Mosquitoes
MOSQUITOES - common names for these annoying and dangerous insects are blood suckers, vampire bugs, singing bugs, no see-ums, larva are called wigglers because they wiggle in the water. Mosquitoes can be very annoying during outdoor events, working in the yard, or when trying to socialize outside. They can also be very dangerous. They transmit diseases such as West Nile Virus, Malaria, Yellow Fever, and for pets they carry Heartworm which can be deadly for our little friends. Mosquitoes have probably caused more human suffering and disease than any other type of insects. They kill thousands of people each year in some parts of the world.
BIOLOGY- Mosquitoes belong to the order Diptera along with flies, another transmitter of disease. They go through complete metamorphosis, meaning egg, larva, pupa, and adult. First three stages are in water. Mosquito larva look like wiggling worms in the water, and their pupa look similar except with a big fat head. Eggs can hatch in 2-3 days, the larval stage can take 4-10 days and the pupal stage takes up to a few weeks. They breed in any type of standing water. It could be a drainage ditch, swimming pools, ponds, flower pots, tires, or just about anything that can hold water. So of course after any significant amount of rain there will be standing water and they will multiply and attack for the blood meal if needed so the females can lay more eggs and continue the cycle. Mosquito population explosions are very common after hurricanes due to the heavy rainfall and flooding. Normally, the females feed on blood, while males feed on plant juices. Some species are vicious biters such as the Tiger Mosquito, Aedes albopictus, while others are more stealth in that you do not even feel them biting you.
CONTROL - Obviously the best approach to stop mosquitoes is to simply get rid of their breeding sites. Fill in areas that hold water like ditches, get rid of things in the back yard that might hold water, etc. But unfortunately it is just about impossible to get rid of all of the mosquito breeding sites, especially when some mosquitoes can fly up to 40 miles. We know this at The Pest Control Store, which is why we carry several products to help you. We carry the B.t.i. Mosquito Control Larvicide Briquets by Summit. These are donut shaped so you can stake them in an area that normally holds water or you can toss them into standing water. They slowly release the natural bacteria, harmless to fish and plants, that kills mosquito and fly larva in the water for up to 30 days. We also carry many residual concentrates such as Onslaught and Demand CS, which are microencapsulated for longer residual control, also Suspend, and Talstar Pro. You can apply these to the mosquito resting areas such as under decks, overhangs, the under sides of leaves of bushes and tall grass. They rest in these areas during the day waiting for dusk to come out and feed. Another great product is PT-565 Plus XLO. It is a great product to use inside or out. It is an aerosol that you can use as a crack and crevice injector or as a fogger that you control. You can also use it as a yard fogger, say before you have a barbecue or do yard work, to help protect you and so you can enjoy your time in your yard better. You can also use environmentally friendly and safer pesticides such as EcoPCO WP-X, and the aerosol EcoPCO ACU. If you have desirable water on your property then you can put mosquito larva eating fish in them like Gambusia minnows. This is a great natural way to control them and sometimes your local government will help.
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