Summer and warmer weather also mean mosquitoes.  Take care now to eliminate the environment that mosquitoes need to live and breed.   Here are some tips to consider as you prepare your home and yard for summer:

• Look for standing water, that is where you’ll find mosquito larva.  Check your gutters, make sure they are clean and clear from standing water.
• Care for your lawn. Keep grass short and don’t over-water.
• Treat your bubblier and French drain lines along with rain barrels and saucers for the potted plants with Mosquito Bits.
• Promote an environment that combats mosquitoes!  Purple martins, bats and dragonflies. Mosquitoes are a favorite snack.
• Consider these plants in the garden and around your patio, as most have a repellent effect. Here is a list of plants that may help repel mosquitoes:
  • Basil: This delicious herb is not only helpful in the kitchen, but basil also is believed to keep away mosquitoes and flies.
  • Lemon thyme: This aromatic herb thrives in sunny, dry conditions, along pathways and rock gardens. For best results, bruise the leaves and rub them between your fingers to release the herb’s essential oils.
  • Catnip: Yes, the cats love this pretty herb, but the mosquitoes apparently do not.
  • Citronella grass: The perennial is the source of citronella oil used in pest repellent and the commonly found mosquito candles.
  • Mint: Place the mint-filled pots around your home to help repel mosquitoes. Or, use the fragrant mint leaves to make an all-natural mosquito repellent.
  • Lemon balm: This member of the mint family has an aroma that is said to naturally repel mosquitoes and other insects.
• Consider changing your outside lighting to yellow light bulbs or lenses.
• Use Skeeter Screen Mosquito Egg. They are perfect for any social place outdoors, also offered in a spray. DEET free & Pyrethrin free and contains no insecticides or herbicides.

The use of sprays and granule repellents in the environment is an option. Some all-natural sprays include citronella,  garlic and orange oil sprays. Granulated cedar and garlic work as repellents.  Stop by Wells Brothers Pet, Lawn and Garden and talk to our experts about the products that can help eliminate the mosquito problem where you live.  We’re happy to help!

When it comes to flea control, prevention is best. Fleas like temperatures below 95°F with humidity above 50%. It’s better to prevent them than to remove them. Fleas are brought in by the urban wildlife (rabbits, rats, squirrels, raccoon, etc.) that visit us and our bird feeders. As a general rule birds do not have fleas but you are also feeding the critters that do have fleas. So, if you have a flea problem and feed the birds, stop feeding for a month or so to get the problem under control.

If you have fleas you will have to treat the yard. If you have pets, treat them, the yard and the house within a 24 hour period. When fighting fleas it is all about breaking the life cycle. There are a bunch of all-natural and synthetic products to choose from. Most products will take more than one application, 5 to 10 days apart to break that life cycle.

Our number one product for outdoor flea control is sulfur, but remember it is a repellent not a killer. There are two types of sulfur, powder and granulated. Application rates vary but the following have worked well for me. Use 10# to 15# of granulated sulfur to cover a 1,000 square feet and should be reapplied every 10 to 14 days depending on weather. Five pounds of powdered sulfur will cover about 1,500 square feet and should be repeated weekly.

The all-natural product called Yardsafe from the folks at Cedarcide is high concentration cedar oil product in a ready to use quart that will cover about 2,000 square feet for the initial application. Repeat application in 5 to 10 days. This will kill the existing fleas and has a good residual for several days afterwards depending on weather.

There are also quite a few choices on the chemical side in both liquid and granulated. A good rule of thumb is to pick products with an active ingredient that ends with the suffix, “thrin”. Some of the most common are bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, permethrin and my favorite product, lambda-cyhalothrin, is the active ingredient in Cyonara. This quart attaches to the hose and will cover about 8,000 square feet. As always please read and follow all label direction.

The holiday season is closing in fast and folks are traveling to see us or we’re traveling to see them. The last thing you (or anyone else) needs is a bed bug problem. These nasty little creatures are experts in traveling and hiding so learn about your enemy. Stay vigilant when staying at hotels by inspecting bedding and mattresses. Inform hotel management if any (bed bug or not) issue is found. Inspect your luggage after you unpack.

If you find them upon your return the first thing is to identify if you really have bed bugs. They do have a tendency to look like other critters, so be sure. Once you have identified them, then you go to war. Now for the weapons! Way back when, DDT was the go to way to combat these little fellows until it was outlawed in 1972. Then we had the very effective Diazinon and Dursban as the prime weapons. The Feds took both of these products off the market in 2001. Now bed bugs are out of control and are without a doubt, the most challenging pest that we deal with. So if the good stuff is gone, what to fight them with? There are both all natural and synthetic products available. Diatomaceous earth (DE), cedar and orange oil are the effective all natural products. Synthetically, pyrethroid based insecticides seem to be the most effective. The synthetics are faster than the all-naturals but this fight still requires patience.  We also sell a product here called Bug Outlaw.  The Bug Outlaw is a bed bug “pitfall trap,” and an interceptive, non poisonous glue trap, as well as an all-purpose monitoring station for most types of pests. Whatever you choose, read and follow the label directions. For more information on ways to prevent or combat bed bugs, click here.