Fighting Those Pesky Mosquitoes

Typically, mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. Mosquito larvae hatch from the eggs and remain in the water feeding on tiny organisms. Once they mature, adult mosquitoes leave the water to breed. Mosquitoes undergo four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Disrupting a mosquito's life cycle or habitat helps reduce the number in your environment.

Most mosquitoes lay their eggs in water and don’t need a lot of it. A bottle cap can hold enough water for breeding. Remove standing water around your home. Puncture old tires to keep water from collecting inside. Clean birdbaths often. Mosquito eggs can stick to the bottom and survive dry periods. Properly maintain swimming polls and report abandoned pools to the local health department.

Some plants produce chemicals that deter animals and repel insects. However, these repellents aren't usually released unless the plant is harmed. Citronella leaves must be crushed in order to release the oil and then rubbed on the skin. A lotion or spray containing lemon or eucalyptus oil can be effective but must to be reapplied every few hours. Use mosquito-repelling candles or lanterns. I have a solar mosquito zapper on my deck. It provides a soft light, doesn't need electricity, and doesn't make zapping sounds.

Mosquito myths:

1. Bats eat up to 600 mosquitoes an hour. This one may have resulted from a study during which researchers released mosquitoes into a room full of bats and counted how many they ate. The bats consumed around 600 per hour. However, mosquitoes were the only insects in the room for the bats to eat. Subsequently, studies found mosquitoes to make up less than 1% of a bat's diet.
2. Purple martins are voracious mosquito eaters. This observation was taken out of context. A researcher had estimated that a purple martin would need to eat its body weight in mosquitoes (14,000 every day) to survive. However, bats and purple martins prefer dragonflies, which are mosquito predators. Mosquitoes make up less than 3% of their diet.
3. Lemon Joy and Listerine will kill mosquitoes. Dryer sheets are good mosquito repellents as are several other household items, but studies have shown that DEET is the only thing that will consistently block mosquito bites for an extended time. Picardin and lemon eucalyptus will also repel mosquitoes but not at the same level of protection. Early studies have shown picardin to be as effective as DEET. Picaridin is odorless, non-greasy, and does not dissolve plastics or other synthetics.
4. Bug zappers kill a large number of insects,however studies have found that most of the insects killed are moths and beetles. Actually, yards with zappers typically have been found to have the same amount of mosquitoes as yards without them. Electronic mosquito repellents have been found to have no effect on mosquitoes at all. They don't repel, attract or change mosquito behavior.
5. Citronella plants are engineered by adding citronella oil to regular geraniums. While citronella oil will repel mosquitoes, just the aroma is not enough. Leaves must be crushed to release the oil and rubbed on the skin to do any good.