by Martha Baur
Summer in St. Louis… ‘Tis the season for bottled water, juice and other frosty beverages that quench our thirst and cool our bodies. Next time you crack open a cold drink, consider this: one mosquito can lay 300 eggs in an area equivalent to the inside of a single bottle cap. At that rate, over the course of a summer, in a perfect breeding scenario, one mosquito can start a chain effect of producing one billion offspring. That’s a lot of swatting and complaining, itching and scratching.
There are five simple steps a homeowner can follow—the “Five Ts” to help keep mosquitoes from multiplying:
1. Toss. Toss trash (e.g., bottle caps), the gunk that collects in gutters and any other litter that accumulates on your property. Proactively eliminate places for mosquitoes to lay eggs.
2. Turn over. Turn over storage containers or other vessels that collect rain water, hose water or other run off. To prevent pooling, leave these containers upside down when not in use.
3. Tip. Tip and drain plant saucers, toys and other items designed to collect water. While these items may serve an initial purpose in collecting water, letting water stand in them invites mosquito breeding.
4. Eliminate tarps. Many homeowners use tarps to cover piles of firewood, furniture and equipment like lawnmowers. The crevices that the tarps form create ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes. If you can’t eliminate the use of tarps, routinely shake theme free of moisture.
5. Treat. Often a homeowner does everything humanly possible to eliminate and control mosquitoes but is still pestered by them. If you’ve followed the four steps above and still have a mosquito problem – or if you want to enhance your efforts at controlling an outbreak – treating your property is the ultimate solution.
Mosquito Squad of Greater St. Louis offers an all-natural barrier treatment alternative. The garlic-based product is applied to the landscaping where mosquitoes live and feed creating the “barrier.” The garlic odor masks the carbon dioxide that attracts mosquitoes to people and pets, so mosquitoes stay away. People can’t smell the garlic after a few hours of an application, but mosquitoes can smell it for weeks.
Mosquito Squad of Greater St. Louis offers free consultations. Call 314.569.2483 or visit www.MosquitoSquad.com. We’d love to help you enjoy a summer of cold drinks in a mosquito-free yard. Just remember to toss those bottle caps!
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