Mosquitoes have been plaguing people throughout all known time. Not only do they cause itchy bites that can be annoying, there are responsible for spreading a number of serious illnesses. The threat is so serious and ongoing that most communities and countries have extensive mosquito control programs which help to combat the outbreaks. There are still outbreaks each year in countries across the world of illnesses like Yellow fever and dengue fever. In order to combat mosquitoes, it is important to understand mosquitoes.  

The Lifecycle of Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes lay their eggs in water. After the eggs hatch, the mosquitoes are larvae and they spend time in the water until they become pupae and then hatch from that stage. At this point, the mosquitoes are adults and will begin flying around. The male mosquitoes feed on nectar, while the female mosquitoes need a blood meal so that they lay their eggs. Mosquitoes can lay up to two hundred eggs at a time.

Prevent Mosquitoes

Once you understand that the lifecycle of mosquitoes is so dependent on water, you can see that there are steps you can take to help prevent mosquitoes. One of the most important things you can do is to address any standing water that may collect in your yard in old buckets, hole sin stumps or in rocks. Mosquitoes only need a capful of water in order to breed and go through the different stages. If you can address the standing water, you will help to prevent mosquitoes.

You can also keep your lawn short and your bushes trimmed back. This will help the ground to dry out more quickly. It also helps by providing fewer places for the mosquitos to find harborage. Another option is to have a mosquito control treatment applied to your yard every three weeks. This will kill adult mosquitoes and prevent new ones from coming in your yard.

Why and How to Protect Yourself from Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes will carry a number of different illnesses. The West Nile virus and St. Louise encephalitis are issues in the United States. The Zika virus may spread north and become an issue as well. In addition to preventing mosquitoes in your yard, you should protect yourself when you are out and about. Wearing mosquito repellent is key to doing this. This option is safe for infants as young as two months. If you have a younger baby, you can use mosquito netting or keep the baby indoors.

Mosquitoes are an issue throughout the world. They spread a number of serious illnesses. There are different strategies that people take to protect themselves from mosquitoes including use mosquito repellent, and mosquito netting. They may use candles and bug lights. However, the mosquito problem is so serious that many countries and government enact mosquito control programs to keep the mosquito population at bay.

How Do Mosquito Control Programs Work?

The programs work because an insecticide is spread throughout the area, especially in areas where mosquitoes are prone such as swampy areas. The insecticide needs to be applied on a regular basis to be effective. The insecticide will kill the adult mosquitoes. They may also address the areas where they breed, but they may have a harder time since they care covering such large spread areas.

Can I Have a Mosquito Control Program for My Yard?

You can contact a professional to come in and take care of your yard for you. They can apply a treatment to your yard on a regular basis. The treatments can eliminate the mosquitoes around your yard. They can also address areas where they breed with a larvicide or by emptying any areas that may have standing water. You can also take care of your yard to remove anything that may gather water like old tires. Keeping your lawn short and trimming back your bushes will also help with the mosquito population in your yard.

Will Treating the Mosquitoes in My Yard Make a Difference?

Treating the mosquitoes in your yard can help with the overall mosquito population. Sometimes neighborhoods, and homeowner’s associations will work together to help control the mosquito population in the neighborhood. It can make a difference to eliminate areas where they may be breeding over a wider area. The mosquito treatments are considered safe for people, and there are organic options that do not have a big effect on the environment.

How Else Can I Protect Myself from Mosquitoes?

If you are outside of your yard, you will need to make sure to protect yourself from mosquitoes. There are a number of different ways to protect yourself. Be sure to wear mosquito repellent and to reapply it throughout the day. Wearing light colored clothing is also helpful. If you are traveling to another country where mosquitoes are a known issue, you may need to take extra precautions and have mosquito netting that you can sleep under.

The mosquito, a blood-sucking parasite, is responsible for many serious diseases, such as yellow fever, malaria and dengue. How do we get rid of these pests? Read on to discover the answer.

Pest-killing Tools

A swatter or bug zapper are common tools for killing mosquitoes and bugs. However, they are only useful in cases of low infestation. These methods will not end the life cycles of mosquitoes, as there are often simply too many. Many people use chemicals in their houses to kill or deter pests, but this method is expensive, temporary, and often dangerous. Alternative solutions should be explored.

Burn Citronella Candles

Mosquitoes dislike citronella, so use this to your advantage. Rubbing citronella oil on your skin will minimise mosquito bites.

Use Lights That Don’t Attract Mosquitoes

According to scientists, some artificial lights are irresistible to flying insects like mosquitoes, flies and bugs. This can easily be observed when you use blue lights on your patio. However, not all lights attract mosquitoes. Most insects are attracted to UV lights (blue or violet in colour). Blue LEDs draw plenty of pests, while yellow or red ones don’t.

Grow Natural Repellents In Your Garden

 

To rid yourself of harmful pests, you should make use of well-known natural repellents, such as lemon, mint, basil, lavender, rosemary, and garlic. These shrubs are pleasing on the eye, and make an excellent bug-deterrent for your doorways and windowsills.

Eradicate Potential Breeding Areas

 

Stagnant water should be an area of focus. As we all know, mosquitoes often choose stagnant water to lay their eggs in. One female mosquito can give birth to 200 offspring! Many harmful pests choose tree holes, disposed containers, trash bins, and long grass as breeding grounds. These areas must be kept clean and free from stagnant water to prevent breeding.

Make Your Home Pest-Proof

Screens and waterproof glass should be installed in your house if mosquitoes are coming from nearby areas. Don’t forget to check your screens frequently for any holes where pests could enter.

In conclusion, there are a variety of useful tips to keep your house pest-free, but the six that have been mentioned are the most effective and budget-friendly. A combination of these methods will be extremely effective in keeping your residence mosquito-free.

Mosquitoes are a resilient species that have been torturing people and other animals for as long as mankind has existed on the earth. Understanding the life cycle of a mosquito can help us understand how to prevent new mosquitoes from breeding and the best way to prevent them from developing into adults.

Eggs

Mosquitoes will lay their eggs in a wet area. This may be a swampy area or in water that has collected in pots, or even in soda bottle lids. The eggs may be laid individually, but they also laid in groups of up to 200 that float in the water connected to each other. The eggs will wait until the conditions are right to hatch. They can last through a mild winter or they may hatch with 48 hours if the conditions are right.

Larvae

The larvae live in the water. They will go through several stages of molting as larva. The mosquitoes need oxygen and will either breathe through tubes or live very close to the surface of the water. During this stage, they will feed on microorganisms. They need water that is not running, but still to grow in.

Pupa

The pupa stage is when the mosquito changes from the larva to an adult. They will do this inside of a cocoon, but they can move it through the water with a tail that remains. They may only spend two days in this phase.

Adult Mosquitoes

When the mosquitoes emerge from the cocoon, they will rest until their wings are dry. Male mosquitoes feed on nectar and will not bother people. Female mosquitoes need to feed on blood so that they can lay eggs. They will find victims by looking for heat and CO2 emissions.

Once you understand the life cycle of them mosquito, you can see that it is not enough to just kill the adult mosquitoes, since there will always be more mosquitoes that are produced. You can treat the adults by using a barrier spray that will keep mosquitoes off your property. You can also treat the larvae with a larvicide that they will feed on during this stage. This kills them and stops them from developing into adults. Another way to prevent mosquitoes is to make sure there is no standing water on your property and that you have proper drainage so that the mosquitoes do not have a place to lay their eggs.

Learn about how mosquitoes spread the West Nile Virus and the dangers it can present to you and your family

Mosquitoes can be a pesky insect. Known for ruining outdoor barbecues and parties as well as for spreading serious diseases there may not be a lot to love about mosquitoes. Here are ten facts about the pesky little insect.

1. There are over 3500 species of mosquitoes around the world. However, there are only about 175 species in the United States and West Virginia has the fewest species of mosquitoes.

2. Mosquitoes like warm weather and will develop more quickly in the perfect temperature of around 80 degrees. Some mosquitoes hibernate. When it reaches about 50 degrees they begin to look for places to burrow into. Others will lay their eggs in freezing water so they can hatch when it warms up.

3. Male mosquitoes do not suck blood. They feed on flower nectar instead. They also have a much shorter life span of about ten days.

4. Female mosquitoes need to feed on blood in order to lay their eggs. They also have a longer lifespan and can live up to 54 days.

5. Mosquitoes transmit disease to you through the saliva that they inject into you when they are feeding on you. The saliva acts as anticoagulant and stops the blood from clotting.

6. Mosquitoes can drink up to three times their body weight at each feeding. While this may sound like a lot, a mosquito only weighs about 2.5 milligrams.

7. Mosquitoes need water to breed, and they look for still or standing water. Emptying standing water on your property can help to eliminate the number of mosquitoes around your property.

8. Mosquitoes find you by the carbon dioxide that you emit. Since they cannot see well they are attracted the scents that you emit and can travel quite a distance to find you.

9. Mosquitoes are considered the deadliest animal on earth since the disease they carry can result in a number of serious illnesses and outbreaks.

10. You can prevent mosquitoes from living on your property by having a mosquito barrier treatment applied. This can take the hassle out of applying bug spray every time you want to spend time in your backyard. Contact Mosquito Tek to learn more.

 

Learn more about mosquito extermination from Mosquito Tek of Manassas.

Although mosquito season is currently coming to an end, there are 5 steps you can take now to help prevent mosquitoes from plaguing you in the future. There are certain conditions that attract mosquitoes, and while you may not be able to eliminate them completely, it can certainly help to reduce the number of mosquitoes in your yard.

1. Address Drainage Issues in Your Yard

This is the biggest project that you may take on to prevent mosquitoes. If you have a corner of your yard that stays damp or collects pooling water when it rains. This may mean that you need to grade the area so that the water has a chance to drain. You may need to have a professional determine if you should install a drainage system in your yard. It may be that you need to trim back the foliage or clear out the underbrush so that the area receives more direct sunlight to allow it to dry more quickly.

2. Fix Your Water Features

If you have water features in your yard, you may be creating a natural breeding ground for mosquitoes. If you have a fountain or waterfall feature, it is important to make sure it is working since the moving water can help to prevent mosquitoes. When it gets cold enough to freeze, you will need to take care of the pumps so they do not break over the winter.

3. Change Your Bird Baths

One option is to add a water fountain to any of your bird baths so that the water is moving, which can prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs there. Another option is remove the bird bath completely. This may be a good option if you do not often see birds in it. However, if you do want to keep your bird bath, it is important that you change out the water in the bird bath every other day.

4. Choose Your Plants

When you are planning your garden, there are specific plants you can choose that are natural mosquito repellents. You can choose to plant these in the borders of your yard or around your patio to create a natural barrier for mosquitoes. Some plants that you can consider are marigolds, geraniums, catnip, lavender, lemon balm and peppermint. Take the time to incorporate these in your planning. You may find that you like the look of one type of plant better than the other and change your landscaping each year.

5. Treat Your Yard Professionally

If you really want to eliminate mosquitoes in your yard, you should consider hiring a mosquito exterminator to spray for mosquitoes for you. There are treatment plans that can safely eliminate the annoyance of mosquitoes while being completely safe for you and your family. The professionals at Mosquito Tek will exterminate mosquitoes from your yard and allow you to enjoy doing the things you enjoy the most. The plans will eliminate adult mosquitoes while creating a barrier to stop new ones from coming into your yard. The plan will also address areas where mosquitoes may breed.