Melinda’s Garden
Melinda Myers
Manage Mosquitoes to Better Enjoy Your Outdoor Space
Puzzles shown on page 6.
Puzzle Solutions
Dine, play, and enjoy your outdoor while the Mosquito Dunks provide 30 spaces more than ever this year by days of control. managing annoying and diseaseThe active ingredient is Bacillus spreading mosquitoes. Use a multifaceted thuringiensis israelensis, a naturally approach to boost your enjoyment and occurring soil bacterium that kills the help keep mosquitoes away. mosquito larvae but is safe for children, Plan your outdoor activities when fish, pets, beneficial insects, and wildlife. mosquitoes are less active. Females are Keep your landscape looking its the ones looking for a blood meal and are best by managing weeds and grooming most active at dusk and dawn, when they neglected gardens. This eliminates some are looking for warmth and food. of the resting spaces for hungry adult Screened-in porches add a layer of mosquitoes. protection but only when they are intact Always protect yourself whenever and properly sealed. The same applies outdoors. Cover as much of your skin as to your home. Check screens and seals possible with loose-fitting, light-colored around doors and windows to help keep clothing. Mosquitoes are less attracted these pests from entering your home. to the lighter colors and cannot readily Use bug lights in light fixtures by reach your skin through loose clothing. entryways and in outdoor entertainment Further protect yourself by using a Photo courtesy of MelindaMyers.com Scatter citronella oil and candles throughout outdoor spaces. These emit yellow light that is personal repellent approved by the EPA. entertainment areas and within a few feet of guests for short-term not as attractive to mosquitoes and other For those looking for DEET-free options, relief from mosquitoes. insects. Bug lights will not eliminate the Centers for Disease Control and every unwanted insect but will reduce the Prevention has approved products with number visiting your lights at night and finding their way into your home. the active ingredient picaridin, IR3535, and the synthetic oils of lemon and Enhance the ambience and reduce mosquito issues when entertaining eucalyptus. outdoors. Use a fan to create a cooler space and keep these weak flyers away. Check the label for a list of active ingredients and safety recommendations Provide fragrant, subtle lighting with citronella oil and scented candles. Scatter when shopping for mosquito repellents. Avoid products that contain both them throughout the area and within a few feet of the guests for short-term sunscreen and insect repellent, since you need to apply sunscreen more often relief. than the repellent. Reduce the overall mosquito population in your yard by eliminating their Spending more time outdoors is good for the mind, body, and spirit. Using breeding grounds. Empty water that collects in items left outside. Change the a combination of mosquito-managing tactics will allow you to enjoy and water in your birdbath at least weekly or whenever you water your container benefit from your time outdoors. gardens. Add a bubbler or pump to keep water moving in fountains and ponds Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including Small Space so mosquito larvae cannot survive. Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses’ How to Grow Anything DVD series and Toss an organic mosquito control like Mosquito Dunks and Bits the Melinda’s Garden Moment TV and radio program. Myers is a columnist and (summitresponsiblesolutions.com) in your rain barrel, pond, or other water contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. MelindaMyers.com feature. Mosquito Bits quickly knock down the mosquito larval population,
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