Plants That Will Get Rid Of Mosquitoes
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.
Is A Bat House In Your Future
A small colony of bats will eat thousands of mosquitoes every night.
Get Bats In Your Belfry
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.
The Mosquito Hunters
Toads Love To Eat Mosquitoes. So be sure to make any toads in your yard or garden welcome.
google_protectAndRun("ads_core.google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad);
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.
Biology of mosquito
Characteristics of mosquito:
· slender and long mouth parts
· scaly wings
· complete head for larvae
· a pair of spiracles on the dorsal part of the 8th abdominal segment of the larvae
Life cycle: complete metamorphosis with 4 stages (egg, larva, pupa and adult)
Egg:
· Adult mosquito generally lays eggs on water surface or its adjacent sites
· Development of eggs takes 2 to 3 days
Larva:
· Aquatic animal without leg
· With four stages of development
· Comes up to the water surface to take atmospheric air with its spiracle at the 8th segment
Pupa:
· Non-feeding aquatic form
· Has to come up to the water surface to breathe usually
· Life span is 2 to 3 days
Adult:
· Body can be divided as head, thorax and abdomen
· A pair of compound eyes and antennae as well as mouthparts on its head
· A pair of jointed legs on each segment of the thorax and a pair of wings
· The abdomen is composed of ten segments
Behaviour :
Mating: Female mosquito of many species mate 1 to 2 days after hatching. Female adults normally mate only once in its life.
Feeding: Normally only female adults feed on animal blood. Male adults feed on plant juice. Some species are anthropophilic and some are zoophilic.
Egg laying: Female mosquito of most species has to get blood meal for the development of eggs. Breeding place can be permanent stagnant water, flowing water, temporary stagnant water or containers.
Resting: Adult mosquito rests near breeding site for a few hours after hatching. Exophilic mosquito also rests indoors for a short period of time before and after feeding.
Dispersion: Adult mosquito disperses for feeding, finding suitable resting sites, mating and laying eggs. It can disperse through flight, air current or vehicles.
Hibernation: Some mosquitoes (for example most species of Anopheles and Culex) hibernate in winter at adult stage. Aedes over winter at egg stage.
Longevity: Generally male mosquitoes only survive one week but the females can live for two to three weeks.
Mosquito prevention
o Advice
o To the public
The public is advised:
§ To tidy up their premises and check for any accumulation of water inside their premises;
§ To remove all unnecessary water collection and eliminate the sources;
§ To change at least every week the water in flower vases and saucers of potted plants to prevent breeding of mosquitoes. The use of saucers should be avoided whenever possible;
§ To properly cover all containers that hold water to prevent mosquito from accessing the water;
§ To properly dispose articles that are able to contain water such as empty lunch boxes, cans and tyres;
§ To stop storing water along morning walk trails or Government land for irrigation;
§ To make large holes on tyres used as anti-bumping measure in garage to prevent water trapping or use mark(s) on the parking space to prevent bumping instead.
§ To contact the district pest control offices or PCAS of FEHD, or pest control companies for assistance in mosquito control or prevention.
§ To install mosquito screen on windows and doors.
§ To use mosquito net for sleeping if necessary.
§ To apply insect repellant on the clothes.
§ To wear light-coloured long-sleeved clothes and long trousers.
§ To avoid applying odour-producing cosmetics such as perfume/body lotion during outdoor activities.
To the management of construction sites
The management of construction sites is advised:
§ To assign a staff for the control and prevention of mosquito in the site;
§ To tidy up the construction site regularly, at least weekly and check for any accumulation of water inside the site;
§ To remove all unnecessary water collection and eliminate the source(s);
§ To cover all containers that hold water to prevent mosquito from accessing the water;
§ To render the vertical poles in scaffolding unable to hold water by making holes at the ends or filling them up with sand;
§ To dispose articles that are able to contain water such as empty lunch boxes, cans, disused articles and tyres into covered container(s) and remove these articles from the site regularly, at least weekly;
§ To carry out larviciding against mosquito breeding where the breeding sources or potential breeding grounds are inaccessible or could not be eliminated.
§ To contact the district pest control offices or PCAS of FEHD, or pest control companies for assistance in mosquito control or prevention.
Mosquito control
Adult Control
· to use mosquito trap for trapping the mosquito
· to use mosquito coil or aerosol to kill the mosquito directly
· to kill mosquito with electrical device designed for the purpose (Observe the safety precautions in using the device)
Larval Control
· to remove containers with water
· to clear stagnant water
· to pave/fill uneven ground and/or holes
· to apply larvicidal oil or pesticide to kill the larvae
· to keep fish which feeds on mosquito larvae
Figures
Anopheles species
Aedes species
Culex species
Fig. 1 Egg of different mosquito species
Culicines species
Anophelines species
Fig. 2 Posture of mosquito larva of different species in breathing
Fig. 3 A mosquito pupa
Fig. 4 Adult mosquito
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.
Is A Bat House In Your Future
A small colony of bats will eat thousands of mosquitoes every night.
Get Bats In Your Belfry
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.
The Mosquito Hunters
Toads Love To Eat Mosquitoes. So be sure to make any toads in your yard or garden welcome.
google_protectAndRun("ads_core.google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad);
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.
Biology of mosquito
Characteristics of mosquito:
· slender and long mouth parts
· scaly wings
· complete head for larvae
· a pair of spiracles on the dorsal part of the 8th abdominal segment of the larvae
Life cycle: complete metamorphosis with 4 stages (egg, larva, pupa and adult)
Egg:
· Adult mosquito generally lays eggs on water surface or its adjacent sites
· Development of eggs takes 2 to 3 days
Larva:
· Aquatic animal without leg
· With four stages of development
· Comes up to the water surface to take atmospheric air with its spiracle at the 8th segment
Pupa:
· Non-feeding aquatic form
· Has to come up to the water surface to breathe usually
· Life span is 2 to 3 days
Adult:
· Body can be divided as head, thorax and abdomen
· A pair of compound eyes and antennae as well as mouthparts on its head
· A pair of jointed legs on each segment of the thorax and a pair of wings
· The abdomen is composed of ten segments
Behaviour :
Mating: Female mosquito of many species mate 1 to 2 days after hatching. Female adults normally mate only once in its life.
Feeding: Normally only female adults feed on animal blood. Male adults feed on plant juice. Some species are anthropophilic and some are zoophilic.
Egg laying: Female mosquito of most species has to get blood meal for the development of eggs. Breeding place can be permanent stagnant water, flowing water, temporary stagnant water or containers.
Resting: Adult mosquito rests near breeding site for a few hours after hatching. Exophilic mosquito also rests indoors for a short period of time before and after feeding.
Dispersion: Adult mosquito disperses for feeding, finding suitable resting sites, mating and laying eggs. It can disperse through flight, air current or vehicles.
Hibernation: Some mosquitoes (for example most species of Anopheles and Culex) hibernate in winter at adult stage. Aedes over winter at egg stage.
Longevity: Generally male mosquitoes only survive one week but the females can live for two to three weeks.
Mosquito prevention
o Advice
o To the public
The public is advised:
§ To tidy up their premises and check for any accumulation of water inside their premises;
§ To remove all unnecessary water collection and eliminate the sources;
§ To change at least every week the water in flower vases and saucers of potted plants to prevent breeding of mosquitoes. The use of saucers should be avoided whenever possible;
§ To properly cover all containers that hold water to prevent mosquito from accessing the water;
§ To properly dispose articles that are able to contain water such as empty lunch boxes, cans and tyres;
§ To stop storing water along morning walk trails or Government land for irrigation;
§ To make large holes on tyres used as anti-bumping measure in garage to prevent water trapping or use mark(s) on the parking space to prevent bumping instead.
§ To contact the district pest control offices or PCAS of FEHD, or pest control companies for assistance in mosquito control or prevention.
§ To install mosquito screen on windows and doors.
§ To use mosquito net for sleeping if necessary.
§ To apply insect repellant on the clothes.
§ To wear light-coloured long-sleeved clothes and long trousers.
§ To avoid applying odour-producing cosmetics such as perfume/body lotion during outdoor activities.
To the management of construction sites
The management of construction sites is advised:
§ To assign a staff for the control and prevention of mosquito in the site;
§ To tidy up the construction site regularly, at least weekly and check for any accumulation of water inside the site;
§ To remove all unnecessary water collection and eliminate the source(s);
§ To cover all containers that hold water to prevent mosquito from accessing the water;
§ To render the vertical poles in scaffolding unable to hold water by making holes at the ends or filling them up with sand;
§ To dispose articles that are able to contain water such as empty lunch boxes, cans, disused articles and tyres into covered container(s) and remove these articles from the site regularly, at least weekly;
§ To carry out larviciding against mosquito breeding where the breeding sources or potential breeding grounds are inaccessible or could not be eliminated.
§ To contact the district pest control offices or PCAS of FEHD, or pest control companies for assistance in mosquito control or prevention.
Mosquito control
Adult Control
· to use mosquito trap for trapping the mosquito
· to use mosquito coil or aerosol to kill the mosquito directly
· to kill mosquito with electrical device designed for the purpose (Observe the safety precautions in using the device)
Larval Control
· to remove containers with water
· to clear stagnant water
· to pave/fill uneven ground and/or holes
· to apply larvicidal oil or pesticide to kill the larvae
· to keep fish which feeds on mosquito larvae
Figures
Anopheles species
Aedes species
Culex species
Fig. 1 Egg of different mosquito species
Culicines species
Anophelines species
Fig. 2 Posture of mosquito larva of different species in breathing
Fig. 3 A mosquito pupa
Fig. 4 Adult mosquito
