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Eliminate standing water. Remove landscaping or vegetation that harbors them. Traps. Repellers (e.g. Thermacell). DEET spray and long clothing. We have an
by wffurr 3y ago
Eliminate standing water. Remove landscaping or vegetation that harbors them. Traps. Repellers (e.g. Thermacell). DEET spray and long clothing.
We have an albopictus aka zebra aka Asian tiger mosquito infestation in our Massachusetts back yard. I found and dumped some standing water in the neighbor’s yard. I ordered BG-GAT traps. We use a Thermacell when we go out there and it helps when we remember to set it up 15 min in advance. Considering removing our English ivy ground cover as it’s a habitat for them.
- DoingIsLearning 3y agoWhat vegetation harbours mosquitos?
- mrled 3y agoBamboo definitely does. Anecdote: I live in Texas. We had ~10 feet of bamboo against our entire back fence, something like ~70 feet. Bamboo isn't native, but grows very fast and provides a lot of visual cover, which is nice. In past years mosquitoes have been real terrorists, you could often have multiple landing on you at once. Nothing we tried made much of a dent except good bug spray all over the body and clothes, and even that wasn't perfect. They were relentless, often landing even on our dog, which surprised me given that he's a lab mix and covered in fur. Guests always commented on how bad it was. This year we had a backyard office built, and ended up clearing ~10x40 feet of the bamboo for the office. There has been a massive difference in the number of mosquitoes since the clearing. We often go outside for a long time without bug spray at all, I never see them on the dog any more, and guests no longer notice the bugs at all. And we didn't even remove all the bamboo - we still have about 10x30 feet off to the side, and neighbors to both sides and behind our backyard still have some.
- xattt 3y agoCurious, but in your parts, is bamboo synonymous with Japanese knot-wood or is it still considered a separate plant? I’ve got my oldest kid trained to be on the lookout for knotwood shoots in our yard. It grows and takes over so dann fast.
- willvarfar 3y ago(Japanese Knotweed is very distinct from bamboo. It looks quite different too. Pulling up knotweed actually encourages it's spread! So don't do that. Google for lots of articles on how to determine if you have to treat it (if left alone and not pruned it doesn't actually grow fast nor spread; so just leave be!) or how to attempt eradicate it e.g. it is near a building or drainage. Good luck!)
- xattt 3y agoThanks! I’ve read reports online about bamboo growing in North America, and didn’t know if it was actual bamboo or the knotweed we have growing in our parts. It’s coming from our neighbour’s yard who seem to have taken a laissez-faire approach to their yard management. We’re extremely careful not to let it fracture since, as you know, that spurs additional growth. In the hard to reach parts behind the shed, I did put down landscaping fabric with rocks over it. After being diligent with new shoots in the early spring, it slows down significantly come the summer and fall.
- Projectiboga 3y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandina https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandina is another Bamboo like plant, it is invasive. I grew up with one in the only situation where it wouldn't go invasive, it's surrounded by pavement and stands alone by Mom's front porch. It has awesome flowers for bees. I think i'll remove it before I sell her house. I may pot some to have on a terrace. But it is another invasive.
- jcynix 3y agoJapanse knotweed's young sprouts are edible, BTW. But, depending on your climate, it might sprout faster than you can eat it ;-0 https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/weeds/is-japanese-knotweed-edible.htm https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/weeds/is-jap...
- mrled 3y agoAfter googling, I don't think I've seen Japanese knot-wood before. I have woody stalks and long thin leaves. My layman's understanding is that what's in my yard is running bamboo.
- CWuestefeld 3y agoIn much of TX - certainly the Austin area - there's been a really awful drought, which denies mosquitoes a place for their eggs to grow. Are you sure that this isn't the cause of your observation?
- jehb 3y agoI can't answer this question generally, but one example that is very close to home is bamboo. (Actually, it's no longer close to home. We moved, and despite being very close to our old house, have an order of magnitude fewer mosquitos.) Water collects in the broken culms, which can be very deep, and doesn't go away because they remain shaded.
- wffurr 3y agoAnything that makes a humid, dark under-layer. In our case, it's the English ivy ground cover. After a few minutes searching, this seems like a good guide: https://www.gardenguides.com/12588077-ivy-and-plants-that-harbor-mosquitoes.html https://www.gardenguides.com/12588077-ivy-and-plants-that-ha... Ivy, violets, tree holes.
- aaron695 3y ago[dead]
- ilyt 3y agoI remember how my colleague expressed frustration after building system to use rainwater when he realized he essentially made mosquitoes resort in his backyard
- christkv 3y agoif you have standing water a couple of drops of dish detergent in standing water will kill all the mosquito larva as the destruction of the water tension by the soap basically drowns them (at least that is my understanding).