Question:
What, if anything, do you do to control the mosquito populations
around your horses? Spring is here in AZ and the mosquito population
is pretty bad this year. I was thinking of a black light zapper. Any
thoughts or suggestions?
Answer:
> Spring is here in AZ and the mosquito population is pretty bad this year.
> I was thinking of a black light zapper.
Those are useless for mosquitos.
-Bats. Here at the home we have a large bat population in residence which
we've made every attempt to cultvate over the years and nary a mosquito to
be found. Others in the region have no bats and are plagued with mosquitoes.
Bats are not all that difficult to attract and accomodate, see your local
county extension weenies for more information.
-Bug zappers aren't much use against mosquitos. They attract a lot of
moths, but they even tell you that they are not effective against biting
insects. The best defense against mosquitos is to control the
environment, getting rid of pot holes and other places where there is
still water. It's not to late to erect a Purple Martin house here in
southern Ontario, but it probably is in AZ. There are also bat houses
available to help cultivate a bat population. I build a small fish pond
near my patio. I figured that if I provided an ideal spot for egg laying
the mosquitos would choose that, and then the fish would eat the eggs and
larvae. It seems to be working.
