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Effective Mosquito Control Strategies for Homeowners

Learn expert tips on controlling mosquitoes including surveillance, larvaciding, adulticiding, and personal protection. Educate your family on repellents and utilize effective treatments like foggers and residual insecticides. Find resources for mosquito control online.

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Effective Mosquito Control Strategies for Homeowners

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  1. Controlling mosquitoes around the home Michael Merchant, PhD, BCE Professor and Urban Entomologist Texas A&M AgriLife Center at Dallas M-merchant@tamu.edu

  2. SSLAPP • Surveillance/Site reduction • Larvaciding • Adulticiding • Personal Protection • Public Education Photo courtesy Dalllas Morning News

  3. Home mosquito control • Control mosquito breeding in your own backyard • Site elimination • Larvaciding • Report neighborhood problems • Treat adult resting sites • Educate the family about use of repellents Photo: M. Merchant, Texas A&M AgriLife

  4. Treatments for standing water • Bacillus thuringiensis (briquettes and granules) • Methoprene (Altosid, Pre-Strike) granules

  5. Backyard foggers • Thermal foggers • Aerosol foggers • Temporary relief from mosquitoes • Few hours to few days

  6. Residual insecticides for mosquito control • Treat mosquito resting sites • under eaves of buildings • around doorways • trees • shrubbery • foundation plantings • 3-4 weeks residual control PCT magazine Oct, 2006 for University of KY studies

  7. Professional residual treatments with pyrethroid insecticides • Available through some pest control companies • Use backpack and mist blowers • larger particle size (50-60 microns) • 1-3 gallons per home • Suspend • Talstar • Demand CS • 3-4 weeks of control Photo by Mike Potter, U of KY

  8. Treat vegetation around home, in yard and around yard perimeter

  9. Hose end applicators • Kill resting mosquitoes on • Ornamental grasses • Shrubbery • Low trees • Flowers, roses • Grass

  10. Drawbacks • Non-selective, may kill beneficial insects

  11. Treat outside and around doorways • Use residual insecticides • Lambda-cyholothrin • Deltamethrin • Bifenthrin • Cyfluthrin • Little risk to beneficials

  12. Mosquito misting systems • More expensive than spray services • Effectiveness and impact on beneficial insects not well studied • Probability of pesticide exposure and over-application by homeowners • Effects on mosquito resistance not well studied

  13. Bug zappers & other “sure-fire” mosquito remedies • Zappers ineffective in reducing mosquito bites • Citronella plants not known to repel mosquitoes • Citronella candles, torches can repel mosquitoes if wind is favorable

  14. Purple martins & bats not highly effective Incompatible with effective mosquito control: Time of day Altitude Habitats where mosquitoes live not hunted by these predators

  15. Extension Online Resources • Texas Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) • Texashelp.tamu.edu • Mosquito Safari website • http://mosquitosafari.tamu.edu • Insects in the City website http://citybugs.tamu.edu • FAQs about aerial spraying • Videos on mosquito control around the home

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