06 Apr 09 Mosquito Control

The weather is slowly but surely getting warmer. That means insects become more active.

The mosquito is a darn nuisance of course, but not only does it bite, and make us want to scratch ourselves silly, but some can transmit diseases to both humans and animals.

They thrive around water. The female will lay her eggs in water or in areas that are expected to flood. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae must stay in the water throughout the pupae stage. This takes around 1-2 weeks before an adult mosquito appears.

Before the female lays her eggs, she must have a meal of blood. After she has laid her eggs, she will again search for blood, so the cycle goes around and around.

They do not travel far, so the best way to reduce the mosquito population is to get rid of standing water in containers, and pots and refresh any that need to be kept.

Way to avoid getting bitten:

• Stay indoors at sunrise, sunset
• Wear long sleeves and long pants when outdoors, particularly at sunrise or sunset or near standing water areas such as swamp.
• Avoid wearing perfume and scent as this attracts them
• Use insect repellent on areas of skin you cannot cover
• Make sure that there are no holes in your screens over windows at home.

Tags: adult mosquito, animals, containers, diseases, eggs, insects, larvae, long pants, mosquito, mosquito population, nuisance, perfume, pots, skeeters, stay indoors, sunrise sunset, swamp, water areas, weather