Mosquito Control
Of all the animals on earth, mosquitoes may very well pose the greatest threat to man’s health and existence. Diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, such as malaria, west Nile virus, Yellow fever, Filariasis, Dengue fever and Encephalitis kill and debilitate millions of persons world wide even with today’s advances in medicine. Even as a nuisance biter, they can have a major negative impact on a local economy by inhibiting recreational or work environments.
Early life stages of mosquitoes (larvae and pupae) must have water in which to live. Any object capable of retaining water for five or more days is a potential breeding site. An understanding of the various sites in which mosquitoes can breed is vital to any control program.
The length of an adult mosquito’s life under natural conditions is only a few weeks during the summer months. Mating usually takes place within 24 to 48 hours after adults emerge. Mosquitoes have a tremendous potential for reproduction. A female mosquito, depending on species, can produce about 50 to 500 eggs in her first brood. If we consider an average of 200 eggs per brood (of which half would be female) and that a mosquito can complete its development in less than two weeks, we can obtain in only five generations around 20 millions mosquitoes. If we could get 20 million offspring from only one female, thousands of females could produce billions or trillions of mosquitoes.
When do females feed? Some species feed during the daytime, some feed at night and some bite day or night.
Another important factor is where mosquitoes feed. Some will feed on us only when we wander into the areas in which they live. Others will fly 5 to 10 miles to feed. Then there are the types that actually have the nerve to attacks us inside our own homes.
Mosquito control is a problem that is best handled by the community and public health agencies rather than by the individual since breeding places of mosquitoes are often situated at considerable distances from the place of annoyance. However, in Texas, mosquito control is limited or does not exist at all. On a very local basis, such as your home, business or yard, proper application of materials to surrounding vegetation where the adult mosquitoes rest, can offer control for several hours or longer. The myth, perpetuated to the public, is that electric bug zappers, ultrasonic repelling devices and citronella candles can offer effective mosquito control. Such methods have little or no effect to relieving the stress of mosquito attacks around structures.
ABC’s Environmental Mosquito Management is an integrated pest management program, incorporating the best possible tools and strategies to provide a systematic approach to mosquito control. Steps to this process include surveying, breeding source reduction, environmental modification of breeding habitats, biological control, and direct contact treatment of resting and hunting mosquitoes. ABC’s direct contact treatment features CoastalMister, a custom designed misting system that places our materials strategically in your outdoor living environment. ABC’s Environmental Mosquito Management System will give you ABC will install clear or black nylon tubing and precision nozzles in and around the protected areas. ABC’s misting nozzles are constructed of stainless steel and brass and feature a positive shutoff at the orifice to prevent dripping. This allows the system to deliver a fine mist of exactly measured material at predetermined times and duration to create a defense against mosquitoes and other outdoor pests. |
the best results possible. ABC’s Coastal Misters are installed around the perimeter of the structures, in landscaped areas, along fences and in other places where mosquitoes are likely to be found. The Misters are pre-programmed to treat your exterior environment automatically when the mosquitoes are most active or on demand with a hand held remote control.