Three steps to Swat-Away annoying mosquitoes
Is there anything more annoying than sitting on your patio having dinner with the family, or planting flowers in your garden, and having to spend most of your time swatting away mosquitoes?
Aside from being an annoyance and taking the enjoyment out of being outdoors, mosquitoes are a health threat to you, your family, and your pets. They are the vectors of numerous disease pathogens, including West Nile virus, malaria, Zika, and western equine encephalitis (WEE).
Clark Pest Control’s Swat-Away mosquito service for residential properties offers a comprehensive mosquito management plan that’s designed to limit encounters with these annoying and potentially harmful pests, which can establish a breeding location in something as small as a plastic bottle cap, or in an outdoor play set.
Swat-Away will limit stubborn mosquito populations, using a multi-step approach to keep mosquitoes away from your family’s outdoor living and recreation space. You should notice a visible reduction in mosquito pressure after only one treatment.
How does Swat-Away work?
The Clark Swat-Away program for residential customers uses a three-step approach to target mosquitoes at different life stages.
The process begins when a specially trained Clark technician performs a thorough inspection of your property to identify potential mosquito nesting locations, along with conducive conditions that could promote mosquito activity.
1. Remove and treat breeding sites: First, most standing water, a breeding source for mosquitoes, is removed. In any standing water that remains, larvicide tablets are applied to kill any mosquito larvae left behind.
2. Install and service a mosquito defense station: A station is installed to target female mosquitoes laying their eggs. This is important, as female mosquitoes – which need a protein found in the blood of vertebrate animals to create their eggs – are the ones that bite. The station contaminates them with a biological fungus that eventually kills an infected mosquito, but not before it can be spread to other mosquitoes as she travels to other areas to lay more eggs. This targeted treatment turns a mosquito’s own biology against it, passing the fungus to any hidden breeding sites around your yard or home.
3. Treat mosquito resting areas: Your licensed Clark technician will apply a product designed for long-lasting mosquito control to foliage and shady areas in your yard or around your home (e.g., eaves, overhangs, under decks, etc.) where mosquitoes are known to rest. This thorough coverage will ensure that the product remains effective against mosquitoes until the next time your property is serviced.
Swat-Away offers additional protection
Although your local vector control agency provides community-wide population control of mosquitoes, Clark’s Swat-Away service will offer targeted, ongoing coverage for your yard. This multi-layer approach to mosquito control is serviced year-round to ensure that your yard, family, and pests are consistently protected from these annoying and potentially dangerous pests.
While vector control focuses on macro-level, community-wide source reduction and population knockdown, Swat-Away works on a micro level on your property to minimize mosquito reproduction, interrupt the life cycle of developing larvae, and reduce adults by applying a chemical barrier.
A year-round defense system
Mosquito season begins when temperatures consistently reach over 50 degrees Fahrenheit, so depending on your location, mosquito season may last year-round. Mosquito eggs are extremely resilient, quick to reproduce (a mosquito can develop from an egg to a blood-sucking adult in only seven days), and can remain viable for up to a year, waiting until conditions are ripe to hatch.
Clark’s Swat-Away service ensures that you’ll have an extra layer of defense against mosquito populations, no matter the time of year.
If mosquitoes are killing your backyard buzz, call or text (800) WE-NEED-YOU (936-3339) or email us at clarkcares@clarkpest.com.
Until next time, the pest management professionals at Clark Pest Control thank you for helping us keep unwanted pests out of your home and yard.