With all the rain we've had and the heat on the way, fleas and mosquitoes have become a big problem. Luckily, with the right products, the backyard can still be a pleasant place, even in the summer!
Control for Mosquitoes Mosquitoes are the biggest issues around here with all the rain and flooding that we have had this year. Floodwater mosquitoes will be out in droves as they start hatching at around the same time, and will all be looking for food (us!) However, with some proactive treatment mosquitoes can be controlled well in the yard. 1. Treat any standing water: Standing water is the breeding ground for mosquitoes, it is important to treat these areas to make sure that the larvae do not have a chance to develop into adults. Quick, short-term control of pooling water, French drains, and short-term water sources can be achieved with Mosquito Bits. These are a granular form of BTi which is a special bacteria that attacks the larvae of mosquitoes as well as fungus gnats in pots. The Mosquito Bits start to work in 24 hours to kill off the larvae. For areas where there will be water standing for a longer amount of time, the Mosquito Dunks releases the BTi over the course of 30 days. 2. Organic Yard Control: For those looking for mosquito control without spraying chemicals there are some good options out there that will repel mosquitoes from the property. Cedar Granules are a good broadcast repellent for lawns and beds to help keep stop mosquito adults from congregating in those areas. There is also a Liquid Garlic RTS spray that attaches to the hose and will work in a similar way to cedar products. 3. Chemical Sprays: Enforcer Mosquito Control and Summit Mosquito and Gnat Barrier, as well as Cutter Backyard Bug Control, are all effective liquid insecticides that will work on mosquitoes. These are killers that can last for up to a month, depending on the amount of rainfall or irrigation. 4. Foggers: Foggers are great for quick knockdown of mosquitoes since they will disperse through the air and knock down even flying ones. These are perfect to use with yard sprays since the fogger will knock down right away and the yard sprays will give a residual for up to a month. 5. Personal Repellents: We of course also have DEET and All Natural-based spray-on repellents in both aerosol and pump-style bottles. Control for Fleas The most important factors in effective flea control are persistence and control of all sources. Treating the house, yard, and pets all at the same time is the most effective route to eliminating all fleas. 1. Treating the house: There are two main ways for treating the house, a fogger (bomb) or a surface spray. Both are very effective, and when used together are even better. Use the fogger to disperse over the top of everything and then use the spray to get under furniture and couch cushions. Choose foggers and sprays that contain an IGR to control the eggs and larvae for several months. 2. Treating the yard: Treating the yard is very important to stop fleas from being able to get in but works a bit differently from treating the house. IGRs break down in the sun within 2 weeks, so one long-term spray is not going to work. To get around this, spraying multiple times 10 days apart will still break the life cycle and stop flea production in the yard. There are several effective yard sprays for use against fleas. 3. Treating the pets: We carry several different types of treatments for fleas and ticks on pets. We have the Prefurred Plus for once a month topical flea and tick control, as well as sprays for use on cats and dogs, and flea and tick shampoo