Wednesday, August 03, 2011

Protect Your Health – Protect Your Neighborhood Clean Up Mosquito Breeding Hazards


Protect Your Health – Protect Your Neighborhood

Clean Up Mosquito Breeding Hazards

Mosquito bites are annoying – they can also cause West Nile Virus, a potentially crippling or even deadly disease that has no human vaccine or cure – only prevention!

Mosquitoes breed in standing water – even just a teaspoonful
will hatch a flock of stinging zingers in just a few days!

YOU CAN HELP CONTROL MOSQUITOES

ë Find the spots around your yard that hold standing water: plant saucers, the edges of upturned buckets, tarps, outdoor pet water bowls, kids toys, old tires, drain pipes – any little place where water can collect.

ë Get rid of water-holding junk!

ë Clean out your gutters – this will protect your house too!

ë Monitor and DUMP the water from items you use

ë Refresh water in bird baths at least every other day

ë Do you have a pond? What fun! Stock it with mosquito fish!

ë Do you use a rain barrel? That’s great! Cover it securely with a fine screen

ë To make sure ponds and rain barrels don’t breed mosquitoes, drop pieces of “mosquito dunks” or “mosquito pellets” into your water features, according to package directions ***

And – use bug spray when you work or play outside. Cheryl’s Herbs in Maplewood sells a catnip-based “Summer Spray” that works as well as OFF and other sprays with DEET – TRY IT! Especially for children, who shouldn’t use products that contain DEET.

Don’t mess around with mosquitoes!

Questions? Call your Neighborhood Stabilization Officer314-657-1392

Got environmental and health questions? Missouri Botanical Garden’s Green Resources Answer Service can help. Contact greenresources@mobot.org or 314-577-0246.

*** This inexpensive product is available at hardware and garden stores. The active ingredient is BT- bacillus thuringensis. This is a biological larvacide that does not add toxic chemicals to pond or rain water, won’t harm birds, fish, pets, or vegetables watered from your rain barrel – but it stops mosquito larvae from hatching.

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