“It’s nearly unimaginable to manage mosquitoes within the grownup stage,” says College of Delaware entomology professor Doug Tallamy, PhD, so stopping them whereas they’re within the larval stage is the best tactic. He recommends utilizing Mosquito Dunks, commercially accessible tablets that kill larvae earlier than they will develop into blood-sucking feminine adults, the one mosquitoes that chunk.
“You get a bucket, fill it stuffed with water, put in a handful of straw, hay, or useless leaves, and you then put it within the solar for a few days and it builds up populations of diatoms and algae,” Tallamy says. “That’s what mosquito larvae eat and that’s what attracts the grownup feminine mosquitoes. It’s not the Mosquito Dunk that pulls them. And as soon as the feminine has laid her eggs within the bucket, which is a number of days later, you then add the Mosquito Dunk.”
The tablets comprise a nonchemical pesticide, or biopesticide, Bacillus thuringiensis, which is a naturally occurring micro organism present in soil that destroys mosquito larvae however isn’t dangerous to individuals or animals.
One other easy tactic is to make use of an electrical fan once you’re sitting open air. “Mosquitoes can’t fly right into a directed breeze,” Tallamy explains.
Carrying lengthy sleeves and pants and minimizing standing water in your yard or in your condominium balcony are different methods to cut back mosquito bites.
Tallamy advises in opposition to spraying pesticides or foggers. “You’re killing all of the pollinators that we want and never controlling mosquitoes.”
(Construct your personal mosquito-repelling patio or deck with with these 9 mosquito-repelling crops.)