Category Archives: Tips and Fun Facts

September marks the official start of Fall, which means that the Texas weather will be shifting from hot and humid to…. well, warm and humid! Despite the heat, September is a favored growing season and makes a great time for avid gardeners to get outside and do what they love. However, if mosquitoes use your garden as their happy home, being outside can be rather miserable. To help you out here are some gardening ‘dos and don’ts’ that can help prevent or eliminate your mosquito issues.

One of the most common causes of mosquito issues in your garden is mulch (or pine bark, pine needles, and other similar materials used on garden beds). These ground covers and the wet, shaded soil beneath can contain millions of mosquito eggs due to the moisture they hold. When you lay a new bag of mulch out, you also lay out the thousands of mosquito eggs contained with it, and you will experience a huge surge in your mosquito issues! However, leaving mulch bags out in the yard can have an even worse effect- the sealed, dark damp environment is an ideal home for mosquitoes. If you are going to keep mulch in bags for some time, move them out of the weather to help reduce the issues. Customers with Mosquito Joe will notify us when they add new mulch in the yard so we can be sure to treat these areas well to eliminate these mosquitoes. For those who do not have routine mosquito services, make sure you lay your mulch (or soil) out as soon as you can and don’t overwater.

On the subject of mulch, the lining used for mulch beds can make a big difference in your mosquito population. Be sure to lay the landscape cloth completely flat so it does not hold pockets of water beneath it. We also recommend using a landscaping cloth material over a tarp, as these won’t allow any water to pass through and will just collect it after weather, creating a never-ending issue in your yard. We’ve seen some real head-scratchers over the years so be sure you know what is being laid under your beds if you opt to have that work done for you.

The manner in which you plant or pot your plants can contribute to issues in your yard as well. When planting in mulch beds, avoid digging holes too deeply into the soil as this will result in standing water each time you water. Conversely, don’t plant too high as that might cause a moat around your plant. For plants in pots, keep an eye on your plant pot saucers, and be sure to regularly dump out any water that collects in them. Whether in a bed or in a pot it is really important to avoid overwatering your plants!

Speaking of plants, please don’t be fooled by the gimmicky advertising on some that declare they are a “mosquito repellant.” You will be disappointed if you plant some of these in the hopes of warding off issues. To learn more about “mosquito repellant” plants and the truth behind them, check out our past blog post – ‘Do Mosquito Repellant Plants Really Work?’

When working in the garden, keep an eye out for other objects that may hold water you don’t often think about- fountains, bird baths, wheelbarrows, tarps, gutters, drains, or gardening equipment can be the secret to your mosquito problems. Remember that 1 teaspoon of water will result in 300 mosquitoes every couple of days. The innocent water at the bottom of a watering can become a huge issue for you when you are outside. Keep an eye on your drainage system to make sure it is draining well and not holding water. It only takes a few leaves or some displaced mulch to cause a problem.

If you want to enjoy your gardening work without being bitten, consider giving Mosquito Joe a call at 979-859-5998. We treat flower beds with an all-natural product, garlic extract, and will never treat your veggie garden unless the situation warrants it (and we speak with you first). We tailor our services this way to minimize our impact on pollinators and beneficial

We often receive phone calls from people who are searching for mosquito service but have serious concerns about environmental health and safety. Many believe that the pesticides used can be harmful to beneficial insects and our environment. This can be true if used irresponsibly. Here at Mosquito Joe of of S Brazos Valley we want to assure our customers that this is not how we treat them – we work hard to put our environment first and proudly claim the title of a member of the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP)!

What is PESP? The Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP) is a partnership with the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to promote and emphasize environmentally conscious pest control services. This includes an emphasis on ‘Integrated Pest Management,’ or IPM, which involves knowledge of pests and their environment, coupled with choosing the lowest risk products or methods to provide a treatment solution! Mosquito Joe’s participation in the PESP focuses on implementing this new, structured IPM program to explore low-risk and environmentally conscious processes and products in our field operations.

For our customers, this means that Mosquito Joe cares about the health and welfare of our customers and the environment. Our partnership with PESP demonstrates our commitment to providing low-risk outdoor pest control. We make continued efforts to focus on environmental health and safety, are big advocates for bees and other pollinators, and work to be mindful of all different types of flora in your yard! In fact, Mosquito Joe officially holds a ‘silver’ tiered membership status with PESP and is the only backyard mosquito control company that has acquired Silver Tiered accreditation at this time. Our goal is to protect you, your family, pets, and your community from vector-borne diseases while making your outside fun again.

For local residents that have shied away from mosquito services out of concern for the environment, we hear and share those concerns! Mosquito Joe goes the extra mile to ensure that we do everything we can to provide you with the most environmentally conscious pest control service on the market. While we always utilize the IPM program and its measures during all of our services, customers interested in natural pest management options can opt for our ‘Botanical’ and ‘all-natural’ services. Our Botanical service uses a natural compound of essential oils and soap to kill the mosquitoes in your yard, while our all-natural uses strictly concentrated garlic to repel (but not kill) them. No matter which service you choose, our technicians will always treat your flowering plants only with our organic product in an effort to reduce our impact on bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.

For environmentally-conscious residents looking to balance good health with environmental protection, Mosquito Joe is the way to go! Pest control has developed a bad reputation over the years for using harsh chemicals and negatively impacting the environment. While we can’t speak for our competitors, environmental responsibility is at the forefront of our minds, developing an individual plan for each yard to maximize results while minimizing impact. As the only backyard mosquito control company that has acquired Silver Tiered accreditation of the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program, you can rest knowing we go above and beyond to provide the most effective, environmentally responsible service available. For more information on these services, you can check out our FAQs below, or give us a call at 979-859-5998!

You may be thinking that June is an odd month to be writing about the cold and its impact on mosquitoes but hear us out. June is one of three months in Alaska where mosquitoes are at their height. It’s not a long season, but what it lacks in length it makes up for in quantity. If you haven’t seen what mosquitoes in Alaska look like check out this video. Makes you glad to live in Texas, doesn’t it?

There is a common misconception that when our temperatures dip to the freezing mark all the mosquitoes die. If this were true then Alaska would be a mosquito-free zone, which, as you can see from the video, is far from. Mosquitoes would also have died off a long time ago. How long have mosquitoes been around? Since the Jurassic period, so about 210 million years. It is safe to say that a little Texas freeze won’t be doing much to kill them off.
 

So, what happens to the mosquito when the temperatures dip? There is no doubt that many mosquitoes die off. They have a short life span after all. Others simply hibernate through a process of “supercooling”: they remove impurities from their body fluids that would trigger the formation of ice. By doing this they can avoid the bursting of cell walls under 32 degrees F. What is key to their survival, however, are their eggs. This is why Alaska has such a huge problem: mass numbers of mosquitoes lay about 300 eggs a time every few days only increasing the numbers the next year.

Mosquitoes know what they are doing. They lay their eggs in water or on the moist ground near water. Those eggs can lay dormant for ten to fifteen years and hatch when the time is right. In Alaska, the runoff and water that results from the melting snows create mass hatching of those eggs, resulting in the video you saw.

Managing mosquitoes for our customers involves much more than spraying leaves with products. We manage not only existing water, in French drains, puddles, etc., but those areas that might be dry but will likely collect water after a hard rain. Trying to get ahead of the population in your yard means we must pay close attention to the areas where mosquitoes will lay eggs so we can prevent the resulting larvae from hatching into adults.

Another interesting tidbit about Alaska and its mosquitoes is the presence of the “snow mosquito” (Aedes Communis). These mosquitoes are large, like a bee, and survive the winter by bundling in leaf litter or under tree bark. They can also burrow into the snow and wait for the spring to melt. They exist in other northern states, like New Jersey and Montana but happily, not in Texas. Snow mosquitoes are the first to appear and tend to take a blood meal from animals since humans are often inside (or bundled up if out in the cold.) Like all mosquitoes they feed off plant nectar, biting only before they need to lay eggs (the females are the only mosquito that bites.) In the case of the snow mosquito, they play an important role in pollination: scientists discovered, in the early 70s, that Aedes Communis is an important pollinator of the blunt-leaf Orchid (Platanthera Obtusata) as well as other smaller flowers found at higher elevations.

While Alaska is currently suffering through a short but very intense mosquito season, here we are pretty much always dealing with mosquitoes. Managing the water in your yard will go a long way to keeping your population in check. Mosquito Joe of S Brazos Valley can do this for you, as well as treat your yard to reduce your mosquito population by 95%. You can call us for a free, quick, over-the-phone quote. We never make you sign a contract here so why not give us a try? Give us a call today at 979-859-5998!

Hopefully, you have been following along with our suggestions for reducing the mosquitoes in your yard, particularly our January post detailing all the things you can do.

Now that we are in March and preparing for spring break it’s a good time to think about ways to make your yard more pleasant for your youngsters as they enjoy some time outside in the sun.

We won’t repeat our previous suggestions so please jump over to the earlier post on the topic if you want a solid overview of what to keep an eye on. Instead, we will focus on the likely activities this break and how they can impact your yard.

We all love a good slip-n-slide or kiddie pool, or at least our children do. They seem pretty innocent on the face of things, but they can both cause some major mosquitoes. Any type of tarp, like a slip and slide, can hold pockets of water, and it doesn’t take much time for mosquitoes to find them. Remember, 1 teaspoon of water will produce 300 mosquitoes in no time at all. To prevent this, make sure you store it away carefully when the kids are finished. Hang it flat over a fence to ensure it is dry, and then roll it up away and out of the elements so that water cannot gather inside it and cause issues for you.

When it comes to a kiddie pool it’s best to make sure the water stays clean – treat it according to directions with chlorine and clean the base regularly. We’ve seen “forgotten” kiddie pools in the past and the number of mosquitoes they were breeding defies belief. Make sure you keep the pool in the sun and avoid placing it where shade is always present – mosquitoes will be less likely to visit during the day. And, most importantly, place the pool where the water won’t pool beneath it – a slight slant to the ground beneath is ideal so that the water can run away when splashed. A kiddie pool placed in the shade, with pooled water beneath it will result in a huge leap in your mosquito population.

Kids’ water toys can also cause issues. It’s easy to forget a loaded water gun discarded in the corner of the yard, but the mosquitoes won’t forget it. The same holds true for other kids’ toys – most plastic ones will fill with water after sprinklers run or rainfalls. They can hold a surprisingly substantial amount of water. Don’t forget the larger items either – outdoor children’s kitchens or playhouses can have a lot of nooks and crannies that hold water.

Finally, this is often the time of year when we bring new mulch into our yards to beautify and prep for
summer. Many people don’t realize it, but mulch is loaded with insects and with mosquito eggs. We spread and water it and then are surprised when we see a jump in mosquitoes a few days later. It can happen to us even when it is our neighbors who have mulched. There isn’t much we can do about this, unfortunately. However, if you are bringing in bagged mulch, spread it as soon as you can and get rid of the bags. Bags of mulch always have holes in them. Let them sit outside and get hot and wet and you will breed far more than if you spread it and allow it to dry.
 

We hope you have a wonderful March and enjoy your spring break, whether home or away. We hope these suggestions are helpful to you, but if you would rather sit back and enjoy your yard give Mosquito Joe of S Brazos Valley a call and we can do the work for you – 979-859-5998.

 
It’s a new year and along with it come new resolutions. Maybe you want to get in the gym more, or be on your phone less, or tackle that big project you’ve been putting off. It’s highly unlikely that your resolutions involve mosquitoes, but if there was ever a time to work on reducing your summer bites it would be now. Just like your “summer vacation self” would thank you for starting that new workout routine now, your family will thank you come to the warm weather. So how can you get rid of mosquitoes?

The easiest way to get rid of mosquitoes is to call Mosquito Joe of S Brazos Valley and we can take care of it for you, but we want to give you some tips and tricks to drive the population in your yard down come summer that you can do yourself.

One mosquito lays about 300 eggs every couple of days in ONE teaspoon of water. Half of those offspring will go on to do the same in as many days. In this way, one mosquito can become well over millions in a month.

Mosquitoes lay their eggs wherever the ground holds water or where is doesn’t dry. If there is no water, then they are very sneaky about their placement aiming to lay the eggs where water will gather later.

For this reason, one of the first and most important steps you should take to reduce the population is to reduce these potential breeding spots. This starts with your gutters – clearing them out and keeping them clear of leaves. Don’t forget the important step of flushing them out with water when you are finished. The sludge is just as important and is often forgotten. Keeping up with this can be tedious but it is well worth it. Make sure that the gutters are flowing freely all the way down the downspouts, they are easily blocked and missed. Make sure that the runoff blocks, if you have them, are directed away from your home and not pooling water or damaging your foundation.

Once the gutters are clean you should turn your attention to the ground. Raking up all the fallen leaves and pine needles will help the soil dry out and stay that way – piles of leaves will shade the soil and thus produce the perfect place for eggs to be laid. The same holds true for fallen branches and brushes – cleaning them all up and removing them will make a big difference, don’t make the mistake of leaving piles of them in the yard.

Take some time to walk through your yard. Remember that only one teaspoon of water is enough to create a population, so look for holes in tree stumps, low-lying spots in the yard, pots turned the wrong way, or even fence posts without caps on them. Remove any tires, plastic containers, or anything that holds water.

Children’s toys can hold a lot of water, and this includes plastic swing seats, see-saws, and such. Removing these areas that hold water will make a huge difference come the spring. And what you cannot remove you can remedy – drill holes in the bottom of tire swings, kids’ toys, even your trash cans that will hold water after rain.

Once you have your yard in order staying on top of it after rains (and leaves fall) is vital. But if you keep at it and keep the water away you will have made a huge impact on the bites you receive in the spring. And of course, if you would just rather not have any issues reach out to us for a free quote at 979-859-5998.