Asian Tiger Mosquito Image by WikiImages from Pixabay
Asian Tiger Mosquito Image by WikiImages from Pixabay

The picture I grew up with of mosquito control is of a slow-moving vehicle spraying poison out the back while children ran along behind and played in the spray.  This does not exactly conform to best practices for mosquito control.  While pesticides may be necessary at some point for the control of mosquitoes, they should be used in a manner that does not expose people to them if at all possible.  However, there are many things you can do to prevent mosquito problems that do not involve pesticides.

No Standing Water

Mosquitoes need still water to lay their eggs in and reproduce.  Making sure that you have no sources of stagnant water around your house is one of the easiest ways to combat mosquitoes.  Tires, empty flower pots, and toys that might hold water should be stored upside down or disposed of.

Treating Necessary Standing Water

Some things, though, have to stay.  Birdbaths and watering troughs come to mind.  Here you have a couple of options.  You can use one of the little aerators that keep the surface of the water rippling to keep the mosquito from laying her eggs.  In birdbaths and small water gardens, you can use a mosquito dunk, which is toxic to mosquito larvae and nothing else.  Mosquito dunks are considered organic.  Or you can use mosquito fish, little guppy size fish that live off mosquito larvae.  They go in the water troughs and keep them free of mosquitoes.  Some states regulate or ban these little fish, though, so check with your fish and game people before putting them in something.

Stay In At Dawn and Dusk

Mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk.  If you keep yourself and your animals inside during these times, you reduce exposure to mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases.  Make sure that horse stalls have good screens over their windows and other open spaces to prevent the mosquitoes from entering.  Make sure the screens on your windows and doors are in good repair and do not have holes in them.

Dress To Protect

If you must be out during mosquito season, wear long-sleeve shirts and long pants with closed-toe shoes.  Putting a repellant such as citronella or eucalyptus oil on can help.  Do not put it undiluted on your skin or it may burn you.  Dilute it with a carrier oil or put it on your clothes.

Mosquitoes carry some nasty diseases.  Eliminating standing water, keeping your pets and yourself in during peak activity times, dressing appropriately, and making sure mosquitoes cannot come in where you are some easy ways to protect yourself from them.

 

Cover of Vegetable Gardening From The Ground Up

Want to learn to garden? My first attempt at gardening ended up in failure. The weeds took over and squeezed the vegetables out. I was very frustrated by this waste of good seed, time, and money. So I became a master gardener and spent a lot of time helping other people avoid or overcome problems in their garden. 

In order to help others garden successfully, I have written a book, Vegetable Gardening from the Ground Up, available in an ebook or a paperback from Amazon. It is also in Kindle Unlimited.