Tips to Eliminate Mosquitoes

Spring has sprung in full here in the Low Country. Neighborhood streets are filled with playing kids, gatherings of friends and families, smells of barbeque grills, and other noises indicating people are outside enjoying this beautiful weather.

Mosquitoes also seem to be enjoying this weather. They have begun to multiply, only making their pesky presence worse. According to Chatham County Mosquito Control, there are forty different types of mosquitoes in Chatham County, GA alone. Mosquitoes are carriers of many diseases including, but not limited to: West Nile Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus, encephalitis, Dengue Fever, and heartworms for our dogs.

There are many things we can all do to eliminate the breeding habitats for mosquitoes which in turn keeps the population of mosquitoes down. The following are several recommendations to eliminate mosquitoes around your home:

• Fix dripping outdoor faucets that create pools of water.
• Pick up any trash that may hold any amount of water.
• Remove old tires used on playgrounds, or drill holes to allow water to drain.
• Remove or turn over plastic pots.
• Replace water in birdbaths, plant containers (including hanging pots), and pet or other animal feeding dishes or toughs at least twice a week.
• Dispose of broken or unused children’s pools.
• Check any holes in trees or stumps that may collect water.  Plug any holes if possible.
• Remove vegetation or obstructions in drainage ditches that prevent the flow of water.
• Cover boats or other equipment to avoid pooled water.
• Check tarps/covers on boats or other equipment that may collect water.

There will inevitably be objects that hold water that will not be able to be changed regularly or emptied altogether. The following recommendation will also help eliminate mosquitoes from breeding in or around these objects:

• “Mosquito Dunks” can be placed in objects that hold water.  These dunks are meant to kill the larvae only. This interrupts the life cycle of the mosquitoes. These can be found at most home improvement stores.
• In low lying areas such as ditches, ponds, lakes, and marshes the use of Gambusian Ditch Fish. These fish are also known as the Eastern Mosquitofish. These fish eat a variety of different things; however, they are well known for eating a lot of mosquito larvae and pupae.
• Areas that do not necessarily hold water, but remain wet and are desirable breeding areas for mosquitoes, may require pest control service in the form of a metered battery powered aerosol dispensers.  We install, monitor, and service these dispensers monthly.
• Lastly, should you have any major questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact one of our educated pest control technicians.  Also, Chatham County Mosquito Control is great resource for mosquito information. They also a direct phone number and a link on their website (http://mosquitocontrol.chathamcounty.org) to request service to spray for mosquitoes. Chatham County Mosquito Control has a higher budget than all of the other counties in the state. They are “An independent county department, reporting directly to the County Manager.”