Fire ant service from Mosquito Joe (and some fascinating information on Fire Ants)

Fire ants are not just a nuisance in Texas, they are dangerous and do an incredible amount of damage.  Red imported fire ants are an invasive species, not just to the US but to Australia, China and Taiwan.  Over five billion dollars (yes, BILLION) are spent each year in the States on medical treatments, damage and control of fire ants.  They also cause $750 million dollars’ worth of damage per year to agriculture in the US.  What is just as incredible is the amazingly fast adaptation some of our local creatures have gone through to deal with these imports.  In 2009, a study found that in just 70 years, lizards have adapted both their behavior and their leg length to help them avoid and escape the danger of fire ants.

Distinguishing native and imported fire ants is difficult, particularly since the imported ants vary in size.  Imported ants are also composed of two genetically distinct types: Monogyne (one queen colony) and polygyne (multiple queen colony). Regardless of which type we look at, there are some common themes amongst all fire ants that are fascinating and impressive.  This understanding of their behavior is what enables us to treat them effectively.

Fire ants don’t bite, they sting.  Well actually they do both – they bite to grip and then sting, but the latter is what causes us the pain and lends them their name, as a sting really can feel like a small fire.  We all know that when one bites, so do many.  However, there is no evidence that pheromones are the cause of this.  Typically, one ant bites us, we jerk in reflex and this motion causes the other ants to bite as well.

There are up to 250,000 ants in a colony.  These ants are made up of workers – who forage for food, soldier ants – these have larger and more powerful mandibles, and the queen (or queens depending on the type).  The queen lives up to 7 years, while the males live between 5.5 – 6.5 years each.

Fire ants’ mate when the temperature is between 70 and 95 degrees, the humidity is high, and the winds are low (a typical day in this part of the country).  They also tend to breed within 24 hours of rain.  Once they mate the male dies.  The female will then fly for 2-3 miles, up to a height of 2,000 feet, until she lands to nest.  It is interesting to note that 99.9% of these females die before they nest (a fact we should all be thankful for).

When the female lands she pulls off her wings and eats them.  This meal sustains her until her eggs hatch and her offspring are ready to head out and forage.  The queen will then burrow and lay her eggs.  Forty-five days later her offspring hatch.  The workers head out of the nest and gather food to bring back.

Fire ants don’t eat solid food.  Instead they bring the food back to the nest and place it near the late-stage larvae.  The larvae secrete enzymes which digest the food into liquid.  The ants then pass this liquified food to one another to eat in a process called trophallaxis.  This behavior creates a built in “taster ant” process.  Simply, if an ant gets sick or dies from a liquid, the queen is not fed that same liquid.  This process is in place for a couple of days, meaning we can get around it by delaying the effect of our bait.

The most successful treatment for fire ants is a two-step method and this is what we employ at Mosquito Joe.  The first step is a bait broadcast that is placed in the yard.  This bait has a 3-day delay on it, which enables us to circumvent the taster ants and kill the queen.  Particularly in a monogyne colony, killing the queen will end the reproductive ability of the colony.  We combine this broadcast with a nest service that we perform at each visit.  We recommend the broadcast be repeated every 10-12 weeks, and a visit once in between to directly treat the nests.  For this portion of the service, we inject down into each nest and kill all the ants we contact with the product.

While we may kill all the queens in the yard, it is important to remember that new queens will fly in.  Fire ants are also excellent at moving locations when circumstances require it.  You may recall the images posted after Hurricane Harvey of fire ant rafts floating along the flood waters.  These rafts are composed of a colony of ants, gripping to one another to form a living raft, with the queen protected within.  This behavior will occur whenever circumstances dictate, so while your yard may be fire ant free one day, a heavy downpour and localized flooding can change that quickly.  Treating consistently and using this two-step method will get rid of them and keep them out of your yard.

What to do after you get bit by a mosquito

To understand the best way to deal with a mosquito bite it is helpful to first appreciate what is going on in our body when bitten.  And using the term “bite” isn’t entirely accurate.   

Firstly, it is the female mosquito who “bites” as she needs to take a blood meal so she has the protein required to lay eggs.  Every time you are bitten by a mosquito you know you just played a role in a birth of 300 or so mosquito eggs (and the resulting larvae).  The female lands on your body, having located you by your CO2 plumes, and pierces your skin with her proboscis, formed out of 6 needles with sharp teeth on two of them.  These teeth are so sharp that you can’t feel this process as she slices into your skin in search of a blood vessel. 

Once under the skin, she releases a vasodilator to keep your blood flowing while she is feeding.  For a fascinating look into the process, check out this video.  The vasodilator is contained within the saliva of the mosquito, along with all those virus’s we worry about.  In other words, once she is under your skin she will “spit” into you, both numbing and dilating the area to ease her meal.  The proboscis is very flexible, allowing the mosquito to move around under our skin without having to withdraw and start again.  You can watch some incredible footage of this here and here.  On average, a mosquito will drink for about 4 minutes, sucking so hard that the blood vessel can collapse or rupture into the surrounding area. Once she has taken her fill she will withdraw and fly away, without you being aware. 

In response to the injection of a foreign substance (saliva), our bodies mount an immune response.  Histamines are released around the site, causing swelling and that itch that we are all so familiar with.  It is thought that our sensitivity to bites decreases over time, which is why children often have much more substantial reactions to bites than adults.  There are also people who suffer from “skeeter syndrome”, an exaggerated reaction to mosquito saliva, better understood as a severe allergy to mosquito bites.  We have some customers whose children get welts from mosquito bites and use our service to help keep them healthy and playing outside. 

So, what can you do?  Obviously, your best defense is a good offense.  Using Mosquito Joe will keep your yard 95% mosquito resistant.  Using a repellent when leaving the house will also reduce your potential for bites and control that mosquito population in your yard by dumping water after rains and keeping you gutters free of debris.  Remember water = mosquitoes.  Most species come out at dawn and dusk so keep timing in mind when heading outside. As for a “mosquito season”, it is important to remember that mosquitoes will only hibernate when the temperatures remain under 55 degrees for a week, or we have 3 deep freezes in a row.  In the 4 years that Mosquito Joe has been treating in South Brazos, we have only had one week where these conditions have been met, meaning mosquitoes are always out. 

But let’s talk about what you can do once the bite has happened.  In the case of a normal reaction, calamine lotion or a topical anti-itch lotion can help.  You can also take an oral antihistamine such as Benadryl or Claritin.  If you have children who react more strongly using an ice pack can help with swelling and the itch.  Home remedies, including a warm oatmeal bath, can help as well, but garlic and other suggestions won’t do the trick, so stick to simple options.   

Mosquito bites can result in complications, from welts and blisters to sepsis.  The diseases they carry include malaria, West Nile, Zika and meningitis. If you experience a rash, fever over 101, persistent headache, muscle or joint pain or difficulty breathing, seek medical help.  Customers of ours who have West Nile tell us that they never understood the implications of the disease until it was too late.  While we are used to mosquito bites, we should never become complacent about the implications they carry.   

Mosquito Joe of S Brazos Valley 

Homemade Mosquito Control

While DEET has long been the recommended go-to for warding off mosquitoes, there are many who prefer an all-natural, homemade option, particularly when they are applying the repellent to their children.  We have some options for you but caution you to remember that all-natural options wear off quickly, so be prepared to re-apply every couple of hours.  Also, please remember that essential oils can trigger skin reactions, particularly in the young, so please do a patch test before using.  Finally, essential oils degrade quickly in sunlight, so it is a good idea to store your homemade repellant in a dark, well labelled bottle in a dark location.  

Mosquitoes, specifically female mosquitoes, bite when they are preparing to lay eggs.  They need the protein to lay and have an uncanny ability to find us from our CO2 plumes.  Repellants are exactly that – they repel the mosquito rather than making us “invisible” to them.  Mosquitoes are put off by certain smells, particularly garlic, although we promise we do not suggest you slather yourself in garlic before leaving the house! 

While mosquito repellant plants don’t really exist (you can check out an earlier blog post for more on that), the fragrance from certain plants, when ground down to the oils, will put mosquitoes off.  These include essential oils from lavender, catnip, eucalyptus, lemon grass and other “mosquito repellant plants” (AKA plant oils).

In all your recipes you will want to combine your essential oil with a carrier oil (Olive, Almond, or Grapeseed are good choices) at a 100 drop to 2 tablespoon ratio.  To preserve your recipe, you will need an alcohol, which you can add at a ratio of ½ teaspoon to 2 Tablespoons of oil.  Isopropyl alcohol or vodka are good options to use.  You will also want to add in some witch hazel.  If you have it lying around (and who doesn’t) a teaspoon of vegetable glycerin will help keep everything combined and reduce settling if you want to try using water instead of oil (we don’t find this to be as effective, especially in our heat and the resulting sweating).  Now for the recipes!  

Base:

2 tablespoons of oil 

100 drops of essential oils 

½ teaspoon of alcohol 

½ teaspoon Witch Hazel 

1. Herb garden:  Add 50 drops of basil and 50 drops of rosemary essential oils 

2. Citrus: 100 drops of lemon grass, or orange, or a combination of both 

3. Geranium: 100 drops 

4. Lavender: 100 drops 

5. Mint:  100 drops 

6. Eucalyptus: 100 drops 

7. Citronella: 100 drops (caveat here, as we acknowledge that this may not be what you want to smell like!) 

You can get inventive with your recipe but don’t lose sight of the fact that we are trying to repel mosquitoes, not delve into perfumery. 

If you would like to keep some stand-by’s available for camping trips or to keep in your car, homemade options may not be a good idea.  Sunlight and heat will degrade them.  We recommend you visit the EPA website for more guidance on skin repellents.  They also have an excellent search tool for finding the one that is right for you.  

If your mosquito issue isn’t limited to camping trips, but instead closer to home in your back yard, we can help.  We offer an all-natural service for your yard to keep those mosquitoes away using a combination of garlic (you won’t notice the smell, but the mosquitoes will!) rosemary and mint.  Even our combination services rely on garlic around flowering plants, as we are very focused on protecting our pollinators and minimizing our impact in a yard.  We want the mosquitoes out, along with their diseases, while keeping birds, butterflies and all other wildlife happy and content.  

Finally, as we cannot harp on about it enough, remember that your number one source for mosquitoes is water.  Just one teaspoon is enough water for them to breed in and managing that is a vital part of what we do.  If you want to reduce the numbers in your yard clean your gutters, remove all containers and dump out water after it rains.  If you want to learn more about our service don’t hesitate to give us a call.  We are always happy to talk mosquito! 🦟 

How Long Do Mosquitoes Live?

Customers and potential customers ask us every day “How long do mosquitoes live?”. We also often find ourselves answering other questions like “How do you keep mosquitoes away?” and “What’s the best way to stop mosquitoes in my backyard?”. Knowledge is power, and once you understand the life-cycle of a mosquito you can gain valuable insight into how to manage them, keep them away and alter your expectations for your own backyard.

There are more than 3,500 different species of mosquitoes, with about 85 of those found in Texas. While they have varying preferences for a breeding habitat, they all undergo the same four stages of life. The mosquito’s life cycle is composed of the egg, larvae, pupa and adult stages.

First Stage: Egg

Female mosquitoes lay eggs in a variety of ways: some lay single eggs in water, some lay in rafts on water, where they float in numbers of up to 200. Other species opt to lay eggs on damp soil, where evidence of water remains. A mosquito egg can live up to 10 years in dry conditions, only to hatch when a drop of water hits it. They can be frozen and still hatch the following spring (not that we experience this in Texas), eggs can be churned over in soil and lie in wait until they are brought back to the surface when gardening. That new sod you had brought in? The new mulch in your yard? Full of mosquito eggs, just waiting for some water to allow them to hatch. Most eggs hatch within 48 hours of being laid, but all require water to do so. Keep in mind, it only takes about a teaspoon of stagnant water for 300 eggs to begin the process of transformation.

Second Stage: Larva

Mosquito larvae live in water and come up to the surface to breathe. Known as “wrigglers” these guys kick around in the water, going through 4 molting cycles where they shed their skin and grow into a larger one. Many species have a siphon tube which they use to breath, laying parallel to the surface of the water. These guys feed on organic matter in the water, so stagnant water is their home. They won’t be found in chlorinated water (like a swimming pool). Our technicians are well versed in spotting these guys and have found them just about anywhere you can imagine. Outdoor cushions, frisbee’s, cap-less fence posts and holes in trees. We use a larvicide in this water that prevents the larvae from moving into the next stage of life.

Third Stage: Pupa

Otherwise known as “tumblers”, this stage of life is a resting state. These guys do not feed and respond to light by flipping their tail and tumbling to the bottom of the container they are in. During this time, the mosquito is in its cocoon stage, preparing to hatch as an adult mosquito. Depending on the species, this can take around 2 days. At the end of this state, the pupal skin splits open and the adult emerges.

Final Stage: Adult

Once the mosquito emerges it rests on the water, allowing its body to harden and its wings to dry. Males typically emerge earlier than females and then lay in wait for the females to emerge. Once they are bred, the female mosquito of most species requires a blood meal to lay her eggs. This is where you, your pet or any number of animals in your yard get bitten. Once she has taken her blood meal, and has the protein she requires for the job, the female lays her eggs. She then seeks out a place to rest and feeds off of plant nectar (typically the underside of leaves away from the sun). The females will lay eggs every two to three days, repeating the process each time. The remainder of their short life is typically spent at rest, in dark moist areas of your yard. Males typically live about 10 days, while females live on average about 42-56 days. During that time, one female can lay up to 5,600 eggs. Depending on the location and the temperatures, this entire life-cycle can take about 2 weeks, with the right conditions and species, as short as 4 days.

Now that you know more about the life-cycle, you can answer the questions “How do you keep mosquitoes away?” and “What’s the best way to stop mosquitoes in my backyard?”. The main solution is in the water in your yard. The less water, the less locations for mosquitoes to lay eggs. Our certified pest control technicians will dump all the water in your yard that they can, treat the water they cannot to prevent larvae from hatching, and provide a barrier treatment to all that foliage in your yard where the adults spend time feeding and resting. They will also provide valuable insight for you into what you can do to help – cleaning gutters, storing kids toys out of the rain, even correcting drainage areas causing standing water. Be sure to give us a call at 281-815-0228 and let us help you take your backyard back from pesky mosquitoes!

Do you know what types of Texas mosquitoes are bugging you?

There are 85 species of mosquitoes living in Texas. Even though there are over 3,000 species in the world, and 176 of those can be found in the USA, 85 still seems like a high number. However, when you consider the size of our great state of TX and the variation of weather within it, 85 actually seems like a reasonable number. Also remember that mosquitoes date back over 260 million years and classifications have been a work in progress for some time.

So which ones do we encounter in the Northwest Houston area? Keep reading to learn more about each of the different species that could be found in your very own backyard! We should first premise this by letting you know that there is an abundance of species in our area. We also note that many of the current maps are not reflective of what we see in the field. For example, we have located Aedes albopictus in areas not noted on the AgriLife maps. Still, to get a better sense of the breadth of species and locations in which they are found, you can visit here.

It is helpful to keep in mind a couple of facts about mosquitoes that apply to all the Genus below:

• Only the female mosquitoes bite, and they do so to get the protein they need to lay eggs. When a mosquito bites you, you can be certain that she just bred and is preparing to start a new family.
• Mosquitoes need stagnant water to lay their eggs in. Chlorinated water or circulating water (think pools and fountains) are not going to cut it for them.
• Mosquitoes have a rapid life cycle so they don’t mess around. We did the math: one teaspoon of water allows for 300 eggs every 4-7 days. Given a 50% male to female ratio, one mosquito laying150 females will produce over 2 billion female mosquitoes in under a month – Yikes!

It’s probably easiest to begin with the genus of the mosquitoes we live within the Houston, Texas area. The genus groups mosquitoes by a common characteristic and just within our area, there are nine different kinds: the Aedes, Anopheles, Culex, Culiseta, Mansonia, Orthopodomyia, Psorophora, Toxorhynchites and Uranotaenia.

1. Aedes:

The Aedes mosquitoes are located on every continent except the Antarctic. They are visually distinct from other genus’s with black and white stripes on their body. These are the mosquitoes responsible for Dengue, Yellow Fever, West Nile, Chickungunya, Eastern Equine Encephalitis and the Zika virus. Most notable amongst these are the Aedes aegypti (Yellow Fever Mosquito) and Aedes albopictus (Asian Tiger Mosquito). These guys are all over our area and are very aggressive. Unlike other species, they don’t mind the sun and are often seen during the day. These are responsible for the majority of calls we receive when folks are looking for a mosquito repellent service for their yard.

The Yellow Fever mosquito is the primary carrier of Zika and they lay eggs in the smallest amount of stagnant water – such as the water in flower vases, tires, and opened containers. They are active all year and prefer dawn and dusk.

The Asian Tiger was introduced into the States in 1985 in a shipment of tires to the Port of Houston. Since then they have spread up to NY State and as of 2017 have been found in every state in the US. They carry West Nile, Encephalitis, Dengue and heartworms. Asian Tigers take full advantage of any water in your yard – holes in trees and tires are popular breeding choices for the Asian Tiger mosquito. They are active all year and are aggressive daytime breeders.

2. Anopheles:

This genus is composed of 460 species, with 100 of those capable of transmitting Malaria, while others transmit Canine Heartworm.

Around Northwest Houston, the Anopheles quadrimaculatus, otherwise known as the Marsh Mosquito, is prevalent. These guys have a “tell” to help you identify them. Unlike other species, who rest on your skin with their body parallel to your limb, the marsh mosquito holds its body at an angle with its rear end raised. They are very dark in color with dark spots on their wings. After Hurricane Harvey, we saw a dramatic uptick in the number of marsh mosquitoes, a result of the massive increase of waters in our area. They prefer to lay their eggs in swamps, wet vegetation and around ponds and lakes.

The Anopheles freeboni is one of several species in Houston that are more active in the winter than the summer. Just when some other species are slowing down (mosquitoes don’t hibernate until temperatures fall under 50 degrees and remain there, something that never happens in Texas!) the freeboni is just getting started.

3. Culex:

The Culex genus is responsible for the transmission of West Nile, St. Louis Encephalitis and Avian Malaria. In our area, the most common of these is the Culex pipiens, also known as the house mosquito. These guys love feeding on nectar and a pile of decaying fruits is a perfect meal for them. If you happen to have fruit trees, keeping the ground clear of fallen fruits will help you control these pests in your yard. They also love wet trash, wastewater and bird baths. These guys generally don’t start biting until after dusk.

4. Culiseta:

The Culiseta is a genus of mosquitoes that are cold-adapted, meaning that they are active in the cooler months in our area and not during the summer. The Culiseta inornata, otherwise known as the Winter Marsh Mosquito, is common in Houston, Texas, more so with wet weather. We certainly saw an increase in them after Harvey. As the name suggests, these guys love stagnant water and wet vegetation.

5. Mansonia:

Mansonia mosquitoes are big and black or brown in color. They breed in ponds and lakes that contain floating plants and use the underside of the leaves to lay their eggs. The larvae use the rootlets to obtain their air supply. The best way to remove these mosquitoes is to remove their habitat by controlling floating plants on any bodies of water in your yard. They are also a potential vector for the Rift Valley Fever virus.

6. Orthopodomyia:

The beauties of the mosquito world, this genus is marked with bands of white, silver and sometimes gold. They lay their larvae predominantly in tree holes, or in bamboo and the females feed mostly on birds. Our technicians are always on the lookout for holes in trees, so we can get a jump start on killing their larvae. They may be pretty, but they still bite!

7. Psorophora:

A few species of this genus are in the Northwest Houston area. The Psorophora ciliata is a very large mosquito and is also very aggressive. Interestingly, they are known to prey on the larvae of other mosquito species, so while they are scary to look at, they at least help control other species. The females will lay eggs on damp ground, which can then hatch years later. The Psorophota columbiae is a floodwater mosquito that can travel up to 8 miles from its breeding area. We see them after large weather events and they are active both during the day and at night.

8. Toxorhynchites:

Otherwise known as Elephant Mosquitoes, these are the largest mosquitoes. These pesky bugs don’t feed on blood. Instead, feed on plants and fruits.

9. Uranotaenia:

These small mosquitoes use a multitude of habitats including holes, bamboo, plants and artificial containers. The good news is that the females rarely feed on humans, preferring reptiles and birds. Many of the species are attracted to light and are occasionally found resting in homes. Uranrtaenia lowii are found in our area.

Fortunately, Mosquito Joe of Northwest Houston and South Brazos Valley is here to help get rid of all these different types of mosquitoes that are found in our area of Texas. We can provide many mosquito repellent spray options for both your home and business including barrier spray treatments, all-natural sprays, special event sprays and more. Our team is knowledgeable about these mosquitoes and the best way to get them out of your yard ASAP. If you’d like more information on how we can help eliminate these pesky mosquitoes so you can get back to enjoying your outdoor space, give us a call at 281-815-0228 or email us at NWHoustonBrazos@MosquitoJoe.com.