Mosquito Prevention Methods
Why must you go through the trouble of applying pest control measures for your household? Although you assume that nothing will obligate you to move out, you might, one day, be putting your house up for sale because of some reason. Real estate agents and possible buyers alike would usually steer clear of a pest-invaded house, knowing full well that it is bad investment. For example, termite colonies discovered along the foundation of your residence are big deterrents for potential buyers. Moreover, banks usually deny loan applications with houses used as collaterals if they found that the property is overriden with pests; like prospective buyers, banks view pest-infested homes as bad investments. So, even if the fee to hire a professional pest control company to eradicate pest infestations in your property may be high, think of it a good investment for the future resale value of your house.
Mosquitoes are insects that carry disease-causing viruses and parasites from one person to another without catching disease themselves. They can carry fatal diseases such as dengue, malaria, etc. Both male and female mosquitoes are nectar eaters, but the females of many species are also able of drinking blood. Females do not require blood for their own survival, but they do require supplemental substances such as protein and iron to develop eggs. Through drinking blood from one animal to another, they transmit harmful bacteria.
Before finding means of controlling mosquitoes, we should discover first their life cycle. Mosquitoes go through four stages in their life cycle: egg, larva, pupa, and adult or imago. Adult females lay their eggs in water, which can be a salt-marsh, a lake, a puddle, a natural reservoir on a plant, or an artificial water container such as a plastic pail. The first three stages are aquatic and last 5-14 days, depending on the species and the surrounding temperature; eggs breed to become larvae, then pupae. The adult mosquito comes out from the pupa as it floats at the water surface. Adult females can live up to a month – more in captivity – but most likely do not live more than 1-2 weeks in nature.
Now, we know that mosquitoes choose still water and dark sites for them to thrive. So, it is essential to make certain that no stagnant water will be formed in your area. Make your that your pipelines have no outflows and the drainage system is clean and free-flowing.
Clean bodies of water near your area, get rid of all floating rubbles and wastes from the water. Solid wastes provide productive area for mosquitoes so make sure that they are cleaned. Breeding of mosquito-eating fish can also help control the mosquitoes.
If mosquito trouble is too extensive in your area, you can utilize insecticides and repellants. demand for help to your local municipality to undertake mosquito prevention programme.
Don’t let a colony of ants and mosquito infest your cherished abode. Safeguard your family, yourself, and your property with effective pest control service. Check here for free reprint licence: Mosquito Prevention Methods.
Southern January Care For Your Roses
Rose planting can be started in the southern part of the south during the last half of the month. If you have not ordered you should do so soon, as newer varieties are usually in scarce quantity by now. The old favorites, however, should be in good supply. Do not be afraid to try the new varieties and the All”America selection for the current year.
Birds: This month is usually very hard on birds in the garden. Provide a place for water and see that it is kept filled every day. Also, provide some food in the form of small grains. Put these items near a window and let the children enjoy “bird- watching.”
Pruning and spraying: There are always enough mild days in January to do remedial and heavy pruning. Be sure to prune for a purpose, not just for the sake of exercise! Prune to remove dead or diseased wood, or to correct the pattern of growth. Cuts over one inch in diameter should be painted with a waterproof paint to prevent decay or entrance of insect pests.
This is also the time to do dormant spraying for various roses scale insects. Due pest control can assure you of knockout roses bushes. Much time and trouble can be saved later in the spring by destroying insect habitats and winter hosts by clean-up activities now.
A little prevention is a valuable “pound of cure” at this time. Place garden litter where it belongs – in the compost heap. Remember that kitchen refuse – except for fats also makes excellent compost material.
Plant Problems in the West
West January
Protect Trees from Rodents, Sun Injury
Sunscald is an injury prevalent in the prairie sections of the country. It appears as dead sunken areas of bark on the trunks of trees particularly on the south and southwest sides. Exposed trunks of fruit trees, especially apple and pear, and some ornamental trees such as the mountain ash, suffer from this condition. Apparently the injury occurs in late winter. Day temperatures above the freezing point followed by below-freezing nights cause damage to the wood on the exposed side of the tree. Most damage occurs on the southwest side of the trunk.
This kind of damage can be lessened if young trees are trained so they branch low to the ground. Growing mountain ash in a clump form instead of to a single trunk aids in lessening sunscald injury. Growing shrubs near the base of susceptible trees assists in protecting tender bark. Painting trunks with white paint is another “old timers” method followed.
Rodents can do considerable harm to ornamental trees and shrubs during winter months. Lawns are also scarred by the burrowing activities of these animals. Field mice migrate into a cultivated area especially if their regular feeding areas become covered with heavy snows. As their regular source of food is cut off, they build runways to favorite trees and shrubs and feed on the soft bark of these plants near ground level.
Protect from Animals
Rabbits often completely girdle trees and shrubs and in that way, kill them. Rabbits feed at snow level, so if the snow is drifted high, the feeding will occur above the ground level of the plants. Just like having fungicides to control pests, a number of repellents on the market are effective in the control of this pest or used as a part of a disease control program. Maybe you prefer the old fashioned cure -the shotgun. In a deer area these animals may become troublesome because they feed on young tender growth of many kinds of deciduous shrubs and trees. One of the plants especially relished by deer is the native Red Osier Dogwood.
Adequate fencing provides the best solution for preventing such damage. It is an expensive method, but is effective. Wrapping trunks of valuable fruit trees with coarse screening is another way to prevent girdling by rodents. These coverings must reach high enough to take care of changes in snow level during the winter. If the snow drifts above the protective covering, better get out the shotgun (just kidding)!
Snow is one of nature’s important mulches, since it protects tender perennial plants over the cold winter months of the north. The snow acts as an insulation, protecting plants from extreme changes in temperature which happen so often in this section of the country. The greatest danger is ice formation at ground level. If this happens, much of the insulating value of the snow is lost. Providing good sub-surface, and especially good surface drainage, is one way of reducing ice formation at the base of perennial plants.
Keep from Losing Snow
When we witness a cold, blizzardy day in January, we can realize the importance of not cutting down the stalks and tops of perennial plants such as peony or delphinium. A perennial border cleaned bare of its plant growth in the fall, often loses its protective snow cover when the first blizzard of winter strikes. A good shrub border, hedge or fence placed adjacent to the perennials serves much the same purpose, to keep the snow from blowing off.
Long winter months in this area make us appreciate plant materials that give color to our landscape setting at this time of year. Evergreens are especially suitable for this purpose. We should be reminded not to plant all our small evergreens around the foundation of the house. Some evergreens placed elsewhere in the yard aid in brightening the winter scene as viewed from our windows. The colorful bark of red and yellow twigged native dogwoods and willows will brighten the winter landscape picture. Think, too, of using berried shrubs and trees such as viburnums, flowering crabapples, mountain ash and haws. Many such plants offer food for our visiting winter birds.
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