How to Mosquito-proof Your Backyard

Summer is a time for happy get-togethers, for grilling out, and enjoying activities, such as boating, swimming, fishing, and golf.

Unfortunately, such activities can be precluded by the threats mosquitoes can impose. Mosquitoes, worldwide, are prolific carriers of disease. Such diseases include dengue fever, yellow fever, malaria, and West Nile Virus.

In North America, West Nile Virus (WNV) has become a threat to people's health and safety. The virus is the cause of viral encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). Besides the annoyance of the mosquito "bite", this virus is also a primary consideration in keeping your yard mosquito-free.

Therefore, it's important to note that mosquito control is necessary for your personal comfort as well as health. Without any control in place, you stand a far greater risk of possible disease and discomfort which these seemingly innocuous insects can foist upon you and your summer activities.

As an example, the West Nile Virus, now occurring in North America, is transmitted by the northern house mosquito, the scientific name being Culex pipiens. Most of these kinds of mosquitoes prevail from dusk to dawn and are dormant during daytime hours.

Only the female mosquito in any species "bites" humans and animals. She needs the blood from such hosts in order to lay her eggs. She accomplishes her task by using the six stylets on her proboscis (a tubelike part that extends downward from the head). The stylets are small needlelike projections which shape the central part of the proboscis. They are shielded by the mosquito's labium or lower lip. As the stylets pierce the skin, the labium flexes up and out of the way. Next, the mosquito's saliva flows into the resulting wound through channels created by the stylets. The saliva acts as an anticoagulant so the mosquito can sip the host's blood.

Therefore, when we receive a "bite" from a mosquito, the reason we itch is because we are allergic to the mosquito's saliva. Unfortunately, sometimes that saliva carries the pathogens contained in diseases such as West Nile Virus.

To mosquito-proof your backyard, you must take into consideration what primary spots mosquitoes are attracted to, or where they prefer to lay their eggs. Most mosquitoes like moist, warm, or damp locations. You will readily find them next to lakes, ponds, in marshes, in swampy areas, or wherever there is standing water. In fact, mosquitoes are found all over the world except the driest deserts and at each of the poles, all considered to be far too dry for mosquitoes to inhabit.

The following steps, tips, and warnings then should help you better understand how the mosquito operates so you can take the requisite measures in eradicating the insect from your backyard.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Stagnant water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Therefore, make sure you remove standing water from such items as buckets, watering cans, and old tires.

2. When placing tarps over items, such as boats or in the garden, make sure they are positioned so water from rain can drain so it isn't allowed to pool.

3. Keep the water in birdbaths fresh by changing it daily or remove it altogether.

4. Maintain swimming pools, making certain they're chlorinated.

5. Remove obstructions, such as leaves, from downspouts and gutters, so water can move freely, making sure no water is allowed to stand underneath.

6. If you have a decorative pond or a water garden, stock it with small fish that feed at the surface so any mosquitoes or mosquito larvae can be eaten before they have a chance to accumulate.

7. Do not allow water to stand in a wheelbarrow. Put it somewhere so it can't collect water.

8. Wading pools should be used during the day by children and put away in the evening when mosquitoes abound.

9. Drain the saucers of potted plants.

10. Replace any screens with holes and tears. Make sure screens fit snugly in their frames and that the frames also fit securely around each window.

11. In some cases, you can treat decorative ponds or water gardens with a safe material used to eliminate mosquitoes called Bti, which is actually a bacterium (Bacillus thuringiensis, var. israelensis). It is used to kill wrigglers (the larval stage of the mosquito) and does not significantly affect other wildlife.

Tips & Warnings

• To further combat mosquitoes, the following products can be used to aid individuals from being bitten by the insects: Picaridin and DEET are common repellents while IR3535 and Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, also known as PMD, are considered biopesticides because they contain natural ingredients.
• When individually applying repellents, implicitly follow the product label.
• Do not use repellents on wounds or cuts.
• Usually a thin film of repellant is all that is needed to curb insects from biting.
• When using repellants, bathe, shower or wash your clothing after outdoor activities.
• NEVER allow children to handle repellents on their own. Make sure they're under adult supervision.

Resources

• American Mosquito Control Association