Dealing with Mosquitoes
The weather has been a little wonky here in the Northeast- winter was pretty mild and summer temps have been pretty cool so far- but it’s the end of June and things are finally heating up. Veggie gardens, BBQs, trips to the beach, and lots of mosquitoes- hello summer! But will it be a hellish summer? Full of pesticides wafting through the hot, sticky air?
If you’ve ever had a company spray for mosquitoes, you know that the treatments don’t last long and the mosquitoes always return, but did you know that even the ‘eco-friendly’ mosquito sprays are toxic to bees, butterflies, and other beneficial garden bugs? And if your neighbors spray their property, the treatment can drift to nearby properties wreaking havoc on your own garden and exposing you and your family to chemical brews unnecessarily?
It doesn’t have to be this way!
The number one thing you can do right now to prevent mosquitoes on your property is to get rid of standing water. In case you didn’t know, mosquitoes lay their eggs in wet places and those eggs then hatch into larvae (little worms- yikes!) which then mature into adults in the same wet places, so a good strategy is to keep the outside area of your home as dry as possible. That means not letting water accumulate in buckets, plant pots, tires, or unexpected places like lawn furniture and tarps/covers that accumulate water when it rains.
Other areas, like birdbaths and ponds where you want lots of water, should be treated with BTI (bacillus thuringiensis israelensis), a biological control that kills mosquito larvae. “[BTI] contains spores that produce toxins that specifically target and only affect the larvae of the mosquito, blackfly and fungus gnat” (epa.gov). Treating water with BTI is easy to do. Dry BTI cakes are sold online and in hardware stores. You simply break it and drop a piece in each place that accumulates water and that’s it. Replace the BTI in all locations in about a month. Buy BTI on Amazon
If you’re already dealing with a mosquito explosion, wear repellent, run a fan outdoors to blow them away from an area, and grow some native plants to attract the lovely bugs that eat mosquitoes (hello dragonflies <3). Whatever you do DO NOT spray your yard or garden for mosquitoes. It won’t last long and you will kill many other insects that you want in your garden.
More info about BTI: https://www.epa.gov/mosquitocontrol/bti-mosquito-control##5
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