Yardscreen frequently asked questions.
- What strategies can a homeowner take to assist in reducing mosquitoes on their property?
- How safe are the insecticides used by Yardscreen for mosquito control?
- Which mosquito repellent is the most effective?
- How effective are backyard misting installations?
- Do mosquito traps work?
- How many species of mosquitoes are there?
- How many species are in NC?
- How many species pose a nuisance problem every year?
- What diseases can be contracted from mosquitoes?
- Are mosquitoes a vector for the AIDS Virus?
- How long do mosquitoes live?
- How far can mosquitoes fly?
- How high do mosquitoes fly?
- What do mosquitoes eat?
Answers to questions about mosquitoes, mosquito control, and Yardscreen.
What strategies can a homeowner take to assist in reducing mosquitoes on their property?
- Empty water from open containers within 4 days.
- Cut your lawn regularly.
- Wear light colored clothing.
- Keep screens on your open windows and doors.
- Call Yardscreen.
How safe are the insecticides used by Yardscreen for mosquito control?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the use of the insecticides that Yardscreen incorporates into its mosquito control program. Through enforcement of regulations outlined in the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the EPA ensures that the public, pets, and our environment are shielded from unhealthy exposure and possible adverse effects.
This legislation mandates extensive research and testing for public health insecticides before they are registered by the government for use. These requirements define and mitigate health or environmental risks when used as directed. The approved active ingredients in products that assist in controlling mosquitoes are at strengths lethal to mosquitoes and harmless by orders of magnitude to humans and the environment. The federal government confirms that use of mosquitocides as directed by the label by a licensed mosquito management professional will not put the general public or the environment at unreasonable risk.
The U.S. government offers additional information at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides.
Which mosquito repellent is the most effective?
Repellents with the active ingredient N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET) which has been around since 1957 are the most effective. The USDA developed the compound in 1957, and it still lasts the longest and combats the most flying, biting insects of the tens of thousands of solutions that have been tested.
NOTE: For children, physicians recommend using products that contain no more than 10% DEET.
How effective are backyard misting installations?
They can be effective, but there are better and much less expensive solutions in the marketplace. Pesticide misting systems are a hybrid irrigation system that was invented by the landscaping industry. It is not an abatement strategy used or endorsed by U.S., State, or local governments, nor traditional environmental vector management professionals in the field or researchers in academia.
Environmental public health moved away from the overuse of pesticides 3 decades ago with a better understanding of the science behind mosquitoes. Technology has advanced the limited use of effective, long-lasting insecticides with an integrated abatement strategy.
Misting systems can needlessly spray non-target insects and animals, can be misdirected by shifts in weather, and require the storing of large amounts of EPA-registered pesticides on-site.
That being said, it is a product that is being sold to the high-end residential market. There are probably happy consumers and also consumers who are not entirely satisfied with their purchase. Nonetheless, residential misting for mosquitoes remains controversial.
A lot of marketing dollars have been spent and a lot of consumers have bought mosquito traps such as the Mosquito Magnet in the past few years. These traps are designed to attract mosquitoes then vacuum in or stick or electrocute them in order to reduce area mosquito populations. There are a number of reasons why these machines are not the magic bullet as claimed by their manufacturers — by a long shot. There are just too many variables associated with so many mosquito species in America that the outcomes of ongoing trap effectiveness studies are literally all over the map.
They require maintenance, and the common attractant of ox breath scent does not lure Asian Tiger Mosquitoes. The vacuum trap can easily become uncallibrated causing too much carbon dioxide to be emitted, actually repelling mosquitoes.
As a consumer, it could help your mosquito situation, but maybe not. It could help you this season, but maybe not next season.
How many species of mosquitoes are there?
There are over 3400 species of mosquitoes.
There are 61 species of mosquitoes in North Carolina.
How many species post a nuisance problem every year?
Less than 5 species are a nuisance every year.
What disease can be contracted from mosquitoes?
To name a few:
- West Nile Virus
- Eastern Equine Encephalitis
- Malaria
- Dengue
- Yellow Fever
Are mosquitoes a vector for the AIDs Virus?
No. HIV does not survive in mosquitoes.
It varies by species, but most live from 2-4 weeks. Some females will live through the winter up to six months, hibernating in a sense; until warmer weather arrives (that is why we might get a mosquito bite when it is 85 degrees outside, 3 days after snow was on the ground). Even the eggs of some species can remain unhatched in mudflats for years until standing moisture jumpstarts the lifecycle into action.
Some short distances, others long distances. Mosquito species like the Asian Tiger Mosquito, which is a vector of West Nile Virus and prefer to breed in urban settings, will fly within about 300 feet. Most mosquitoes can venture out over a mile and some that live in the saltmarshes of southeast U.S. (including N.C.) can fly over 20 miles in search of a blood meal needed for laying eggs.
Usually less than 30 feet, through we always tend to notice them at heights from our heads to our toes.
Plant juice and blood. Males and females get their energy from plant nectar. Only female mosquitoes suck blood, and so in order that their eggs can mature.
