AMARILLO, TEXAS -- Monday evening's rainfall is prompting Amarillo city officials to urge residents to empty any standing water to prevent any mosquito hatching.
Mosquitoes are known to hatch from eggs into larvae in any standing water. Residents are asked to empty any standing water by Friday to help the mosquitoes from hatching into biting adults.
"The City is actively treating standing water and wants you to know space spraying will not kill many mosquitoes because the insecticide particles disperse rapidly," says Deree Duke, Director of Environmental Health. "The major disadvantage of space spraying is that it will not manage mosquitoes for long periods of time."
Places that are known to have standing water that should be emptied include wading pools, pet dished, bird baths, tires, buckets, jars and rain gutters. The City said the only way to stop mosquitoes is to elimate standing water and tip and toss the water out of anything that holds it.
The Environmental Health Department suggests three ways residents can 'fight the bite':|
1. Tip and Toss the water from all containers around your property.
2. Consumer Control - Because community controls cannot reduce mosquito populations to zero, people need to protect themselves as well, particularly on evening outings. There are a wide variety of products available for personal mosquito control, probably more than for any other type of insect.
a. These include indoor aerosol products and outdoor foggers
b. There are several personal repellents for mosquito control that can be applied directly to exposed skin or clothing.
c. At this time, it appears that chemical-based mosquito control products are the most effective, while the mechanical and bug zapping devices are not very effective in controlling mosquitoes.
3. Vegetation Management
o Adult mosquitoes prefer to rest on weeds and other vegetation. Homeowners can reduce the number of areas where adult mosquitoes can find shelter by cutting down weeds adjacent to the house foundation and in their yards, and by mowing the lawn regularly.
o To further reduce adult mosquitoes harboring in vegetation, insecticides may be applied to the lower limbs of shade trees, shrubs and other vegetation. Always read and follow label directions before using any pesticide.
