See a mosquito, smack a mosquito !

It is as natural as breathing. Mosquitoes in Florida are just a way of life in the south.

Some days I simply forget about them, then out of nowhere they sneak up on me and like an unwanted guest, they leave a sting that makes me run for the house for bug spray.

I have heard friends that use ammonia and skin lotion mixed together that works really well when applied to the sting afterwards. I don’t personally know if that works, but I may try this and let you know. Maybe you have some tried and true methods you'd like to share? I use DEETS because it works, although I hear it causes cancer?

Like all living things even those unwanted pesky mosquitoes play an important role in the, “circle of life -ecosystem." So if we kill every last one -we will in some way be cancelling out the human race as well.
On the other hand we know that mosquitoes spread disease as well as, that nasty itchy welt.

I heard somewhere that it takes a mosquito, "5-days" to emerge from egg to flying biters. I have life outside my garden, so even though I may be in my garden, there are times I am too busy to be everywhere in the garden so it is possible that mosquitoes are breeding without my knowledge.

First I needed to learn how to they breed and feed. Mosquitoes are really no different from other insects. Like butterflies, mosquitoes have a 4-part life cycle (egg, larva, pupa and adult). Females lay the eggs on surface water. The young are not strong swimmers so the water they seek should not be water fountains or moving water, instead they seek areas of little to no movement. The young larva feed on bacteria and algae and molts several times, eventually pupating and emerging as winged adults. Adults feed on nectar and pollinate plants such as orchids and goldenrods. The females feed on blood to get iron and protein only when they are ready to reproduce.

Mosquitoes are eaten by bats, birds, fish, lizards, frogs, and a vast myriad of wildlife like dragon flies. So mosquitoes are feeding the wildlife I enjoy having in the garden and they help pollinate the plants I also enjoy having around. So I am being green and doing my part in having them around. Hmmm

I enjoy the benefits that the mosquitoes are providing, but I still want to limit them from breeding in my garden. So everything you hear about not having standing water on property is true… look for anything that holds water --clogged rain gutters, flower pots, puddles --these are great areas for baby mosquitoes to live in. So bird baths need to clean weekly.

If you have a pond and you can guarantee that it does not lead to any natural waterway, try stocking it with non-native fish like mosquito fish or gold fish. If these fish were to be released into the natural waterways…again in some way I feel, by changing the circle of life we are in some way cancelling out the human race down the road. Pesticides can be toxic to predators that reduce mosquito populations. Never put Oil on water surfaces, as this will pollute the water and kills many other beneficial forms of life. ...

I heard somewhere you can buy something called Bti and they come in disc form and you put these into ponds. Bti is supposed to work very well, although harmful to some of the insects that eat mosquitoes.
I have been told that bug-zappers don’t work on female mosquitoes because they are attracted to carbon dioxide, body heat and water vapor trails usually found from their object of desires.
Natural repellants with citronella, lemon balm and mint are effective if reapplied often. There are no plants that repel mosquitoes without human intervention.
According to some experts DEETS, picaridin, and oil of lemon eucalyptus is very effective.

Sometimes common sense is your best defense. Avoid going outside at dawn or dusk when they are out on their hunt and where long sleeves, long pants to cover exposed skin. True southern folks knew fans under the covered porches worked well since mosquitoes are not good flyers either… they cannot stand up to windy conditions of a fan. So an evening out walking of sitting with a fan in hand is sometimes all you need.

So there it is ….Mosquitoes are good, bad and ugly….

--Nana
August 28, 2010