There’s been lots of rain in many parts of the countries this spring, encouraging lots of mosquitoes! And just in time for Memorial Day!
You can actually do a lot to keep mosquitoes at bay. In fact, a few small changes in your backyard can have a big impact on the environment, and make your time outdoors more pleasant!
Here’s the thing that you will see advertised on your local news, radio, and any anti-mosquito guide you read: get rid of standing water. Standing water is where mosquitoes lay their eggs, so allowing water to pool in your yard (from rain filling in natural features, a disused pool, fountain, wagon, etc.) makes you ground zero for mosquito bites.
But here’s an important caveat:
There are a few instances where having standing water is not only a good thing, but a necessity! Here’s when, and how to do it safely—
If you have outdoor pets, they’ll need a source of water. Keep it fresh by emptying/refilling the bowl once or twice a day (more if it’s really hot), and/or by adding a few drops of colloidal silver. Plastic degrades a lot over time, allowing for pathogens to grow in the pores that form, so replace plastic bowls every year or two of get metal ones. Keep them clean from debris.
Pets or no pets, a bird fountain is a great feature for your yard. Firstly, because some birds eat mosquitoes, which can help keep numbers down (bats will eat mosquitoes too, but can be a problem of their own).
As an aside, you can do humanity a great service by making a really simple modification to your bird fountain—adding a few stones so there are some really shallow spots. Why? Because bees get thirsty, and making a bee friendly yard supports bees, and helps with crops (1 in 3 of the bites you take you can thank bees for).
Just like with dishes for your pets, keep that water fresh! Don’t let it get stale, or sit long enough to incubate mosquito eggs (24+ hours—so change that water daily!).
Avoid spraying pesticides. Bad for you, your pets, bees, and more. While tempting, it’s really just a short-term solution. Instead, look into natural solutions—planting the right kind of flowers, using citronella candles, etc.!
Why Do All The Work Against Mosquitoes?
When I was growing up, a mosquito bite was just an annoyance. Actually, as a small child the itching sensation was rather amusing! But no more. Now mosquito bites conjure up fears of West Nile Virus, Yellow Fever, Dengue Fever, Chik-V and much more.
Many tropical diseases are, more specifically, mosquito diseases. While Americans have long considered themselves luckily removed from dealing with them, they’re both spreading, and getting stronger (antibiotic resistant, at least the ones that are bacterial infections).
So while keeping mosquitoes out of your yard is step one, keeping your immune system strong in case you get bit is a BIG step two!
Make sure you’ve got daily immune support, like colloidal silver!
What are your thoughts on mosquitoes this summer?
