Protect your yard from mosquitoes by minimizing breeding spots

June 14, 2005

DAWN DE BUSK/Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU - Enjoying the sunny Mat-Su evening, friends gather around, sitting at a picnic table or in a circle of chairs. Conversation picks up, and laughter emerges. Then, a dark cloud of insects envelops the group, dive-bombing exposed skin and drinking blood from their victims.

Sound like a B-grade horror flick?

Well, welcome to summer in Alaska. After two summers of lower-than-usual mosquito populations, the pesky insect seems particularly aggressive this summer, according to Fred Sorensen, integrated pest management program coordinator with University of Alaska Fairbanks' Cooperative Extension.

Valley locals have been arming themselves to fight the battle against the blood-sucking bug. In fact, Outdoors & More Sporting Goods in Wasilla has been reordering repellent coils and the mosquito netting people place over their heads almost every other day, according to sales employee Ashley Buckwalter.

Mat-Su residents do have the power to decrease some of the mosquitoes invasion in close proximity to their homes, Sorensen said. People can walk around their yards and get rid of or turn upside down containers that hold water.

"Cut down on the breeding spots like old tires filled with water," he said.

Removing leaf piles in the fall eliminates a favorite overwintering spot of the species of blood-sucker known as the snow mosquito.

Encourage predators of the mosquito by putting up bird houses or bat houses in the yard, keeping trees around and not letting the household cat out unattended, Sorensen said.

While conserving the trees on one's property to provide home for birds; it's wise to knock away dead stumps that could be a residence for hibernating mosquitos. Tree stump holes can hold water that might make an appealing nursery for the aquatic eggs or larvae.

Sorensen recommended spraying repellent on both clothes and body before outdoor activities.

"Our landscapers are using bug spray because they need to," according to Lacey Schnoor, general manager at Recluse Garden & Greenhouses.

Sorensen also mentioned that there are clothes already impregnated with repellent on the market. He, however, would not name any brands.

Outdoors & More Sporting Goods sells fishing hats with repellent in the fibers.

That product sells fairly well, Buckwalter said. The more dedicated outdoorsman has the option of purchasing an entire mosquito-proof suit.

"We sell them every so often for hunting," she said, adding that the head netting has proven to be most popular anti-mosquito wear.

With all the prevention available, most people still suffer from bug bites. Sorensen provided some post-bite tips.

He stressed the importance of using an after-bite ointment and resisting the all-too-human temptation to scratch the red welt left behind.

"The infection is coming from whatever is under your fingernails when you scratch the bite," he said. "The mosquitos don't need the blame for something you do."

Dawn De Busk can be reached at 352-2252, or dawn.debusk@frontiersman.com.