A.K.A How to deter and eradicate mosquitoes.
At the evil mosquito convention…on your hand!
Okay, we don’t really think that Mosquitoes have complex evil plans that they discuss over a fresh lunch of us, but they really are a hazard to our health and the health of our pets. This is especially so with invasive species like the Aedes aegypti which though its name translates to the Egyptian unpleasantness (roughly) it does not spread West Nile. However, it does spread such interesting diseases as Dengue fever, Yellow fever, and the Zika virus. It is also likely to attack during the day, and won’t land on your arm or hand like civilized Malaria or plague carrying mosquito where you can see it and smash it, nope, the Aedes aegypti are ankle-biters, literally! So what are we to do about these omnipresent summertime pests? Don’t worry, as your local #HelpfulHardware store, we’ve got the tips, tricks, and products to keep you mosquito-free.
An Ounce of prevention…
There are a few sure-fire ways to prevent mosquitoes. We have rounded up the top tips from both the CDC and the Marin/Sonoma mosquito and vector control district.
1. Eliminate the egg-laying habitat. One female mosquito can lay up to 100 eggs at a time. They also need as little as one teaspoon full of water to do so!
-Turn over buckets, old tires, pie dishes, pet dishes, anything that has standing water in it.
-For things like pet dishes, or fountains, make sure the water is moving and/or replace the water at minimum every two days.
– Don’t overlook areas like clogged gutters, or holes in tree trunks. If it can hold water, it can hold mosquitoes.
2. Make water that can’t be emptied unfriendly to mosquitoes and mosquito larvae.
– If you have a pond or water trough you can introduce mosquitofish (gambusia affinis) into the body of water.
How many fish do I need?
(A word of warning: do not put fish in water bodies that drain into streams or rivers, or in water bodies that contain endangered species! We like our native species and want them to continue.)
3. Use Mosquito Dunks. We have been selling these for a long time and they work. The active ingredient is a naturally occurring bacteria that only kills insects, due to the insect’s stomach being alkaline (ours are acidic). They are pet safe which is great, and we try to have them in stock year-round. (If you want more info about the mosquito dunks, check out their website here.)
We carry the multi-pack Sku# 7092935
Too Late, They’re Here!
Don’t panic. These are not the good old days where you would walk outside for a BBQ and walk back in looking like a wiffle ball. There are products to eliminate mosquitoes that are already established and ways to keep yourself safe when you go beyond your mosquito-proofed yard.
- Mosquito-proof your patio. We know that you have tried everything to do this, from expensive electronic bug zappers to those magnetic mosquito net door things. We also know that you ended up with a lot of half-burnt citronella candles (but at least they smelled nice) and lots of mosquito bites. However, there really is a product that will eliminate up to 95% of mosquitoes for 90 days at a time. It’s called the Spartan Mosquito Eradicator.
Get rid of mosquitoes! Our sku #7826761
Here is just a quick glance at the Spartan Mosquito Eradicator:
Developed in Mississipi where they know mosquitoes, this product, does not deter mosquitoes like citronella, and it does not indiscriminately kill all flying insects like the bug zappers.
Is it hard to use?
This product is easy to prepare and install. You just fill it to the line with water, shake it, and hang it up.
How does it work?
Essentially it tricks the adult female mosquitoes into thinking that it is you. It does this by giving off a specific scent that makes the mosquitoes feed on it. The mosquito once fed will die and not be able to lay her eggs.
How many will I need?
One box will cover one acre as long as you place them correctly (don’t worry they come with instructions on where to put them). However, if you already have an infestation then you will want to double up and use two boxes per acre to help cut the heavier population.
No chemicals, smoke, or hard work?
No. This really is the product we have been waiting for. It’s safe around pets and kids.
(If you want more information about the Eradicator, check out their website here.)
2. Protect yourself when you are away from the house. We know that we are in the North Bay and there is a word here that we all hate with a passion: chemicals! But, there are words that we should hate more: Plague, West Nile, Yellow Fever, Dengue Fever…just to name a few. Not to mention that California is home to the Western black-legged tick, which is linked to Lyme-disease. For proven protection from both, the CDC, The EPA, The Marin/Sonoma Vector Control, and the World Health Organization all agree on one ingredient:
DEET.
Yes, there are other ingredients on all their lists, but DEET is the one present on all of them. We won’t preach about this as we know our community but please protect yourselves, whatever you use. We offer a large array of DEET based insecticides that will give you the protection that you are looking for. We also offer non-DEET based pesticides for those who want to try their luck with something else.
So to sum up, to make your outdoor life better, make life worse for mosquitoes.
If you have any questions feel free to stop by the store and we will do our best to give you the answers you need and the products you want because that is what being a #HelpfulHardwareStore is all about.