Warm, wet weather is typical in Washington. While the region has been predictably spared heavy snows and frosts, residents still have their winter work cut out for them. You may be one of those homeowners with an organized list of things to do before the weather warms up, but chances are you’re overlooking one very important task: mosquito control.
Why worry about mosquitoes in the dead of winter?
Mosquitoes don’t fly south for the winter, they hibernate. They’re sluggish at temperatures below 80 degrees and shut down when it dips below 50. Here, in Washington, we have over 40 different mosquito species. Some of them hole up underground in winter, while some die but lay cold-hardy eggs that hatch in spring. The latter is what we’re up against right now.
The goal of winter mosquito control is to clean or get rid of any stagnant water around your home. This prevents any eggs already in the water from hatching once the weather warms up, which significantly cuts down the mosquito population come spring. This is called source reduction and is in most cases more effective and more permanent than attacking the larva or adult mosquito.
Below are three things you can do to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds this winter:
● Clean your gutters.
Even if your gutters didn’t clog recently, mosquitoes may have laid eggs in small pockets of runoff held by debris in the troughs. They don’t need much water—just a bottle cap’s worth can be enough to allow them to breed.
● Install gutter covers.
This process is more involved than the first, but it is the proactive approach and the results are permanent. Gutter covers ensure that debris stays out and that water keeps flowing through them which gives next season’s mosquitoes no place to lay their eggs. Plus, gutter guard installation usually includes free gutter cleaning. Ask us about your options for the best gutter guard system in Birmingham AL, and the local area.
● Drain or dispose of anything that can hold water for more than two days.
This includes things like saucers under planters, tin cans, buckets, old tires, or bird baths.
Mosquito control is a year-round job and is a shared responsibility among the residents of your neighborhood. If you’re interested in having gutter protection installed, ask us about Gutter Helmet. Spokane Rain Gutter has recommended it to thousands of clients as the best gutter guard system for Spokane WA homes and the rest of Inland Northwest. Call us to learn more today.
