges and bushes trimmed from a ground level to height of 12 inches. The more shade you have - the more mosquitoes will be attracted to rest in your yard.
Tire Swing: Drill drainage holes in the bottom of tire swings to eliminate standing water that serves as an excellent mosquito breeding habitat.
Kiddie Pool: Empty it, clean it, and store it when not in use. Standing water can become stagnant and produce an optimum mosquito breeding site.
Sand Box: Make sure sand box toys are not flooded and left for long periods of time. A pail or push toy full of water is a potential breeding site for mosquitoes.
Litter: Remove litter from your yard. Mosquitoes can lay eggs virtually anywhere - including discarded wrappers, cans, and bottles.
Bird Bath: If you have a bird bath, flush it at least once a week to avoid stagnant, nutrient-rich water - a mosquito's favorite breeding ground.
Rain Gutters: Don't forget to clean out your rain gutters - debris can reduce flow, creating a mosquito haven.
Sun: Try to have lots of open space in your yard. Mosquitoes don't like direct sunlight. The more sun in your yard, the better for minimizing mosquito activity.
Rain Barrel: Empty rain barrels once a week. Standing water is an ideal breeding site for mosquitoes.
Pool: Treat pools with bleach, which kills off mosquito larvae.
Tip from us.
Treat standing water areas or areas liable to flood with BTI Briquets to kill mosquito larvae.. Go here to read more
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