MINIMIZING MOSQUITOES
MOSQUITO TRAPS
- Remove items from your yard that hold water.
- Water catches of pots, old containers, tires, cups... etc. Each female mosquito does not need a lot of water to lay their 100-300 eggs!
- Drain items that hold water every 3 days if you cannot remove them from your yard. This is the average time it takes larvae to become adults.
- Kiddie pools, fire pits that get flooded, gutters clogged with leaves, water bowls for animals... etc.
- If you have large bodies of water on your property that cannot be drained, there are a few options;
- Use mosquito dunks -- they use a bacteria-derived pesticide called BTI. It is safe for use around pets and children.
- Buy some fish! Many fish native to Florida are natural predators of larvae and can be introduced into ponds.
- Any type of minnow
- Sailfin Molly
- Mosquitofish
- Killifish
- Sunfish
- If you are looking for long-lasting sprays, stick with OFF! Deep Woods or Sawyer Controlled Release (~4-5 hours)
- Victoria's Secret Bombshell Perfume (Yes, I'm serious)
MOSQUITO TRAPS
- Mega-Catch traps
- Mosquito rackets -- fun that keeps the kids busy
- Citronella candles -- if it is windy these are ineffective as the wind carries away the "protective" burn-off from the candle
- DO NOT use bug zappers ; these only harm beneficial insects