By Gail Jacobs
Master Gardener

I hope that the last note on “Flying bombardiers of the stinging sort” was helpful to you and with the stinging insects in mind; it is hard not to think about our summer friend the Mosquito.  I just picked up the latest National Geographic and noticed that the main article is about the mosquito and I plan to read it but it is true that they said in their magazine intro, “the mosquito remains the most dangerous nonhuman animal on Earth”. While I ponder the articles intro, I also think about how wet our summer has been and how the conditions have been so favorable towards the mosquitos.  My flowerbeds are suffering from weed overload because even clothed from head to foot and all manner of bug spray the mosquitoes still bite. It seems each year brings a new mosquito borne illness. This year it is the Zika virus and who does not know pregnant women? That got me wondering about our pets could they contract the virus and would it affect their litters. This is what I found, “At this time there is no evidence that dogs or cats can transmit or contract Zika virus. The studies haven’t been done”.  I will take this a positive note for now.  Little T-Bone is safe. 

What I found to help reduce the mosquito population in our yards is the following.

WATER:

A 6” diameter plant saucer with only ½” of water can be enough for mosquitoes to reproduce and in eight days produce adult mosquitoes.  Tip any container of stagnant water weekly, like birdbaths and pet dishes.  You can refill with fresh water.  Walk around your yard looking for anything that holds water.  Things like an old tire-retaining flowerbed and the tire swing you may consider replacing with another item.  Tip over kiddy pools when not in use.  If you have a fishpond make sure the pump is working properly at all times to keep the water flowing and not stagnant.  If you collect rainwater, consider putting “Dunks” in the container, they will not harm fish, birds or other animals but will kill larvae for a limited time.   Are your gutters clear or holding water?  What about a pool cover tossed in the corner holding water?

LANDSCAPING:

Keeping our landscape well maintained by eliminating standing water and possibly keeping bushes trimmed especially near our homes will discourage mosquitoes.  Mosquitos like ivies and decaying leaves so keep those cleared up.   While there are many recommendations for spraying our yards, I hate to encourage that because beneficial insects may be harmed and we need to especially protect our pollinators!  I like to use citronella burning lamps and candles for outside occasions.  Try an oscillating pedestal fan to reduce landing mosquitos and it will also cool your party on hot days. 

CLOTHING:

Yes wear long sleeves and long pants, cover all of your flesh.  Avoid tight clothing, as they may be able to bite through those items.  Dark colors, perfume and aftershave can attract mosquitoes.  Something I did not know was that you can buy clothing treated with the repellent permethrin or you can treat your clothing yourself with the permethrin. It is suggested that this will help but not eliminate the need for other repellents. 

NATURAL REPELLANTS:

Try these for a natural insect repellant.  Basil repels houseflies and mosquitoes. , Lavender repels fleas, flies and mosquitoes. Rosemary repels mosquitoes. Lemon Grass repels mosquitoes. Lemon Thyme repels mosquitoes. Mint repels mosquitoes.  Marigolds repel aphids, mosquitoes and possibly rabbits. Common lantanas repel mosquitoes.

Did I mention Bats!  Honestly, I am very fond of our bats and am excited to say my backyard population has grown from three to six over a few years!  Just last week I was able to count them flying at dusk eating what I expect were great gobs of mosquitoes!  They will swoop towards their target with amazing speed avoiding obstacles easily.  Many people are afraid of these tiny bug eaters but I believe that is because of the bad rap they have gotten over the years of being a villain in many spooky movies.  I encourage everyone to appreciate our fragile bats.  We have had them drown in pools and fall in ours while we were swimming (we quickly netted it to safety).  If you have bats in your yard wow, maybe you should consider putting up a bat box!

Continue with the good fight against Mosquitoes!