Clean up your yard and garden to clean out mosquitoes
April showers bring May flowers... and mosquitoes.
Just as dusk
approaches and I still have a few more veggies
to harvest, weeds
to pull or seedlings to plant, I'm usually chased
into the house
by the hordes of mosquito marauders. Those buzzing,
biting pests
are more than a nuisance. They can also be vectors
for diseases
such as malaria, dengue, encephalitis and West
Nile virus. The
main carrier of West Nile is the Northern House
mosquito.
West Nile is around most of the country now.
According to the Ohio Department of Health, mosquito-borne
West
Nile can cause encephalitis, a viral inflammation
of the brain or
meningitis, an inflammation of the lining of
the brain and spinal
cord. Most people who are infected with West
Nile either have no
symptoms or come down with only mild illness.
The symptoms of West Nile virus are also common
to other maladies
and include fever, headache, body aches, skin
rash and swollen
lymph nodes. More severe infection can also include
neck
stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors,
convulsions and
paralysis. The most serious cases can cause permanent
brain
damage or death. West Nile can be especially
serious in people
over 50. Symptoms generally appear five to 15
days after being
bitten by an infected mosquito.
There is no proof that the disease can be transmitted
person-to-
person, animal-to-animal or animal-to-person.
To lessen the risk of West Nile and other diseases,
prevent
mosquitoes from hatching in your yard and encourage
your
neighbors to do the same.
Get rid of all standing water. Even small
amounts of standing
water can produce large amounts of mosquito larvae.
Dispose of tin cans, old tires, buckets, unused
plastic swimming
pools, plastic covers and other containers that
can hold water.
Keep your roof gutters unclogged and clean gutters
in the spring
and fall.
Clean and chlorinate pools, outdoor saunas, and
hot tubs and keep
them covered when empty.
Empty and change water in bird baths, fountains,
wading pools,
rain barrels and potted trays at least once a
week.
Fill or drain puddles, ditches and swampy areas
and either
remove, drain or fill tree holes and stumps with
mortar.
Eliminate seepage from cisterns, cesspools and
septic tanks.
Eliminate standing water around animal watering
troughs.
Stock ponds and reservoirs with fish.
If you have to be out when the pests are active,
try to protect
yourself. Wear long sleeved shirts and long pants.
Use an insect repellent containing 10 percent
or less DEET for
children, no more than 30 percent DEET for adults.
Use DEET and
all repellents according to manufacturers directions.
Make sure window and door screens are bug tight.
Repair or
replace torn screens.
Replace outdoor lights with yellow bug lights.
A good program of prevention will go a long way
in increasing
your comfort and safety in the garden and yard.
The more
neighbors you can get to participate, the more
effective the
control.
-----
Cheryl is a Master Gardener who volunteers with
the Lake County
(Ohio) Extension office of Ohio State University.
She won a
Cleveland Press Club award last year for her
feature and column
writing.