Kill Those Little Bllod Suckers

Luckily only 50% of the mosquitoes world wide suck human blood. The female mosquito needs the protein from human blood to develop her eggs and lay them. When they don't get the blood meal they have to consume their own wing muscles. There are 2500 differnt species of mosquitoes worldwide and they only weigh in at 1/25000th of a ounce. They are so light they are able to walk on water. The mosquito saliva that they leave when they bite you is what causes the itching.

In the United States along there are 150 species of mosquitoes and most can mature from a egg in one to two weeks. Mosquitoes need water to reproduce and they can usually find standing water in pets dishes, drainage dishes, fishponds,old tires,damp mulch,rain gutter lines, sewers,planters, etc. Mosquitoes like to live near your home and are smart enough to know that there are plenty of free meals there, you and your family.

During the day they will seek shelter from the sun and are active when it cools down or they are in a shady spot. They will never go to far from water. Getting rid of any standing water will get rid of the mosquitoes reproducing in your yard. They don't like windy conditions and they really prefer still air areas.

The female mosquito eats a blood meal and then lays a egg on the surface of the water. The water must be still so keep this in mind concerning the water in your yard. If you have standing water in your backyard and mosquioes in your neighborhood you will have mosquitoes hatching in your backyard. They prefer very shallow water so it doesn't take much to make them happy. They will feed on bacteria in the water after they hatch then they turn into pupae. It only takes several days for mosquitoes to turn into adults and go looking for you.

Keep this in mind it only takes 1 pint of water to nuture 500 mosquito larvae. 

There are several plants you can plant in your yard or garden to get rid of mosquitoes. And these plants work very well.

1. Catnip

2. Rosemary

3. Marigolds

4. Citronella Grass also known as lemon grass.

5. Lemon Thyme

All of these plants will work very well to keep away mosquitoes. If you plant a combination of them you should not have any mosquito problems at all. Marigolds will also keep other insect pests out of your yard and garden.

Herbs 101

To get rid of flying insects including mosquitoes plant basil in pots on your porch and in your yard and garden. Most flying insects can not stand basil in any way. It will keep them completly away.

A Grass That Repels Mosquitoes

A very effective substance that repels mosquitoes is citronellla. Citronella can be found in lemon grass and in the natural oil found in the lemon grass it is much stronger than a store bought product. It is also called Thai Grass and should be available in your local garden supply store. It will mosquito proof your yard and garden.

If you don't have bats in your neighborhood you might consider purchasing a bat house. Most garden supply stores sell bat houses for about $25.00. Once the bats move in this will eliminate thousands of unwanted mosquitoes every night. Bats will not bother humans however, if you have a pool or birdbath they will swoop in for a drink every now and then.  

Both toads and bats eat thousands of mosquitos a night. If you live in a area where toads occur and you want them in your yard build them a few toad houses. They love to live in clay flower pots so place a clay flower pot upside down and cut Mr Toad a hole near the top which is now the bottom and Mr Toad will move right in. Place your toad houses where they will not be disturbed. They love the cool dark toad house the clay flower pot provides to get away from the heat of the day.

Add small goldfish to your outdoor pool to take care of the mosquito larvae in it. Depending on how many gold fish you put in the pond you may never need to feed them. If you do need to feed them only feed them lightly so they will stay hungry for the mosquito larvae.  

Copyright  ©  2009 Thomas Byers All Rights Reserved