Mosquito Control for Your Yard
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure
Mosquitoes continue to be top of the list of nuisances
in the summer. In fact some city ordinances have
mosquito prevention as a requirement in keeping real
estate from being deemed nuisance properties. Usu-
ally the ordinance is geared toward keeping neighbor-
hoods from becoming unsightly but can impact auto-
motive salvage facilities located within city limits too.
The most simple and organic measure to prevent
mosquitoes from breeding on-site is to keep a clean
yard that frequently rotates inventory. An important
part of mosquito control is making sure that mosqui-
toes don't have a place to lay their eggs. Because
mosquitoes need water for two stages of their life cy-
cle, it's important to monitor standing water sources.
Pay attention to the number of tires
on-site that are stored outside there-
fore accumulating storm water. Stag-
nant water is the incubator for mos-
quito larvae.
There are other steps you can take to reduce mos-
quito populations without using insecticides such as
emptying water from containers such as pet water
dishes, cans, buckets and gutters regularly to disrupt
the mosquito breeding cycle. Clean gutters can make
a big difference.
Insecticides can also be used to help control mosqui-
toes. Some products are designed to be applied di-
rectly to water to control mosquito larvae, while others
are used more broadly to control adult mosquitoes.
Mosquito control can combat an outbreak of mosquito
-borne disease or a nuisance infestation. Larvicides
target larvae in the breeding habitat before they can
mature into adult mosquitoes and disperse. Mosquito
adulticides are applied as ultra-low volume (ULV)
sprays. ULV sprayers dispense fine aerosol droplets
that stay aloft and kill flying mosquitoes on contact.
Some community agencies provide mosquito control
as a service to the public and may apply pesticides by
trucks or planes. Professional services may also be
hired to manage your pest problem. Products used
are subject to the FIFRA or Federal Insecticide, Fun-
gicide, and Rodenticide Act.
The objective of FIFRA is to provide federal control of
pesticide distribution, sale, and use. All pesticides
used in the United States must be registered
(licensed) by EPA. Registration assures that pesti-
cides will be properly labeled and that, if used in ac-
cordance with specifications, will not cause unreason-
able harm to the environment. Use of each registered
pesticide must be consistent with use directions con-
tained on the label or labeling.
The EPA has helpful websites on both mosquito con-
trol and FIFRA at
&
respectively.
Recyclers News Press
Page 17
