James' World 2

• The best way to kill and control mosquitoes is to consistently apply more than one method. Some methods may only target adults, while others may only target larvae.
• Effective ways to kill mosquitoes include removing breeding grounds, encouraging predators, applying an agent containing BTI or IGR, and using traps.
• Insect repellents and bug zappers don’t kill mosquitoes.
• Pesticide-resistant mosquitoes may survive spraying, plus the chemical kills other animals and may persist in the environment.

First things first, when learning how to kill mosquitoes: You need to understand the difference between repelling them and killing them. Repellents make a location (like your yard or skin) less attractive to mosquitoes, but don’t kill them. So, citronella, DEET, smoke, lemon eucalyptus, lavender, and tea tree oil might keep the insects at bay, but won’t control them or get rid of them in the long run. Repellents vary in effectiveness, too. For example, while citronella may deter mosquitoes from entering a small, enclosed area, it doesn’t really work in a wide open space (like your backyard).

There are a host of methods that actually do kill mosquitoes, but aren’t great solutions. A classic example is a bug zapper, which kills only a few mosquitoes, yet attracts and kills beneficial insects that keep the mozzy population down. Similarly, spraying pesticides is not an ideal solution because mosquitoes can become resistant to them, other animals get poisoned, and the toxins can cause lasting environmental damage.

Many species of mosquitoes required standing water to breed, so one of the most effective methods of controlling them is to remove open containers and repair leaks. Dumping containers of standing water kills the larvae living in them before they get a chance to mature.

However, removing water may be undesirable or impractical in some cases. Further, some species don’t even need standing water to reproduce! The Aedes species, responsible for transmitting Zika and dengue, lays eggs out of water. These eggs remain viable for months, ready to hatch when sufficient water becomes available.

A better solution is to introduce predators that eat immature or adult mosquitoes or infectious agents that harm mosquitoes without affecting other wildlife.

Most ornamental fish consume mosquito larvae, including koi and minnows. Lizards, geckos, dragonfly adults and naiads, frogs, bats, spiders, and crustaceans all eat mosquitoes.

Adult mosquitoes are susceptible to infection by the fungi Metarhizium anisoplilae and Beauveria bassiana. A more practical infectious agent is the spores of the soil bacterium Bacillus thurigiensis israelensis (BTI),. Infection with BTI makes the larvae unable to eat, causing them to die. BTI pellets are readily available at home and gardening stores, easy to use (simply add them to standing water), and only affect mosquitoes, black flies, and fungus gnats. The treated water remains safe for pets and wild animals to drink. The disadvantages of BTI are that it requires reapplication every week or two, and it doesn’t kill adult mosquitoes.