Battling Mosquitoes
Keeping the Population Low
Now that the warm weather has arrived – we want to be outside enjoying it! However, mosquitoes can send us running back inside. Mosquitoes breed in standing or stagnant water by laying their eggs on the surface of the water. There are countless products available for combating mosquitoes but one way to reduce their numbers is to reduce their breeding sites. It appears that mosquitoes roam a radius territory from their breeding site so cleaning up your property is important.
The common areas to regularly clean or possibly turn over so that they do not collect water when not being used:
- buckets
- childrens swimming pools or wagons
- neglected birdbaths
- uncovered boats
- the bottom of plant pots
- covers for swimming pools
- wheelbarrows
- sluggish drainage ditches that need to be corrected to drain more efficiently
- childrens toys that stay outside
- pooling water under leaky faucets
However, the most commonly overlooked breeding site for mosquitoes around our homes is a clogged eavestrough (rain gutter). Debris such as sticks and leaves can create pools of stagnant water which may be a perfect breeding site. After you clean your eavestrough, make sure that your downspout doesn’t leave a pool of water where it exists.
Cleaning your gutters will not only help to reduce your mosquito population but will help your eavestrough carry the water away from your foundation walls thereby decreasing the possibility of a wet basement.