Running Water Will Run Off Pesky Mosquitoes

Mosquitos – has anything else during the summer months ever been as pesky?

Mosquitos are a global pest, not just a local pest. They exist on every continent except two: Antarctica and Iceland. And, apparently, at some theme parks.

Is there a big secret for keeping them away from your property? No, not a secret; it just means that you need to have NO standing water on your property. The big theme parks in Florida and other tropical climates use that information to make your visits with them relatively buzz-free. 

It may look like there’s a lot of standing water, but all that water has pumps going beneath the surface to keep the water in circulation.

Water circulation💦 has some other benefits. For example, several flying insects breed on open water; if they can’t find still water, they will go elsewhere to breed. So, goodbye to mosquitos when you say goodbye to standing water in puddles, old tires, dead or rotting wood, and other places that you probably wouldn’t think were trouble spots otherwise.

Abatement

If you already have a mosquito problem, you may have to turn to pesticides to get rid of them. Don’t try to do this yourself if you aren’t experienced – handling pesticides in most states require a license and state-sponsored training. We aren’t talking about the little cans of spray you use to chase random bugs out of the house – we’re talking about serious chemistry.

Some states have laws about handling pesticides that pretty much cut out the home user. Luckily, your Divine Lawns landscaping team is licensed and ready to take care of your pest needs and set up a schedule to ensure those dangerous insects don’t come back.

Dangerous?

Yes, dangerous! Everyone has scratched a bite, and maybe it becomes infected enough to need some antibacterial treatment and a sticky bandage over it. Kids, especially, often have bug bites that they scratch without noticing. And that’s the small stuff.

Mosquitoes carry a variety of diseases that can recur once in your system – like malaria, dengue fever, and several types of encephalitis. Many encephalitis viruses cycle between birds and transfer to humans and other animals through mosquitos. West Nile virus made its way across the world this way. Zika virus has been found in more than 35 countries in the Americas, borne by one type of monkey from the forests in Uruguay.

Prevention?

To a certain extent, contact with these diseases is preventable. The best prevention is not to get stung by mosquitos. That means ensuring your property is free of water that stays on the surface for more than a few hours.

The first place we can control what the water does is our sprinkler systems and drainage on our property. Lawns, in general, need about an inch of water per week. Of course, this varies according to local climate and rain conditions, but for most lawns, an inch is about normal.

How do we know when we’ve watered an inch?  💧First, find a flat-bottomed container and set it on your grass near the sprinklers. You’ll probably find that about a half-hour of the sprinklers produces about half an inch of water.

Kansas lawns may require more water – you have some pretty heavy winds circulating that suck water out of the air – but your landscape gurus at Divine Lawns can help you figure out the best watering amounts and times. The goal is not to leave any puddles on the lawns after about an hour.

If you have watering systems for flower beds and gardens, use the same figures – any puddles should be gone within an hour.

Other standing water

We do love our little ponds and fountains, don’t we? Usually, when those items are installed, they have circulating pumps that keep the water moving and fresh. Fish also keep the surface of the water bug-free if you have ponds for ornamental fish.

The little waterfalls and misty fountains that many love also have circulating pumps. Keep a watch on them, though. These are usually designed to keep the mist over the water. If it’s spilling out over the sides of the fountain, it may be leaving puddles around the rocks. But, again, your landscaping partners at Divine Lawns will be able to help you fix any of these problems.

Your landscape is looking great! Let’s keep it healthy, too!