Preventing a Spring Valley Mosquito Problem
As they say "an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure".
This is especially true if you live in Spring Valley and have a mosquito problem.
Your first step to avoid a mosquito infestation is to eradicate their breeding sites.
Start with a tour around your home and yard. If you eradicate their breeding sites, you can prevent a Spring Valley mosquito infestation.
Standing water is prime mosquito breeding habitat, so look for places where water collects and can’t evaporate. Improperly installed or clogged gutters and downspouts are ideal situations for female mosquitoes to lay eggs. So are birdbaths, outdoor plant pot saucers, pet dishes and wading pools. If you have a non-aerated pond or ornamental water feature in your garden, you need to be especially alert.
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Keep swimming pools and hot tubs clean and chlorinated. Remove leaf piles and lawn debris from your yard as the ground underneath can remain damp for long enough for mosquito eggs to hatch.
Rubbish bins, recycling bins and garbage dumpsters are common breeding sites after rain, so always inspect them following a downpour or even just a light shower.
Mosquito larvae only need about 48 hours to hatch, so you need to be quick. As you are unlikely to have fish or frogs to consume the mosquito larvae, you may need a larvicide. These can be used in ponds to prevent mosquito larvae from hatching but you should always seek advice from your Spring Valley pest control expert, Using a pump to aerate your pond will help but always get professional advice before applying chemicals in or around water.
Repelling Mosquitoes in Spring Valley
It's essential to be able to repel mosquitoes if you want to avoid being bitten while you enjoy your outdoor activities.
You need to be able to repel uninvited guests such as mosquitoes. You can light citronella candles to keep the pests at bay and you probably apply insect repellent to avoid getting bitten. Of course, methods such as bug zappers and other mosquito traps might lure and kill large quantities of the pests and can be effective,
But as outlined above prevention is the best strategy to prevent a Spring Valley mosquito problem in the first place. If you find that you experience more than your fair share of these pesky insects, perhaps it is time to identify and eradicate their breeding sites around your home.
When they’re not actively searching for their next evening meal, mosquitoes can rest during daylight hours on tall grass and leaves, waiting for a convenient blood meal to pass by. So If you live near the woods or a lake, river or stream, you will not be able to entirely eliminate the mosquito breeding habitat. To ensure that your home is pest-free, check door and window screens to see that they fit tightly and are in good repair. Keep your lawn clipped short to create a barrier zone between your house and the woods and limit proximity of vegetation next to your home’s foundation to ensure good air circulation.
Male mosquitoes feed on plant nectar and other sugars. Only the female mosquito feeds on blood, as an aid to egg production. Her proboscis, unlike the male's, is designed to penetrate skin and suck blood.
Disease Is a Mosquito Problem
Unfortunately, mosquitoes are not just a nuisance. With just one bite, they can transmit a serious and severely debilitating disease to an animal or human. Spring Valley unfortunately sees increasing incidences of mosquito-borne diseases each year, such as West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis. In other parts of the world, mosquito problems manifest themselves in the transmission of potentially deadly diseases such as malaria, dengue fever and other forms of encephalitis. Nearly 700 million people get a mosquito-borne illness each year resulting in over one million deaths.
Mosquito pest control is essential to avoid exposure for your family, pets and livestock. Globally, there are approximately 2,500 mosquito species. Spring Valley is home to several species which are most active in the hours between dusk and dawn.
How Do Mosquitoes Find You?
Mosquito Swarm
Does your mosquito problem call for a professional solution? Mosquitoes detect body heat, exhaled carbon dioxide as well as the smell of sweat, perfume and products such as shampoos and fabric softeners. If you must be outdoors after dark when mosquitoes are about, wear long sleeves and long pants and apply a good insect repellent which contains DEET, (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide), a chemical known to repel mosquitoes, biting flies and ticks.
Some people are sensitive to DEET, so test yourself and your family before applying a generous dose directly on the skin. If you’re sensitive to DEET, try one of the plant based, natural repellents on the market. The whole idea behind insect repellent is to mask your scent so they can’t identify you as a meal in the first place, along with the addition of substances known to repel mosquitoes.
Be wary of products you see in the pesticide aisle of your supermarket or garden center that promise to instantly rid your yard of insects.
If you do choose to apply one of the many pesticides available for your lawn and shrubs, be absolutely certain to follow directions meticulously so you don’t inadvertently cause yourself, your family‚ or the environment‚ a worse problem. Don’t make the trade off of a mosquito-free environment for one that you have poisoned with pesticides and other chemicals.
Your outdoor time can be kept pleasant and hazard-free with an effective mosquito control plan. If, after your best efforts, you still experience swarms of mosquitoes, get professional advice from a Spring Valley pest control expert. They will have had experience with identifying breeding habitat and will offer an individualized solution to your mosquito problem.
Does your mosquito problem call for a professional solution? Professional mosquito control is safe and effective. Call a pest control expert to fix your Spring Valley mosquito problem for good.