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Mosquito & Dengue Control ... It's that time of year


snowyco

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..
As both the numbers of Aedes aegypti "Dengue" mosquito populations are increasing ... It's time to take some fun preventative actions to protect ourselves, families & friends from Dengue & Chikungunya risks.
 
How to best control mosquitoes??
The last 120 years of mosquito control efforts show one proven method, that works both short-term and long term:
... Eliminate Aedes ae. mosquito breeding sites.
 
Since Aedes ae. "Dengue" mosquitoes LOVE just a tablespoon of fresh rain water, we must eliminate (or treat**) or cover all standing water, inside & out.
 
Bits of plastic rubbish, old bags, bits of old crockery, piles of yard waste (like palm frond bases that hold water), fountains, the over-flow dishes under plants ... and even flower pots (with no drain hole in the bottom)
... even unused toilets & floor drains ...
... anything that holds water for 7 days or more ... breeds whole new crops of mosquitoes in just 1 week at our temperatures.
 
**Clean up our back yards & the insides of our homes ... Clean up the vacant lots .. treat "drained" fountains, swimming pools, and old tires with Abate ... Treat floor drains with either mineral oil or ammonia ... ;)
 
If it holds even a tablespoon of water ... it puts us, our families, and our neighbors at risk.
;)
 
= = = = = = =
Next??
The last decade of research on over 1,500 homes here in Yucatan shows that GOOD SCREENS, plus nylon curtains over outside-entryway doors is a superb way to protect our family & friends.
 
Then??
I also use our zapper racket (daily during heavy mosquito seasons) to kill all mosquitoes lurking by our front door & back door.
 
Using these 3 principles, we get about 1 mosquito a month in our home for the past 10 years. ;)
 
... and then, the zapper-racket works great.
 
Finally !!
Note that if you have no screens, or are sitting on an open patio ... burning the coils is proven to help ...
 
plus ... spray your socks ... protect your ankles & feet & lower legs, (DEET or Autan) ... because that's where Aedes ae. mosquitoes most love to feed ... especially during mornings & evenings.
 
Citronella candles also help with sitting in outside patio areas.
 
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***Ooooops... I didn't explain the details on treating standing water that can't be drained ... Unused pools, fountains, tires etc. are BEST treated with either pellets or pucks of "Abate" ... a proven mosquito larvicide that lasts for at least 3 months per treatment.
;)

Note:  If your swimming pool has sufficient chlorine levels, the free-chlorine disinfectant kills the mosquito eggs & their larvae. => Maintain good chlorine level in pools & fountains ... or use Abate   ... or Copper. ;)
 
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Indoor spraying ... DONE PROPERLY ... can be very effective.
and ... Indoor spraying is super-important if someone in the house gets Dengue or Chikungunya ... because that infected (febrile) person ~infects~ yet more Aedes ae. female mosquitoes
 
- making a reservoir of Dengue-infected or Chikungunya-infected mosquitoes that bite & infect other people, for up to another 30 days.  
 
"Spraying Properly" =
1. Close all windows & doors to trap the mosquito spray-vapors.
 
2. Carefully & throroughly spray under all furniture ... inside closets ... up around the ceiling ...
 
... spraying especially where there are clothes, moving the clothes around briskly while spraying, because mosquitoes love our body odor residues on our clothes.
 
(and yes, bleaching clothes is about the only way to remove the Aedes ae. "Dengue" mosquito-attracting body odor residues.)  
 
3. Run out of the room (   ) and shut the door tight ... and leave the room closed for at least 30 min, to an hour.
 
4. Work your way through every room in the house ... Close -up tight, spray carefully, & keep it sealed for at least 30 minutes...
 
Notice... Because we can't seal up our patios, gardens or yards, outdoor spraying simply does NOT penetrate into all the nooks, crannies, inside bushes, vines, etc where the Aedes ae. "Dengue mosquitoes" hide & rest.
 
So, outdoor spraying means MORE Aedes ae. mosquitoes in the future.
:(
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BT mosquito larvae virus pellets are available from Laura' s garden center in Riberas next to the 711. They used to be available for free from D.I.F. but once they started putting BT in plant genetics, there was a mild backlash about BT.

The current best solution for flying or crawling pests is a high pressure misting system. During the bug season you load the water tank with either a natural repellent, or if you are comfortable with it, an insecticide. With the latter choice, make the mists only where bees do not cross. The mist works on a timer. These units are not that expensive. When it is in the very hot season, many get a new plastic tank, and use the mister to cool poolsides, etc. It lowers the temperature by quite a bit, and if you add a water soluable fragrance such as mint for example, it is a very refreshing experience. It is real draw for beachfront or malecon businesses.

There is a local company specialising in this:

cel (045) 331 498 7699

I know the 045 part is wrong, but that is what they say in their ad. By the way these misting systems have been in produce storage and livestock control of flies and heat stress for many years.

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