PHOTO: SUSAN ELLIS, BUGWOOD.ORG
We asked Pest Management Professional‘s columnists and editorial advisory board members to share the most challenging aspect of mosquito control, and how they overcome it. Here are some of the experts’ responses — including a few extra that didn’t make it into our April 2021 print edition.
Please take a minute to answer our latest one-question poll on this topic and let us know what you think is the most challenging aspect of mosquito control: Reader poll: Challenges of mosquito control
PMP’s Editorial Advisory Board and Regular Contributors
Dennis Jenkins: “The mosquitoes that cause us the most problems are those that have adapted to live very close by. It’s always great when customers cooperate and wear clothing that covers as much skin as possible — but most just don’t. So, treating the underside of the foliage surrounding a home; taking away mosquito breeding sites in the yard; and then using the mosquitoes to translocate another control measure to any remaining breeding areas, is the three-punch approach that has worked best for us. In the end, I have always told customers that if you are breathing outside, you will attract mosquitoes. If there are 20 people outside, it will be hard to stop them from coming to the ‘Eat at Joe’s’ sign.”
Pete Schopen: “In our market, competition drives the price down. It can be difficult sometimes to stick to your guns and charge a price that is fair to both your client and your company. But by educating our clients, we’ve been able to charge a price we deem fair.”
Michael Broder: “We have to communicate with customers who have unrealistic expectations that, although their property has been treated, mosquitos can still fly onto it from surrounding areas.”
Foster Brusca: “Mosquito control usually requires customer cooperation for effective long-term control, and your efforts will be hampered greatly if there isn’t any. If customers are unwilling to clean up their property of trash, debris and other potential breeding sites, then most treatments will fail. I have been fortunate in my 28 years in the pest control industry that I have not had to deal with too many mosquito issues that have become challenging due to no customer cooperation or other factors. Mosquito control can be highly effective, if performed correctly and breeding sites removed.”
Doug Foster: “Rain and windspeed (over 10 mph) make it impossible to treat with backpack misters on some days, so planning according to weather forecasts is important. However, we all know how accurate the local weather reports can be …”
Paul Hardy: “The local weather forecast is your friend, so use an app on your phone for updates in real-time.”
Desiree Straubinger, BCE: “Many times, the population is breeding on a neighboring property where we cannot treat or correct the conducive conditions. To tackle this, we can work with that property owner to obtain the contract. If that fails, we can at least provide the knowledge of what conditions on their property could be producing mosquitoes. Education is key for many pest issues, but especially one where the conditions must be corrected to gain complete control.”
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