Welcome to Alabama, where the winters are short and the summers are long. It’s not too unusual to see 90-degree days as early as March or April. Typically, the spring is very rainy as well. The heat and moisture are ideal for mosquitoes.
The more you know about these flying pests, the more you want to control them. And, the more you know about mosquito breeding habits, the easier they are to control.
Why are Mosquitos Bad?
Some scientists claim that mosquitos are the deadliest insects on the planet, and it’s hard to argue with that assessment.
Typically, birds carry West Nile virus. Mosquitos bite the birds, and they carry the disease. When carriers bite humans, they become infected. About a fifth of West Nile victims develop fever, rash, and other rather severe symptoms. In about one out of 150 cases, the infection is fatal.
West Nile is a Flavivirus RNA virus. That’s the same viral family which includes Zika and other similar diseases. Many people dismiss Zika and its ilk as “tropical” viruses. That may be true, and in Alabama in some years, the climate is rather tropical. In fact, yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) and Asian tiger mosquitoes (Aedes albopictus) are quite common in the southeastern United States.
Even non-deadly mosquitoes are bad news. These insects make it difficult or impossible to enjoy the outdoors, especially around dusk. Additionally, many people have allergic reactions to mosquito bites. These reactions could range from rather mild to potentially life-threatening.
Controlling Mosquitoes
Fundamentally, mosquitoes are tropical insects. So, they thrive in heat and moisture. There is not much you can do about the “heat” part, but you have tremendous control over the moisture on your property:
- Eliminate yard clutter. Keep a particular lookout for little plastic trucks and other toys. I have a feeling my kids aren’t the only ones on the block who fail or refuse to pick up their toys.
- Clean your gutters. If the water does not keep flowing, it pools up and attracts mosquitos. Perhaps you can kill two birds with one stone. Threaten to make your kids clean the gutter if they do not pick up their toys.
- Fill yard depressions with sand. It does not look too pretty, but it’s a good temporary fix. You can put grass down later.
These techniques work a lot better if a professional pest control technician comes out to the house in late winter or early sing, well before the warm and rainy season starts. This visit takes care of hibernating larvae, and so the rest of the year is basically maintenance.
At A Plus Pest Control, we offer solutions that make your life pest-free.
