Mosquitoes are commonly considered by most to be an unfortunate backyard nuisance.  We all know that nothing puts a damper on a good barbeque or outdoor party like mosquitoes.  Once considered a mere nuisance, today many researchers and epidemiologists consider this bug to be the most dangerous insect in the world.   Mosquitoes are vectors for a wide variety of serious and sometimes deadly diseases.  West Nile virus, malaria, encephalitis, dengue fever and yellow fever to name a few.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “the number of mosquito-borne disease cases are growing in this country”.  The rate of reported encephalitis cases alone have risen to more than 4,000 annually.  Unfortunately there are

Georgia’s mosquitoes are generally active from April to October, but our recent mild winters have allowed mosquitoes to be active much as early as March and as late as early December. Many generations of mosquitoes can be created from a single male and female in just one season.

A female mosquito uses both her palps and her antennae to find a host.  The palps detect various chemicals produced by the host.  The antennae are sensitive to air movements as well as odors.  Once the mosquito has landed, the outer sheath of her mouthparts slide back towards her head exposing mandibles and maxillae.  These stab the skin allowing the mosquito to begin sucking blood.  There are sensors on the tips of the mouthparts that confirm the mosquito has arrived at the correct host.

Mosquitoes are experts at finding people to bite.

Mosquitoes are equipped with a battery of sensors designed to track their prey, including:

Chemical sensors – mosquitoes can sense carbon dioxide and lactic acid up to 100 feet (36 meters) away. Mammals and birds gives off these gases as part of their normal breathing. Certain chemicals in sweat also seem to attract mosquitoes, (people who don’t sweat much don’t get nearly as many mosquito bites).

Visual sensors – if you are wearing clothing that contrasts with the background, and especially if you move while wearing that clothing, mosquitoes can see you and zero in on you. The mosquito bets that anything moving is “alive”, and therefore full of blood.

Heat sensors - Mosquitoes can detect heat. They can find warm-blooded mammals and birds very easily once they get close enough.

Step One:  Inspection

Inspect a property for any local area or object that is likely to hold water for more than four days. Rain barrels, old tires, bird baths, buckets, cans, toys, bottles, tree holes, cisterns and clogged gutters are examples of such type areas.  Some species will place their eggs in areas that are likely to get flooded periodically like natural depressions, seasonal wetlands, drainage ditches and other low lying areas.

Step Two: Reduce Breeding Sites

Wherever possible, breeding sites should be eliminated.  Active will help identify and in some cases help eliminate breeding sites.  Homeowners can clean gutters, eliminate objects that hold water, and create drainage in areas that collect standing water wherever possible.

Step Three: Larval Control

Your Active technician will then selectively place products that interfere with the development of the aquatic life stages of the mosquito.  These products are placed in areas that are either holding water or will likely hold water after a rain.  They are not harmful to fish, waterfowl, pets or humans when used according to label directions.  One manufacturer’s rep has been putting the larvicide in his dog’s water bowl for years with absolutely no harm to the animal.

Step Four: Adult Mosquito Control

Mosquitoes prefer to rest in protected sites during the day. Yards with lots of trees, shrubs and dense vegetation or properties adjoining such areas, can have nightmarish problems.  To further reduce intolerable levels of biting mosquitoes, a residual