Spring Cleaning!
Flowers are starting to bloom and the weather is warming up! Not only are plants starting to respond to warmer days filled with more sunlight, insects are too- which puts us on the early lookout for mosquito habitats. Ben Franklin said it best, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Now is the time to identify and eliminate mosquito habitats that will disrupt the coming summer fun. Here are a few easy spring cleaning tips for a mosquito free summer:
Clean up old containers that might be able to hold rain or irrigation water around your property. These items could include buckets, tires, and tarps. These items commonly produce thousands of mosquitoes, and can be prevented by making sure that aren’t able to collect water.
Take a look at any pond or water feature on your property. Ponds, pools, bird baths, and even horse troughs can be the home and breeding ground of mosquitoes all summer long. The general rule for keeping mosquitoes out of ponds is steep and clean edges. If the shallow edges of a pond are about 20 inches deep and there isn’t vegetation present to protect mosquito larvae from fish and other predators- most ponds fitting that description won’t produce mosquitoes. Clean out bird baths and horse troughs frequently, just by changing the water every seven days will help eliminate mosquitoes.
Check out hoses and outdoor faucets for leaks. Even though this might be a meniscal amount of water, it only takes a few ounces of water to raise mosquitoes right outside your front door!
Finally, inspect screens on windows and doors. Some mosquito species prefer to live indoors if there is a convenient way in and out of the house. By ensuring that your screens are in good condition, you will be keeping mosquitoes and other pests away from your family.
For more information on how to prevent mosquitoes and to help us fight the bite, please contact us at manager@tfcpad.org!