The heat and humidity favor the infestation of our homes with mosquitoes. To avoid this, the larvae of these insects must be killed
In the summer months, the heat and humidity favor the infestation of mosquitoes in our homes and gardens and to prevent this annoying inconvenience, the larvae of these insects must be killed.
With the arrival of summer, our homes suffer the assault of real colonies of mosquitoes which are attracted above all by humidity. The problem must be faced upstream: it is necessary to kill the mosquito larvae that nest there where they find stagnant water. Examples are the various drains, the collars of the drain pipes, the manholes, the flower and plant pots, the clogged gutters, the bowls for pets and the damp garbage. We share some tips to get rid of mosquito larvae, if you these does not work you can call professional mosquito pest control service.
How to get rid of mosquito larvae: some tips
To avoid being invaded by mosquitoes during the summer, some prevention tips allow you to avoid the formation of any mosquito nest in the house, while other tips are useful in case you find yourself already invaded.
Remove all stagnant water and puddles where the water remains still for at least 7 days: this is the condition that allows the mosquito larvae to feed and become adults and which must therefore be avoided. Therefore it is necessary to be careful with vases, saucers, buckets and any other containers in which stagnant water can deposit.
Then it is advisable to do the periodic maintenance of the gutters, to avoid accumulations of foliage. The drains and wells must be cleaned 2 times a year, furthermore from the beginning of spring to autumn it is important to carry out a parricidal treatment for mosquitoes, covering them with mosquito nets to prevent the females from laying eggs. Since it is a treatment that sees the use of products with poisonous components, it is always better to ask an expert in the sector for a quote for the disinfestations of mosquito larvae.
It is also advisable to add half an aspirin tablet to the water in the cut flower pots and to wash the bowls where dogs and cats are watered regularly. If there is a fountain in your garden, an effective remedy to eliminate tiger mosquito larvae is to populate it with goldfish or gambusia (small fish greedy for the latter). You can also use lake plants such as Utricularia Vulgaris, a very small carnivorous shrub, or the Azoles Carolinian, an aquatic fern that prevents egg deposition.
An equally effective remedy is to put a copper wire in stagnant water that cannot be emptied: copper is extremely effective in killing the larvae. In drains and gutters, it is very useful to use a biological parricide based on Bacillus Thuringesis every week. An equally valid non-toxic remedy is Zanzibar, an enzyme that reacts with the limestone contained in the water, forming a layer of bubbles on the surface of the water, which prevents mosquitoes from depositing their annoying eggs.
It is necessary to keep in mind that the parricides are almost all toxic, pollute the aquifers and the environment, therefore it is important to use them in the appropriate way and without abusing them.
Finally, avoid bringing infested plants into a shelter in your homes during the winter, as watering creates the ideal humid environment for the proliferation of larvae in the spring.
Where do mosquitoes nest in the house?
To eliminate mosquito larvae effectively, it is very important to know where they nest in the home and gardens.
Among the critical places for mosquito larvae are:
- Pots and saucers, especially during watering, it is necessary to pay attention to prolonged stagnation of water. The risk also arises when you bring plants that have been outside for a long time indoors because they could already have larvae inside the soil;
- The uncovered bathroom drain is another sticking point for mosquitoes. The bathroom is a humid environment and if the toilet cistern is uncovered, it can be an ideal place for mosquitoes to nest;
- Buckets and bowls of water, in some cases especially in gardens, there may be buckets of water for collecting rainwater or for other uses (including for cleaning). It is very important to empty them regularly and make sure they do not create larvae;
- Gutters are very humid areas where dirt and organic plant residues accumulate, making them an ideal place for mosquitoes to nest. It is therefore very important to regularly clean the gutters;
- manholes, these too, like the gutters, are humid places and therefore it is necessary to use natural or chemical methods that keep the manholes clean, should the unpleasant situation of nesting of mosquito larvae arise;
- Finally, there is the wet waste, which must be emptied regularly so that no mosquito larvae nests are created.
How to keep adult mosquitoes away
To eliminate adult mosquitoes use as few chemical insecticides as possible to vaporize and, instead, use predatory animals, mechanical methods and natural substances. Pesticides are harmful to health and are not so effective because mosquitoes become more and more resistant to pest control with these products.
In addition, the latter cause diseases in humans and eliminate beneficially and pollinating insects (bees, butterflies and ladybugs) and predatory animals that are killed by feeding on toxic mosquitoes.
To keep mosquitoes away, geckos, frogs, bats and dragonflies are extremely effective and for this reason, they should not be driven out of our gardens. Above all, bats devour up to 2000 mosquitoes per night and the use of these predators against the latter is increasingly widespread.
