How to Kill and Prevent Mosquitoes in Your Yard
Controlling mosquitoes and protecting yourself against their potentially disease-causing bites have become necessities for most U.S. homeowners. Though their name translates to "little fly" in Spanish, these small, persistent pests present big risks. The World Health Organization blames mosquito-borne diseases for millions of deaths worldwide each year.1 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) list 10 major diseases, including Zika virus and West Nile virus, now affecting U.S. residents.2
For successful mosquito control, the CDC recommends an integrated approach to mosquito management.3 This approach combines cultural controls, such as eliminating unnecessary or undesirable water sites, with effective treatment products that target mosquitoes at two life stages: larvae and adults.3 This two-step treatment method can help you put an end to mosquitoes before they bite, breed or spread pathogens that cause disease.
STEP ONE: TREAT MOSQUITO LARVAE
Mosquitoes breed and lay eggs in standing water. Those eggs hatch into larvae, the immature caterpillar-like form of mosquitoes. Newly hatched larvae live in the water until developing into adults that fly. Control products known as "larvicides" kill larvae so they never reach the flying and biting stage.
You can reduce mosquitoes breeding sites by eliminating unintentional standing water in your landscape. But mosquitoes also target intentional standing water such as bird baths, ponds, rain barrels and water gardens.3 By using larvicides to treat these intentional water sites, as recommended by the CDC, you can prevent mosquitoes from ever reaching the biting stage — and still enjoy water features around your home and garden.
The Amdro brand offers a highly effective larvicide to prevent adult mosquitoes from developing in your water sites. This product can be used around people, pets, birds and aquatic life:
- Amdro Quick Kill®++ Mosquito Bombs are great for desirable water sites, such as rain barrels, large fountains, bird baths and ponds. The simple-to-use discs prevent larvae from developing into adults for up to 64 days.
STEP TWO: TREAT ADULT MOSQUITOES
Even with successful larvicide treatments around your home, you can expect adult mosquitoes all season long. New pests drift in as eggs hatch and adults mature in breeding sites on properties nearby. Some types of mosquitoes bite between dusk and dawn, but other disease-transmitting mosquitoes bite during daylight, when you're most likely to be outside. Mosquito controls known as "adulticides" work to kill adult mosquitoes before they can bite and potentially spread disease-causing pathogens to your family and pets.3
Adult mosquitoes typically rest in moist, shady areas under trees and shrubs, around home foundations and doorway overhangs, and throughout lawns and ornamental gardens. By treating these resting areas and hiding spots, along with patios and other areas you count on for outdoor fun, you and your guests can enjoy your outdoor spaces day and night.
The Amdro brand offers two premium liquid products to kill adult mosquitoes and help you avoid their bites. These products can be used to treat lawns and landscapes, as well as building foundations up to a maximum height of 3 feet.
Amdro Quick Kill Insect Killer for Lawn & Landscape Ready To Spray and Amdro Quick Kill Lawn & Landscape Concentrate kill adult mosquitoes by contact. Perfect for patios and decks, they also kill nuisance wasps, yellow jackets, gnats and flies.
By following CDC recommendations for integrated mosquito management, including a two-step treatment plan that targets larvae and adults, you can control mosquitoes and protect your family and pets. With the help of Amdro pest control products, you can put an end to mosquito disruptions and get back to enjoying your lawn and garden again.
Always read product labels thoroughly and follow instructions.
Amdro and Amdro Quick Kill are registered trademarks of Central Garden & Pet Company.
Sources:
1. World Health Organization, "Mosquito-Borne Diseases," 2017.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Other Mosquito-Borne Diseases," March 2016.
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Integrated Mosquito Management," September 2017. Posted by Amdro
