UF/IFAS
Okeechobee County Extension ServiceUF/IFAS
Okeechobee County Extension Service
458 Highway 98 North
Okeechobee, FL 34972-2578
Phone: (863) 763-6469
E- mail: dfculbert@ifas.ufl.edu
June 23, 2004
Feature Article
- for release the week of June 28, 2004
Dan Culbert -
Extension Horticulture Agent
Buzz +slap=5Ds
Unless you just fell off the
watermelon truck on the way through town, you've probably noticed that our
summer rainy season is finally here. And with the rain comes standing water and
some familiar sounds of Florida living - a buzz, followed by a slap. The
Mosquitoes are here, bringing with them irritation and the potential for
mosquito-borne diseases.
Today's column will discuss the 5
"Ds" of dealing with mosquitoes: Drain, Dawn and Dusk, Dress, and
DEET. These reminders have been developed by Dr.
Roxanne Rutledge, Extension Medial Entomologist at the University
of Florida's Medical Entomology Laboratory in Vero Beach.
DRAIN.
There are many places
around the home where mosquitoes live and breed. In fact, there are several that
may be overlooked. Any materials that can hold water can support mosquito
larvae. Look around your Florida Yard and ask yourself: (1) are there containers
that you can remove and discard, and (2) are there containers that hold water
that you can dump out?
For water holding containers that
you do not want to remove, such as bird baths or potted plants, flush out and
replace the water every 2 - 3 days. Many folks store garden equipment such as
wheelbarrows or buckets that hold water: tip them over to remove rainwater.
If you have tarps or plastic sheeting covering materials in your yard, look to
see if puddles have appeared - these are great places for mosquito breeding.
Remove abandoned tires or boats that hold water, and check your rain gutters to
see if they are also holding standing water.
Draining these puddles will
remove mosquito larvae that breed in containers. Many mosquito larva will not
live long out of water and will not develop to the biting adult stage. Remember
to check these places and remove these breeding places we move through the rainy
season.
DAWN
& DUSK. Since
biting mosquitoes are very active around the beginning and end of the day, stay
indoors. This is especially good advice if mosquito-borne diseases like West
Nile or Encephalitis outbreaks have been reported in our area. When outdoor
activity is required, avoid mosquitoes by staying away from calm, shaded, and
humid areas. Mosquitoes are less likely to bite in open, sunny, and breezy
areas.
DRESS.
When it is necessary to have close encounters with mosquitoes, wear appropriate
clothing. To dress to reduce mosquito distress, protect yourself by wearing long
pants and a long-sleeved shirt. The more skin you cover, the fewer bites you
will receive. Light colored clothes are less attractive, and loose fitting
clothes make it more difficult for insects to bite.
DEET
There are many products and recipes for stuff that supposedly repels mosquitoes;
few actually have been proven to work. The best of the lot is DEET, known as the
most effective insect repellents.
(DEET is an abbreviation for the chemical, N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide,
which is why we call it DEET!)
DEET has been sold since 1956 and
is used by 50-100 million people each year. It repels more than just mosquitoes,
and is available in pump sprays, aerosols, lotions, creams, soaps and sticks.
There are at least 40 products on the market that contain from 5% to 95% DEET.
Products with more than 25% DEET are available through camping and outdoor
supply stores.
What product do you choose, and
why? If a little DEET is good; is a lot of DEET better? Not necessarily.
In tests done by the Army, repellents with 30-40% DEET worked twice as well as
repellents with 75% DEET. Read the label! The concentration of DEET needed
depends on the mosquito population and how long you need protection. Products
with 6% to 25% DEET are usually good for 2 to 6 hours of protection. Our advice:
use the lowest concentration that is effective for you, and reapply as needed.
Check to see if the product is a
slow-release formulation, which is longer lasting. Finally, compare the amount
of product (ounces) and type of application: lotion, spray, or stick. Lotions
provide the most even coverage; sprays are more convenient but require greater
care in applying. Before using any product, READ THE ENTIRE LABEL AND FOLLOW
INSTRUCTIONS.
Finally, here are some DON'Ts.
There are a variety of repellent plants, candles, coils and area repellents
(crystals that you spread on the ground) that contain citronella, pyrethrums
(extract of chrysanthemum) or a similar synthetic compounds on the market. These
have shown to have limited effectiveness. While they should not be used indoors,
they may help in screened-in porches, around pools or patios where there is
little air movement.
Some
products are not effective as repellents or mosquito control devices. The
popular and expensive bug
zappers are not effective for controlling biting insects. Yes, they kill
some mosquitoes, but they kill many more beneficial insects, often in huge
numbers. The light of the zapper attracts more mosquitoes into a yard than would
be present if the zapper was absent.
Birds
and bats, while desirable for other reasons, will not reduce the number of
mosquitoes in your yard. And, there is no scientific evidence that eating
garlic, vitamins, onions or any other food will make you repellent to
mosquitoes.
Dr. Rutledge has recently made
some additions to her Mosquito Information website, http://mosquito.ifas.ufl.edu/.
Computer users are encouraged to take a look around and get answers to many
questions that are bugging Floridians; others can come by our office or use the
public library to learn how to protect themselves from these bothersome and
dangerous pests..
Master Gardeners can answer your
questions about your Florida Yard - call or visit them on Tuesday afternoons
here at our office. If you need additional information on mosquitoes , visit out
webpage at http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu , or stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North. Our phone
number is (863) 763-6469, and you can email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu
.
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This page is maintained by
Dan
Culbert