Mosquito Control

The best mosquitoes repellent is the kind that you don't have to apply yourself, and doesn't need to be applied to your skin. In the perfect world, there wouldn't be any mosquitoes, but unfortunately, that's not the way the world works. Mosquito repellents that are applied directly to the skin can be effective, but are limited in their effect to the areas of the body to which they are applied. Our team of pros apply mosquito killing and repellent solutions to all areas of your property, expanding your coverage as far as possible. Contact us today to learn more.

Remove standing water where mosquitoes could lay eggs

• Once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover, or throw out any items that hold water like tires, buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths, flowerpot saucers, or trash containers. Mosquitoes lay eggs near water.

• Tightly cover water storage containers (buckets, cisterns, rain barrels) so that mosquitoes cannot get inside to lay eggs.

• For containers without lids, consider using a screen with holes smaller than an adult mosquito.

• Use larvicides to treat large containers of water that will not be used for drinking and cannot be covered or dumped out.

• If you have a septic tank, repair cracks or gaps. Cover open vent or plumbing pipes. Use wire mesh with holes smaller than an adult mosquito.

Keep mosquitoes out

• Install or repair and use window and door screens. Do not leave doors propped open.

• Use air conditioning when possible.

Partner with Miche Pest Control

Reach out to get a free quote on mosquito control services from the pros at Miche Pest Control. Contact us today to get started.

The preliminary steps we always mention to prevent mosquitoes are obvious – eliminate standing water, mow tall grass, check the bird bath, etc.  But what about attempting to control the mosquitoes that are already here?

Insecticide sprays for mosquitoes should be directed to tall grass, flower beds and shrubs, underside of the deck and other areas where mosquitoes rest.  Focus the treatment to flower beds (taking care to avoid treating blooming plants while they are in bloom), lawn edges and tall plants.

Lawn and garden pyrethroid insecticides are a good choice for mosquito treatment.  They are very low toxicity, residual and odorless.  Active ingredients in common lawn, landscape, yard and garden insecticides include cyfluthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, tetramethrin, phenothrin, and permethrin. Many garden and lawn ready-to-use foggers contain pyrethrin.  Pyrethrin has little to no residual activity and to be effective would have to be used very close to the time of the outdoor event you are trying to protect.

With all lawn and garden insecticides, the minimum re-entry interval is “after the spray has dried.”  Time required to dry depends on humidity and moisture at the time of application and may vary from minutes to hours to overnight, depending on conditions.  Check for reentry statements and other restrictions on the pesticide label and remember to read and follow label directions.

Finally, the alternative to spraying remains use of personal repellents.  Repellents are a great choice for short-term protection against mosquito biting.  Several products are available; pick the ingredient and the concentration that best meets your needs.  Use sparingly to reduce unnecessary or excessive exposure and wash repellent off with soap and water when it’s no longer needed.

The aim of mosquito fogging services is to kill, or ‘knock-down’, any adult mosquitoes that don't just cause discomfort, but may be vectoring disease. Mosquitoes become infected with diseases after biting and taking blood from someone or something that is affected by a blood-borne pathogen. To try and prevent infected mosquitoes from biting another person and passing on diseases, Miche Pest Control applies the mosquito fog throughout your property to try to kill as many adult dengue mosquitoes as possible.

The primary insecticide used in the mosquito fogging is a synthetic pyrethroid, which is similar to the insecticides used in most domestic insect spray cans that are found on supermarket shelves. The ‘fog’ is created by blasting the mixture of insecticide and water into very fine droplets through the fogging machine. The amount of insecticide in the fog is very small, and is dispersed at quantities that can only kill something as small as a mosquito, so at the concentrations used there will be no adverse health effects on people who are occasionally exposed to the fog. The type of insecticide being used in the fogger is also completely odourless.

While the fogging services will have some success in killing adult mosquitoes in the areas that are treated, the residents of Washington DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia are warned that this activity alone is not enough to protect everyone or prevent all vector infections. To reduce and control mosquito outbreaks, a number of actions need to be taken, including making sure there are no mosquitoes breeding in your yard, such as in tires, drums, buckets and any water storage containers, and that you also protect your family from mosquito bites inside and outside the house during the day and in the early morning and early evening. The best methods of personal protection are to apply insect repellent and/or to wear long sleeves and long pants.