OCD anti-Zika mosquito control

greenwitch
Thu, 04 Aug 2016 00:07:55 +0000

Let’s share some ideas about things we can do to combat mosquitos. Late summer and fall can be a bad season for them. Some mosquitos can hatch in a week in as little water as fits in a soda bottle cap.

Here are some of the things I’ve done that may be new to some people:

Downspout “condoms” - mosquitos can breed in the trough of the corrugated plastic pipes that people use to extend their down spouts. I tried to cover the opening with flexible screen held by a giant rubber band but couldn’t get it to work. I used knee high pantyhose instead and changed them once a month or if I saw that they had ripped.

Gutters - one of their favorite places although they usually can’t reach the second floor or higher. Keep them cleaned out and properly canted so they drain.

Portable basketball set ups - if you have one of these in your driveway and it’s filled with water to weigh it down, mosquitos are probably going in and out. Duct tape all the openings and change them once a year. If yours is filled with sand, it might have a layer of water on top. Duct tape.

A gate post that has a pole that is recessed into the ground. Pour some salt into the hole every couple of weeks.

Bird baths and ponds - fish, mosquito dunks and moving water will do the trick. You can blast out the old water in a shallow bird bath once a week too.

Bromeliads and other plants that cup water - get rid of them or have them only as houseplants.

Drains and sewers - if you suspect water is sitting in there, throw in a mosquito dunk once a month. You can cut them smaller for smaller areas (one full size mosquito dunk is good for 100 square feet). They are completely harmless but prevent mosquito eggs from hatching).

Big leaves - if it rains a lot and you have big leaves around, like magnolia leaves, they may be holding enough water to cause trouble. Rake them away or cover them with something relatively level.

Trampolines - we used to have one and the outer piece that covered the springs was picked apart by birds. Could water get in each opening for each spring? And travel down the legs and accumulate there, just waiting for mosquitos? It seemed far fetched but I duct taped across everyone one of those openings, just in case.