DAYTON — Here we are facing the yearly battle with mosquitos, and we asked experts what really works when trying to keep away those pesky mosquitos.
With some many options out there, we asked Norfolk Mosquito Control Director David Lawson for his tips.
“There’s been a lot of gimmicks like put Citronella, Citronella candles or the torches or whatever. I don’t think they’ve been proven to be very effective.” Lawson said.
Business has been booming for professional praying companies like Mosquito Mary’s, especially since the pandemic has more of us hanging outside.
“People have gotten a lot of pets. They spend a lot more time outdoors and they want to be safe. They don’t want to deal with the bugs,” Mosquito Mary’s said.
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Lawson said he agrees if people pay to spray, “If you have the right yard.”
He continued by saying, “If people have good low shrubbery and thick vegetation at the perimeter of the property, that’s a good setup for what these companies are doing to control mosquitos in their yard,”
If you were to go with one of these companies and your neighbors didn’t, is that less effective? How should we think of that? Or can you pretty much go it alone?
“If you have a great setup in your own yard, that should really work effectively,” Lawson said.
When you talk about mosquitos, it’s really all about the math. In fact, this bottle cap can hold 300 eggs. That’s why in any yard, water is the enemy.
Standing water is a breeding ground for mosquitos. “They like to hang out underneath things and along stone walls and underneath porches. They’re like little vampires. They like to hang upside down, it’s creepy,” Lawson said.
When asked about Lawson’s thoughts on chemicals versus natural, he responded, “The EPA approves the products that are to be used. Follow the label, do it according to the label and we should be doing right by the environment.”
Safety of pollinators like bees are another concern. Both the county and the professional sprayers say they do their best to stay clear of them.
“I do believe we’re going to have to coexist because we’re not going to be able to get rid of them,” Lawson said.
So far this year, mosquitos carrying West Nile Virus have been detected three times in Clark County. Those mosquitos were trapped in Springfield and South Charleston.
Since you can’t get rid of mosquitos completely, experts said personal bug sprays work well especially if it contains deet.
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