Mosquito Season

Mosquito season has arrived in Lakewood Heights. Although it is tempting to “nuke” your yard with a chemical cocktail, why not try some organic methods first. The first thing you should do is make sure you have no standing water. Check your gutters, french drains, flower pot saucers, old tires, even a soda can – anything that can hold water is a source for a mosquito breeding farm! Add Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis – often sold under the name Mosquito Dunks) to places, such as bird baths, where you mean to have water.

Lakewood’s Howard Garrett (aka The Dirt Doctor) is a great resource for natural organic gardening and living tips. His mosquito control newsletter offers solutions for both personal treatment (check out his recipe for the Vanilla mix repellent) and for site treatment. We have had luck using the dry granulated garlic he suggests spreading in the yard to repel mosquitoes. I know other neighbors who have success using Dr. T’s Mosquito Repelling Granules.

Using natural methods will repel the pesty mosquitoes, but not kill every single living organism in your yard. Remember, there are lots of beneficial insects like dragonflies – who eat mosquitoes!