Everything You're Using to Combat Mosquitoes is Wrong!

It’s summertime, which means barbecues, pool parties, and...mosquitoes. These pesky insects can quickly ruin any outdoor activity with their relentless biting. Many people resort to various methods to keep mosquitoes at bay. Still, according to J.P. Michaud, Professor in the Department of Entomology at Kansas State University, most of these common tactics are ineffective at best and counterproductive at worst.

“When you’re fogging for adults, you’re just killing the tip of the iceberg,” says Professor Michaud. “For every adult, there are a couple of hundred pupae waiting to emerge, and for every couple hundred pupae, there are probably four times as many larvae and ten times as many eggs waiting to hatch.”

In other words, spraying or “fogging” to kill adult mosquitoes does little to address the root of the problem. Those mosquito eggs and larvae are still there, ready to grow into a new swarm of biting adults. On top of that, fogging kills indiscriminately. “You’re just wiping out everything that’s flying,” notes Michaud. Beneficial insects like pollinators and predators that eat pests can be caught in the crossfire.

Another common mosquito-fighting tactic Michaud says is misguided is those expensive mosquito traps that use CO2 or other attractants. “Basically, they’re attracting mosquitoes. Yeah, they’ll catch a lot, and you open it and say, ‘Oh, I caught a lot of mosquitoes.’ But, you know, they’re drawing more mosquitoes to your yard.” The same goes for citronella candles and other “repellent” products - Michaud says there’s little evidence they keep mosquitoes away.

So what does Michaud recommend for combating these blood-sucking pests? It all comes down to controlling their breeding sites. “Any water that stands for five to seven days can be a source of mosquitoes,” he explains. “Children’s toys, old tires - those are notorious. If you have bird baths or stock tanks–add a couple of goldfish, and you’re good to go. They will eat all the mosquito larvae.”

For water features you want to keep, like landscape ponds, Michaud suggests treating them with Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) or methoprene. These products selectively kill mosquito larvae without harming other wildlife. “It’s very selective for mosquitoes and won’t kill anything else. You can put it in your bird baths, you can put it in your pond,” he says of Bti.

When it comes to personal protection, Michaud says DEET is still the gold standard for repelling mosquitoes. Clothing treated with pyrethrin sprays (pesticides found naturally in some chrysanthemum flowers) can also help. However, he emphasizes that habitat control to eliminate standing water should be the foundation of any mosquito management plan.

“It’s all habitat management,” states Michaud unequivocally. No matter how much you spray, trap, or repel adult mosquitoes, if you’re not addressing their breeding sites, you’ll never get the problem under control. And in the meantime, you may be harming beneficial insects and wasting a lot of money on gimmicky products.

So put away the bug zappers and tiki torches. This summer, focus on eliminating any standing water around your home, and consider treating water features you want to keep with safe, targeted larvicides. For personal protection, stick to proven repellents applied to skin or clothing. With this approach based on Michaud’s advice, you can take back your summer from the mosquitoes - without resorting to methods that don’t work and cost you big bucks.