Mosquito Wars – Tips To Hold Them At Bay

There was a time when, in North America, mosquitoes were considered a nuisance--nothing more, nothing less. Sure, it was a real health problem some places, carrying things such as Lyme Disease and Malaria. But those were mostly problems in third world countries and jungles. Here in the United States, mosquitoes just mostly caused a lot of irritating little insect bites.

That was until the past decade.  Now, mosquitoes pose a very real problem, even for those of us in the States.  The problem is a very deadly disease called West Nile Virus.  The first case documented in the U.S. was reported in the spring of 2004, with several more instances since then. 

How do we fight off the mosquito threat? There are steps you can take, and most them center around one basic fact: Mosquitoes breed around stagnant water.  This is where they lay their eggs.  It doesn't have to be a large body of water either. It could be something as tiny as the still water on a morning leaf.

Here, then, is what you need to do to win the "Mosquito Wars."

1. First and most importantly, check your entire yard, front and back, for any freestanding water. If there is any, get rid of it. This includes not only puddles, but buckets, flower beds, vases--anything that does not provide a way for the water to escape.
2. Keep the gutters on your house cleaned out.
3. Believe it or not, mosquitoes will even gather on the tiny bit of water on grass clippings and leaves, so be sure to keep your yard free of them, especially in warm-weather months.
4. Likewise, mosquitoes will gather around the water on toys, so keep them picked up out of the yard.
   Cover your swimming pool when it's not in use. And be sure the cover itself does not have standing water on it.
5. You might not like bats, but they are one of the best ways to keep your yard free of mosquitoes. So are some birds.  Therefore, make sure your yard is friendly to all of these winged creatures.
6. Most people don't like to cover their garden pond, if they have one, since that tends to destroy the whole purpose of it.  Therefore, if you have a garden pond, ask someone at the home-and-garden section of the local department store about chemicals to keep mosquitoes away from it. Another solution is to stock the pond with fish.
7. Look around for tin cats or any other water-holding containers on your land, and get rid of them.
8. If you have a pet dish outside, empty it every day or two, whether it needs it or not, to discourage the mosquitoes.