One of the smallest pests in the world yet the deadliest is the unassuming Mosquito.
Touted as the biggest predators of mankind, mosquitos have killed more people than any other animal in the world. This is because they are the no.1 carriers of diseases including Malaria, dengue, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, and chikungunya, among many others.
You’d imagine horror movies being made staring only mosquitoes, but sadly hollywood prefers the spider and obese sharks.
However, Don’t take mosquitoes lightly.
When it comes to controlling mosquitoes effectively, the old adage, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is especially applicable.
The best way to get rid of mosquitos is to prevent mosquito breeding.
And the single most important way to do this is to make your premise uninviting or unwelcoming to mosquitos. Prevent mosquito breeding by removing any stagnant water in your premises. Sounds simple, but it works!
Mosquito larvae need still or standing water. Getting rid of any stagnant water will remove their breeding grounds. Water must always be flowing. Never stagnant, sitting in a single place for longer than 48 hours to avoid harbouring mosquito larvae.
Here’s a more detailed page on how to control mosquito within your premises.
One of the most commonly ignored parts of our house is the gutter, because they are difficult to access.
However, gutters usually pile up with leaves, dirt, soil and other airborne dust that blocks and retains water. Clogged gutters retain water that becomes the ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
Aside from the gutter, another neglected part of the house is the sewage canal or waterways. Similarly, drains are prone to collecting leaves and other trash which then blocks and retains stagnant water.
Because of these, it is also equally important to keep your drains clear and clean to prevent it from holding water. Ensure a working drainage system.
Our drainage should be in good working condition to keep water from getting stored or stagnating in our premises.
All objects that can potentially serve as a vessel for holding stagnant water should be emptied to prevent it from becoming breeding grounds of a mosquito. This included water buckets, flower pots, kiddie pools, bird baths, wading pools, wheel burrows, and the like.
There are various items in our garage or yard that can collect water. You should declutter your yard and dispose of these items.
Chief of which are old tires, old buckets/ pails, barrels old barbecue grills, flower pots, cans, bottles, car parts, shelves and other things. Furniture like old sofas, bed, and futon can be soaked or damped with water and can equally become breeding grounds for mosquitoes and larvae.
Apart from clearing or disposing collectors of water, having complete control and well maintained water system in our house can help prevent mosquito breeding. Aside from the rain, the next common sources of water in our house are faucets and pipes. Leaks in our pipes and faucets can pool into puddles or turns in our garage, driveway, yard other areas. We should also ensure that our cisterns and septic tanks are well maintained.
Include mosquito-repelling plants in your garden. Another way to ward of mosquito and prevent mosquito breeding is by planting marigolds, citronella, catnip, lavender or lemon balm in your yard. These plants emit scents that naturally repels a mosquito. Imagine how effective if you have a pest control program and these added prevention methods to your home.
