Mosquito Control Methods
Mosquito control methods are often employed in communities to manage whole populations of mosquitoes. Mosquito numbers are monitored in order to halt the growth of mosquito larvae and decrease the number of adult mosquitoes.
Mosquito dunks containing a bacteria toxic only to mosquito larvae. Safe for fish, pets and humans. Add dunks to any standing water to kill mosquito larvae. Highly effective. Suitable for organic gardening.
There are mosquito control companies that offer a variety of services to home and landowners, businesses and governments.
Mosquito Larvae Control
Larvicides, often referred to as mosquito dunks, are insecticides used in mosquito larvae control. They are added to mosquito breeding habitats such as marshes, ponds, ditches, lakes and other areas of standing water. Methoprene is one such larvicide, which prevents mosquito pupae from turning into mosquitoes, therefore halting the process of the mosquito lifecycle and preventing new mosquitoes emerging.
It is best to carry out larviciding in the beginning of the mosquito season in order to reduce the numbers of mosquito larvae that will live on to become adult mosquitoes.
Adult Mosquito Control
Adulticides are pesticides, which contain active ingredients such as pyrethroids or pyrethrin, and these kill adult mosquitoes. Adulticides can be sprayed from the air or on the ground around outdoor residential areas and recreational sites such as parks, golf courses and other public areas to give protection against nuisance mosquitoes.
Natural Mosquito Control Methods
One of the simplest natural mosquito control methods is to eliminate areas of standing water, which is where mosquitoes go to lay their eggs. This includes emptying water (or changing the water frequently) from containers such as birdbaths, buckets, disused pools, gutters, and old tyres that may be laying around in your back yard or near your home.
Basically anything that holds water is a potential breeding ground for mosquitoes, even puddles.
Another mosquito control method is biological control. This involves the use of natural predators of mosquitoes to try and keep their numbers down. For example, mosquito fish feed on mosquito larvae and pupae, but there is some debate over how effective their introduction as a natural mosquito control method has become.
