Mosquito Control - Without Harmful Chemicals

Is there really such a thing as mosquito control without chemicals?  Ask any pest control company and they will tell you no.  But ask an entomologist and they will tell you yes!  The problem with pest control companies is that their barrier sprays don’t just kill mosquitoes, they kill everything else in their spray’s path!  Even companies that claim their chemicals are organic, still kill all the other insects, not just the pesky mosquitoes but all our beneficial insects!  Mosquito spray companies use an insecticide that is sprayed on the vegetation in your yard and around your home.  Mosquitoes like to rest in the vegetation and the insecticide kills them when they go in there to rest.  The problem is it also kills the other insects that rest in the vegetation.   It’s called a non-target effect.  There is no way to avoid killing beneficial pollinators if you’re spraying for mosquitoes.  One other downside to using sprays is that butterfly and moth caterpillars, and many other insects, eat the leaves of the plants and shrubs that have been sprayed and are then eaten by birds, so now the birds are at risk as well.  Another problem with spraying for mosquitoes is that you must keep spraying since sprays only kill adult mosquitoes.

Entomologist Doug Tallamy, recommends in his book, Nature’s Best Hope, making a mosquito trap.  Here are the steps:  Partially fill a bucket with water, add wheat straw or hay, and then just let it sit and ferment which will attract the females to come and lay their eggs.  Once the eggs are laid, add a mosquito control dunk that contains Bacillus thuringiensis to the bucket with the larvae.  The dunk will kill the larvae, getting rid of the next generation of mosquitoes.  You can cover the bucket with chicken wire or some wide netting so wildlife doesn’t accidentally fall into it and drown. You can watch a short video of Doug explaining it here

It is also very important to get rid of any standing water on your property.