It’s mosquito season once again and health departments are spraying insecticides in neighborhoods in an attempt to control adult mosquitoes in an attempt to prevent the spread of diseases like West Nile Virus.
Unfortunately, these spraying programs pose some potential problems. First, they only knock down adult mosquitoes and does little to impact larval mosquitoes which means there are more mosquitoes capable of emerging after the insecticide has dispersed from the air. Secondly, many of the insecticides that are used, like permethrin, are non-specific insecticides and can kill beneficial insects, like bees needed for pollination or other insects that are food for birds.
There are some simple, bird-friendly actions everyone can take to help reduce their own exposure to mosquitoes that may potentially carry West Nile, as well as help reduce mosquito populations around homes and in communities which reduces the potential number of mosquitoes that can bite birds and pass along the disease to humans.
Preventing Individual Exposure:
1.) Wear DEET, or another effective mosquito repellent, when working outside.
-many people do not like wearing DEET because they do not like the greasy feel or the fact that it’s a plasticizer (it dissolves plastic), or that it’s synthetic. DEET however has been around for long time and was designed to be used on human skin. Though the body does absorb DEET through the skin, the repellent is entirely flushed out of the body in about 12 hours. (DEET is a repellent, not an insecticide (it discourages insects, but doesn’t kill them the way an insecticide does).
-the higher the amount of DEET the longer it lasts, however effectiveness drops off around 40% (i.e. a solution containing 40% DEET is just as effective and lasts just as long as 100% DEET).
-Two new chemicals that the CDC began recommending in 2005 are Picaridin, which is effective at high concentrations (but not available in high concentrations in the US) and oil of lemon eucalyptus.
2.) If you do not like using chemicals on your skin you can wear clothing that covers up your skin. Even more effective is new clothing called Insect Shield.
-Insect Shield clothing incorporates insect repellent into the fabric of the clothing itself. So in addition to the protection afforded by the clothing itself, you have an additional layer of protection with the repellent.
Reducing Mosquito Populations Around your Home:
1.) Eliminate Standing Water—This can be done in a number of different manners.
-Obviously old tires, flower pots, children’s toys etc. can be over turned or covered to prevent pooling of stagnant water.
-Adding a bubbler aeration device (like those found in fish tanks), fountain, or even a drip device can potentially be enough to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in bird baths. The added benefit to this is that it provides a clean source of water for birds during the heat of summer where they won’t be exposed to mosquitoes, and birds are attracted to the sound of moving water.
2.) In areas that you are unable to cover or dump (like a man-made backyard pond) try adding Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) dunks to the water. This will help reduce mosquito larvae.
-It’s important to not add Bt dunks to natural ponds, wetlands, or ephemeral woodland wetlands. While these may be breeding sites for mosquitoes, the mosquito larvae are a source of food for other species like tadpoles, salamanders, small fish, and even other insects.
3.) Attract more birds to your yard
-Try reducing mosquitoes by attracting more insectivorous birds, like swallows to your yard. If you have a backyard pond try attracting Purple Martins. If you live near a field you may want to attract Eastern Bluebirds and/or Tree Swallows. You can also attract other species like wrens, thrushes and flycatchers. To attract these birds try providing nesting structures for them. Birds need more protein during the breeding season for themselves, and for their young. Mosquitoes and other insects can be an important source of protein for young birds and their parents because mosquitoes have a tendency to be abundant and therefore easier to find and catch.
These few simple things can be an easy and effective way of reducing your exposure to mosquitoes and easily benefiting birds and other wildlife visiting your yard or community.For more information about West Nile Virus or controlling mosquitoes around your home check out the following links:
Beyond Pesticides: Backyard Mosquito Management (pdf download)
Center for Disease Control:Fight The Bite!
Unfortunately, these spraying programs pose some potential problems. First, they only knock down adult mosquitoes and does little to impact larval mosquitoes which means there are more mosquitoes capable of emerging after the insecticide has dispersed from the air. Secondly, many of the insecticides that are used, like permethrin, are non-specific insecticides and can kill beneficial insects, like bees needed for pollination or other insects that are food for birds.
There are some simple, bird-friendly actions everyone can take to help reduce their own exposure to mosquitoes that may potentially carry West Nile, as well as help reduce mosquito populations around homes and in communities which reduces the potential number of mosquitoes that can bite birds and pass along the disease to humans.
Preventing Individual Exposure:
1.) Wear DEET, or another effective mosquito repellent, when working outside.
-many people do not like wearing DEET because they do not like the greasy feel or the fact that it’s a plasticizer (it dissolves plastic), or that it’s synthetic. DEET however has been around for long time and was designed to be used on human skin. Though the body does absorb DEET through the skin, the repellent is entirely flushed out of the body in about 12 hours. (DEET is a repellent, not an insecticide (it discourages insects, but doesn’t kill them the way an insecticide does).
-the higher the amount of DEET the longer it lasts, however effectiveness drops off around 40% (i.e. a solution containing 40% DEET is just as effective and lasts just as long as 100% DEET).
-Two new chemicals that the CDC began recommending in 2005 are Picaridin, which is effective at high concentrations (but not available in high concentrations in the US) and oil of lemon eucalyptus.
2.) If you do not like using chemicals on your skin you can wear clothing that covers up your skin. Even more effective is new clothing called Insect Shield.
-Insect Shield clothing incorporates insect repellent into the fabric of the clothing itself. So in addition to the protection afforded by the clothing itself, you have an additional layer of protection with the repellent.
Reducing Mosquito Populations Around your Home:
1.) Eliminate Standing Water—This can be done in a number of different manners.
-Obviously old tires, flower pots, children’s toys etc. can be over turned or covered to prevent pooling of stagnant water.
-Adding a bubbler aeration device (like those found in fish tanks), fountain, or even a drip device can potentially be enough to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in bird baths. The added benefit to this is that it provides a clean source of water for birds during the heat of summer where they won’t be exposed to mosquitoes, and birds are attracted to the sound of moving water.
2.) In areas that you are unable to cover or dump (like a man-made backyard pond) try adding Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) dunks to the water. This will help reduce mosquito larvae.
-It’s important to not add Bt dunks to natural ponds, wetlands, or ephemeral woodland wetlands. While these may be breeding sites for mosquitoes, the mosquito larvae are a source of food for other species like tadpoles, salamanders, small fish, and even other insects.
3.) Attract more birds to your yard
-Try reducing mosquitoes by attracting more insectivorous birds, like swallows to your yard. If you have a backyard pond try attracting Purple Martins. If you live near a field you may want to attract Eastern Bluebirds and/or Tree Swallows. You can also attract other species like wrens, thrushes and flycatchers. To attract these birds try providing nesting structures for them. Birds need more protein during the breeding season for themselves, and for their young. Mosquitoes and other insects can be an important source of protein for young birds and their parents because mosquitoes have a tendency to be abundant and therefore easier to find and catch.
These few simple things can be an easy and effective way of reducing your exposure to mosquitoes and easily benefiting birds and other wildlife visiting your yard or community.For more information about West Nile Virus or controlling mosquitoes around your home check out the following links:
Beyond Pesticides: Backyard Mosquito Management (pdf download)
Center for Disease Control:Fight The Bite!
