The Mosquito Invasion of 2012 – What You Need to Know
One the few things the current economic “climate” has not impacted is the proliferation of bothersome and potentially dangerous mosquitoes.
The mosquito challenge is magnified because more people—perhaps like your family—are spending quality time at home. North Carolina—with our beautiful trees and lush landscaping—is the perfect outdoor setting except for one big challenge: Mosquitoes—lots of them! In fact with the record rainfall of 2011 and early 2012, mosquitoes will definitely be far more active in 2010 than in year’s past.
Mosquitoes 101
- Mosquito is Spanish for “little fly.” There are 160 types of mosquitoes in North America and over 2,700 species world wide. Some species some are more active at dawn or dusk while others feed all day long.
- Only female mosquitoes bite. They extract blood from their host (people, pets, birds, etc.) to facilitate reproduction. The itch is caused by an anti-coagulant injected with each bite.
- Mosquitoes must feed on plants to gather sugar for survival.
- The CDC-Center for Disease Control-reports that 1% of mosquitoes transmits the West Nile virus. While most people have little to no symptoms, others become extremely ill.
- Heart worm disease is transmitted by mosquitoes and if not treated early, it can be fatal to dogs and, in rare instances, cats as well.
- Fidgety people, females, those with blonde hair and those who wear dark clothing are more attractive to mosquitoes.
- Mosquito eggs can remain dormant for years and will develop once water is introduced.
Steps You Can Take
- Clean your gutters—with our heavy tree cover, gutters collect debris often resulting in standing water, creating the perfect mosquito setting. Tyler Kirk—the owner of a local window and gutter cleaning company, Labor Panes — sums it up best. “Gutters are easy to forget about because unless you go outside during a down pour you won’t know they are clogged. It is best to clean gutters twice yearly so they drain properly.”
- Eliminate standing water anywhere on your property. This includes low areas–even those you cannot easily see such as under a deck or porch.
- Clean up you yard of any yard debris including broken branches, leaves and plant clippings to name a few examples. Toys, tires, plant pots—anything that can collect water should be covered or stored inside.
- Your bird bath may be your mosquito’s best friend so drain and refill weekly.
- Do not over-irrigate—especially in natural areas. Ben Whitehouse of Whitehouse Landscaping (a full service landscape company) suggests only weekly watering of established natural areas in the summer.
If these suggestions help, but don’t handle all of your mosquito control needs, just give us a call. With over 2,000 area customers, we have an unbeatable guarantee:
If you are not pleased with the results we will re-treat your property free of charge. If you elect to cancel our service for ANY reason, we will promptly mail a refund check for all the sprays that have not been completed.
Best Wishes,
Mosquito Squad
