Mosquitoes

Mosquito Services

The three main types of mosquitoes illustrate where they originate:

• Floodwater mosquitoes lay their eggs in soil that became moist from irrigation, rain, or soil close to main water sources such as ponds, lakes, streams, or rivers. The eggs need to dry out with the soil and then become wet again to trigger the cue to hatch. In some cases this will happen in the same season, but eggs laid in areas with infrequent rains and eggs laid at the end of the season will settle into protective cracks and crevices in the soil and lie dormant until the next year. Some species of floodwater mosquitoes can survive multiple years until the right conditions occur for the eggs to hatch.

• Permanent water mosquitoes need a constant source of water for the life cycle to be completed. Their eggs typically cannot withstand a drying out period. Eggs are laid directly on the water, in reeds, or on rafts and typically hatch after 24 hours.

• Container mosquitoes lay their eggs in anything large enough to hold water. In natural scenarios, this includes tree holes, bromeliad leaf axils, bamboo trunks, or other water filled cavities. Artificial containers are vast and include items such as old tires, kiddy pools, bird baths, wheelbarrows, toys, or even gutters with blockages providing small areas of water containment.

Prevention – A mosquito technician will identify the type of mosquitoes affecting your property and help determine the adjustments that may be made to minimize the reproductive opportunities. This source reduction may be any combination of adjustments to habits, landscaping, or structures.

Larva control – In cases where landscape, structural, and other alterations are not feasible, or where alterations need supplemental treatment, there are treatments that may be done to prevent larva from completing their life cycle. The method of this treatment will vary based off of the biology of the mosquitoes of concern.

Adult control – In situations where sources are outside of the control of the property owner, it may be necessary to focus on the adult mosquitoes. The method of treating the adults will depend on the goal of mosquito control as well as the biology of the specific mosquitoes in question. Some mosquitoes may travel miles from their breeding site while others will remain very close. Different options are available for those that need to prepare for specific outdoor events than those that are near a continuous source of mosquitoes. A Rove Pest Control technician will work closely with you to determine goals and thresholds to be achieved and will customize a mosquito control system to fit your individual needs.

Out of nearly 3,000 species of mosquitoes throughout the world, 176 species are recognized in the US. Only a few of those are considered vectors of malaria, yellow fever, dengue, filariasis, St. Louis encephalitis (SLE), Western Equine encephalitis (WEE), LaCrosse encephalitis (LAC), Eastern Equine encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile virus (WNV), and dog heartworm.

In addition to taking efforts to control mosquitoes around the workplace and home, it is important to take other cautions when going to areas where mosquitoes may be of concern. Wearing clothing that provides greater coverage and supplementing with ambient or personal repellents will minimize the chance of bites. A simple rule is to simply go somewhere else if mosquito activity is high.

Minnesota has first 2013 case of West Nile virus – July 25, 2013

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