Lake Austin Spa Resort (Texas)

Mosquitoes are more than just a nuisance in the summer garden. Their bites can deliver West Nile virus, malaria and encephalitis in addition to intense itching. If spending time in your backyard in the evening involves lots of swatting, there are a few things you can use to avoid unwilling blood donations.

There are a number of commercially available herbal insect repellents that work well, although perhaps not as effectively as the chemical DEET. They smell wonderful too! Reapply as needed. Lemon eucalyptus, lavender, geranium, lemongrass, pine and rosemary essential oils are commonly used in herbal repellents and you can make your own by mixing two or three drops of strong smelling essential oils to a tablespoon of oil, lotion or witch hazel. Mix well and apply liberally. The witch hazel blend can be sprayed on the skin for easy application.

One of my favorite ways to enjoy my garden in the evening is to use incense sticks. You can find wonderful sandalwood incense sticks or the highly fragrant Amazon Lights herbal incense sticks that are made specifically for outdoor insect control at nurseries and garden centers. They can be difficult to light so light a candle first, then light the incense sticks with the candle. Stand them up in cans or pots filled with sand and place them so that the smoke will cover the area that you will be spending time in. Avoid placing them where children might accidently come in contact with them or knock them over. I have found that almost any incense sticks work to repel insects so I pick up an assortment when I can find them on sale.

A tablespoon of water can breed up to fifty mosquito larvae, so it is very important to change water in outdoor bird baths and treat standing water. Mosquito dunks are donut shaped Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israelenis), a bacterial toxin that damages the digestive system of mosquito larvae, causing them to die. The donuts may be floated in bird baths or ponds to kill mosquitoes up to a month. Don't forget about drain boxes in your yard that carry water from gutters or storm runoff. Often these boxes have about an inch of water in the bottom so they can breed thousand of mosquitoes. We tie the mosquito dunks to the grate on top of the box so that they are not carried off with rainwater. Any pond that contains fish will not pose a mosquito problem as the fish will happily consume the larvae. The same Bti formula is available in a granular form to treat under shrubs and in damp areas that can breed mosquitoes and kills quickly. These are nontoxic to fish, birds or wildlife.

Mosquito misting systems that utilize pyrethrins can be effective but also dangerous. While pyrethrin is natural, it is a neurotoxin and repeated exposure to the sprays can have serious health effects. These sprays also kill many beneficial insects.
ECO-PCO has developed a liquid that can be used in misting systems that contains rosemary, peppermint and wintergreen oils. It is very effective and smells great. It can be sprayed outdoors for long periods of control for flies and mosquitoes.

There are other liquid repellant formulas that contain garlic, orange oil and other essential oils that give up to a week of control per spray without harming your family, pets, or wildlife. Look for Mosquito Barrier, Bio-organic and Mosquito Defeeter brands. You can reclaim your summer garden and enjoy it without swatting.

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