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Mosquito Control Spring 2020

Mar 20, 2020 3:45:00 AM / by David C Sulock posted in mosquito, Mosquito Remedation, mosquito management service, mosquito removal

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mosquito Control-1

Crazy times, first full day of Spring and we all want to be sprung, but realty is more likely we will be staying at our homes for awhile.

If you like to be in your yard AND you have had issues with mosquitoes in the past, maybe this is the year to seek professional help by having mosquito control & remediation performed in your yard. Our service will remediate (remove) mosquitoes from your yard.

Book a seasonal service, 8 applications and get $25.00 off. We start treating mid to late April.

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Why start controlling mosquitoes in early Spring?

You start early whack the buggers, then you keep them suppressed for the rest of the season with reapplications every 3 weeks. It more effective the earlier you start because:

1. We treat foliage as mosquitoes need the nectar from the leaves for food (blood is just for laying eggs and only the female bites).

 

Dracula. Mosquito.Blood

2. With minimal foliage in the Spring, statistically speaking the mosquitoes are likely to encounter our barrier spray SOONER rather than later.

 

 

 

Target Mosquitoes-3

3. Treat early BEFORE you have a problem. An ounce of Prevention is worth a POUND of cure.

Call Tiffany at 

Call now. 

 

 

 

 

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Why is the Best Mosquito Control Important?

Feb 18, 2020 11:00:00 AM / by Tiffany Byrne posted in mosquito, Mosquito Remedation, mosquito management service, mosquito control service, mosquito removal, mosquito control

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Mosquito control is critical in disease prevention. Mosquitoes transfer diseases such as Yellow Fever, Malaria, Dengue, plus the West Nile virus. We need to protect ourselves from these viruses by protecting our yards. Without proper mosquito control, yards can become breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

How can mosquitoes transfer disease? You are the meal for the female bloodsucking mosquito, who, in turn is feeding the eggs. When the female needs to find food it goes for you, the blood meal. Male mosquitoes only suck on nectar and hang out in shady areas of you yard, waiting to reproduce. As a mosquito flies closer to its target, it looks for the movement of dark objects. Once it finds you, it lands, inserts its proboscis and probes for blood vessels beneath the skin. When it finds one, it injects saliva into the wound. The saliva contains an anticoagulant that ensures a steady, smooth flow of blood. Unfortunately, the mosquito’s saliva also may contain pathogens such as malaria parasites or encephalitis virus. This is how mosquitoes transmit disease.

Ready for Spring This Mosquito cant wait-1

What other reasons why it is important for mosquito control? It hits you psychologically, you are constantly looking over your shoulder wondering when the next mosquito is flying for their next meal of the day. To be perfectly honest, mosquitoes are annoying and can ruin your time outside which is why you won’t 

Research shows that mosquitoes began to emerge in New Jersey in April. Prior to April there are few things that as a homeowner you can do yourself to control mosquitoes.venture out during those dusk hours.

  • Empty all buckets of standing water.
  • Clean your gutters (or call a gutter guy to clean them for you). Leaves clog the gutters and downspouts, leading to an area where the female can lay her eggs.
  • Check areas around your home where water pools, fill these areas with topsoil and some grass seed. Keep the water pooling to a minimum. A mosquito only needs a capful of water to lay her eggs.
  • Remember any water outside at your property can lead to a mosquito breeding ground.

While the above is important, once mosquitoes become adults, they are on the underside of bushes hiding and  waiting for you to come outside. This is where you need a professional company to control the mosquitoes.

Mosquito companies will spray the underside of the bushes, trees, under decks and around the foundation of your dwelling to manage the mosquitoes in your yard.

For more information please contact Curren Environmental. It’s time to learn more about mosquitoes and controlling these annoying pests in your yard – take back you yard this spring.

 

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Mosquito Myths

Jun 18, 2018 2:21:00 PM / by David C Sulock posted in Mosquito Remedation, mosquito management service, mosquito control service, mosquito removal, mosquito removal companies

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The 10 Most Common Mosquito Myths

 Killmosquitoes-1

Myth 1:          All Mosquitoes bite.

False, only the female mosquito bites and some females do not bite at all.  The females that do bite need the protein in blood so she can lay eggs.  Rest assured if you get bit by a mosquito it was a female.

 

Myth 2:          Mosquitoes are small so a fan will keep them away.

This is true and false.  Mosquitoes are small, yes but a fan doesn't keep them away by blowing them away. Fans dilute our carbon dioxide, heat and individual smell -  all of which a mosquito uses to find us.

 

Myth 3:         Mosquitoes do not like the smell of citronella and DEET.

Yes and no, both citronella and DEET interfere with the mosquitoes receptors which are used to find blood meal.  In essence, these compounds are meant to hide you from mosquito.  What about garlic?  Like citronella, garlic is meant to mask your scent to confuse the mosquito’s receptors.   There is no real evidence that mosquitoes are repelled by garlic.  

 

Myth 4:          Fake news says that diseases are on the rise from mosquitoes.

As of May 1, 2018, the CDC states that mosquito, tick and fleabites have tripled in the United States.  From 2004 to 2016, over 640,000 cases have been reported https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2018/p0501-vs-vector-borne.html

 

Myth 5:          My blood type is irresistible to mosquitoes.

Studies have pointed to type O blood being more appetizing to mosquitoes.  If that is true, the research is not clear as to why.   What is known is that some people are simply more attractive to mosquitoes than others and this is believed to be from the carbon dioxide production of the individual as well as their scent.

 

 

Myth 6:         Bug zappers kill mosquitoes.

Studies of the dead insects in bug zappers found that the percentage of mosquitoes is relatively small.  This could be influenced by the fact that other insects are in greater numbers in a yard where a zapper is utilized.

Mosquito Ad-Color-3.5-1

Myth 7:        Mosquitoes only bite at night.

Sadly mosquitoes can and do bite in the heat of the day.  The Asian tiger mosquito is known to bite during the day.

 

Myth 8:        After a mosquito bites me, it will die.

If a bee stings you it will die. Mosquitoes can bite many people to get the blood needed to lay eggs, after the 

eggs are laid it will go bite someone else, so the circle of life can continue.

 

Myth 9:   My yard doesn't have any standing water so mosquitoes don't breed in my yard

 

Fact, if you are getting bitten by mosquitoes, you have a mosquito breeding ground on or immediately adjacent to your property.  Mosquitoes can lay eggs in a cap of water.

 

We treat thousands of properties a year for mosquito control and 90% have water that can and do breed mosquitoes.  Most people simple are not diligent enough to dump water from containers.   The following photos are from properties that we treat and that we inform owners of their water problems and they still don't get rid of all potential breeding areas

 

Mosquito control dont's

mosquitoes lay eggs in stagnant water

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gutters are popular breeding areas for mosquitoes

Photo Jun 01, 1 00 04 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Myth 10:        The coloring of clothing can attract mosquitoes.

There is evidence that says if you have darker colors you are more likely be bit than if wearing a lighter color.   Darker clothing maybe thicker and allows your body to retain heat, which is one of the factors a mosquito looks for when searching for a blood meal.

More Information on Mosquito Control can be found at the following links.

 

 Mosquito Control Service

 

 

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Do I need a Mosquito Control Service?

May 29, 2018 2:44:43 PM / by david sulock posted in Mosquito Remedation, mosquito management service, mosquito control service, mosquito removal, mosquito control

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If you enjoy being bitten by mosquitoes, never go outside and/or do not care about the vector of disease that a mosquito bite represents (remember mosquitoes can extract blood from different hosts which spreads the risk of disease to each person bitten), then the answer would be no.  If you do not like being bitten by mosquitoes then yes mosquito remediation is probable something you should consider.

 Mosquito Control

Mosquito control or the more technical name mosquito remediation has become popular that it is as common as the general landscaping properties owners have performed.  Studies show that enjoying the outdoors has a positive improvement on a person’s mental and physical health.   The least expensive and easiest outdoor activity is being outside your home be it in your yard, porch or patio.   Mosquitoes can deprive people of their outdoor enjoyment, many people state that they would spend more time outside if it were not for the mosquitoes.

mosquito removal from your yard 

Mosquito remediation services are a natural extension of the maintenance of your yard, not dissimilar to weed control, lawn cutting or landscaping.  Mosquito remediation involves applying an EPA registered insecticide in a micro droplet form to foliage, vegetation and cool dark places where mosquitoes frequent.  The spray is designed to take down mosquitoes that come in contact with the spray (adult mosquitoes), include a residual presence in a micro encapsulated form to address mosquitoes not present during the application and lastly to neutralize the eggs or larvae of mosquitoes that represent soon to be born mosquitoes.  Doses can be measured as low as an 1/8th of a teaspoon as the target (mosquitoes) are small and do not need large doses to be affected.

 Mosquito Remediation

The application is very targeted to mosquito habitats such as under a deck or shed where both male and female mosquitoes hide during the heat of the day.  Fences, foundations and other horizontal surfaces can also be treated, as they are Landing Zones for mosquitoes, in short a rest stop for mosquitoes in flight to a destination. Foliage is treated as both male and female mosquitoes consume the plant nectar for food.

mosquitoes hide under porches in the heat of the day-1 

Grass is typically never treated as it not a cool enough habitat for mosquito to live.  Remember mosquitoes are small and light, the heat of the day can dehydrate a mosquito hence why they need to stay cool.  The exception is the Asian tiger mosquito, which can withstand the heat of the day and is a mean mosquito and will bite you all day long.  This is unique, as you probable already know that your chances of being bitten are early in the morning or the late afternoon evening when it is cooler outside.

Clearly, you would prefer to treat a yard rather than spray chemicals on your person.  If you read the fine print of personal mosquito repellents, you will see that they are to be washed off once you go inside.

Mosquito control and mosquito remediation differ from what most people have tried in the past as it is designed to remove the mosquito, hence the word remediation.  Remediation meaning the correction of something bad or the removal of something unwanted like mosquitoes or mold. Traditional DIY mosquito control such as citronella oil, peppermint oil, garlic and plants, are meant to ward off mosquitoes.  The idea is the aromas of these compounds are meant to disguise you from mosquitoes.   How mosquitoes find us is not 100% certain but the best understanding is they search for the carbon dioxide (CO2) that humans and animals exhale. Other scents that we emit are also believed to attract mosquitoes.    It is also believed that visually mosquitoes can detect or thermal signature.  There is also a school of thought that mosquito a combination of all senses to locate a blood meal.  Bottom line a female mosquito bite to consume blood needed to lay eggs, so these attempts at stopping a pregnant mosquito have largely been met with dissatisfaction.  Hence the popularity of mosquito remediation.

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The systematic use of mosquito remediation each season has a long term lasting mosquito control benefit.   The reasons are as follows:

 

  • Your first season of mosquito remediation, drops the overall population of mosquitoes in your yard. If you do find a mosquito, it probable flew over from a neighbor’s yard.  So year one lowers the overall mosquito population, which limits future populations of mosquitoes as you are breaking the reproductive cycle of mosquitoes.  Meaning if you do not have mosquitoes, they cannot reproduce.
  • Year 2, is a lesser fight than year one as you have a smaller population in theory to control, but you most likely have a population of mosquitoes due to the natural life cycle of a mosquito. Mother Nature has bestowed mosquitoes the ability to continue their life cycle even in colder climates such as the Northeastern United States.  Mosquitoes do hibernate, as they are cold-blooded. Some females find holes or where they stay all winter.  Other female mosquitoes lay their eggs in freezing water and the eggs wait until spring to hatch as their eggs (larvae) can winter over meaning be dormant all winter and come out on the first patch of warm weather.   This stage is called diapause, which suspends any further development of the mosquito eggs.   These winter mosquitoes are remnants from last season and are eager to continue the mosquito life cycle.
  • You are probable breeding mosquitoes without knowing it. 80% of homes and businesses we treat have freestanding water where mosquitoes can lay eggs. 

The photo below is a prime example.  You see the water drain holes are not encountering the water being captured.  This recycling can was designed to not retain water, but the owner by placing the can upside down defeats the engineering and creates a water pocket for mosquitoes to grow.   It is items like this that we see time and again on properties, even when the owner is notified of the issues we find it is not corrected 40% of the time.Mosquito control dont's

Lastly, mosquito control should be viewed in the same lane as lawn care.  Manicured lawns are fertilized, weed controlled and cut on a regular basis.  When you stop cutting your lawn things can get out of control quickly.  Mosquito management is constant.

For tips you can try and not utilize a service, follow the link below.   IPM (Integrated Pest Management) takes a multi prong approach which can include out mosquito control tips as well as utilization of a mosquito remediation service.

DIY Mosquito Control

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