OR your gonna get me….
MOSQUITOS!!!! It seemed like we were in a renaissance for a while there with the little annoying insects. The population was so low during the drought we barely had to even worry about having repellent around…much less spraying ourselves before going outside.
BIG MOSQUITO! (Psorophora ciliata)
Then these guys showed up. As big as 2″ x 2″, these suckers can bite through canvas shorts! Not a bite, but a stab almost…the bite feels like somewhere between a yellow jacket sting and a mosquito bite and the welts are huge. Psorophora ciliata is the proper name, but they are also called the Gallinipper Mosquito.
Gallinipper eggs can sit for years, waiting for the right conditions to hatch. Once they’re out, adults live for two weeks to a month according to Mike Kaufman, an Entomologist from Michigan State University.
But that’s not what all the buzz is about. The mosquito population is insane right now. The fact is mosquito larvae eggs can live for years until rains come. The longer it is dry, followed by the bigger the rains are, the nastier the populations are…and that is exactly what happened. You know it’s bad when there are mosquitoes waiting for you in your truck. Take it from me. I have a gang of them that live in my truck, and an army of them that live in the garden. You can’t even get within ten feet of the garden without being barraged by these little d-bags.
Treatment
There are several things you can do. You can install bat houses on your property to increase bat populations. A single bat can eat up to 1,200 mosquito-sized insects every hour, and each bat usually eats 6,000 to 8,000 insects each night.Their appetite for mosquitoes certainly makes a backyard more comfortable. Bats are opportunistic, and their lack of discretion benefits everyone. Some of their favorite prey include crop-destroying moths, cucumber beetles, flies and gnats. Natural insect control is their specialty.
Bat house (simple)
Mosquito Dunks also work great as a synthetic control. The only caveat is you have to treat any standing water around your property. Mosquito dunks are an insecticide tablet that you drop in standing water to control the mosquito larvae before they mature into the annoying adults that suck our blood.
Mosquito Dunks
Topical sprays work but only until it rains again or the chemical wears off…and you have to spray EVERYTHING…chairs, patios, porches, tables, walls, and anywhere they land. So annoying.
You can also have your landscape company treat for them. Some companies even have programs where they will install bat houses, treat for mosquito adults, and install mosquito dunks…or you can just call Salient Landscaping for pricing.
