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Mosquito
Repellents are the Way to Go
Posted 2 September 2010
The mosquitoes this
summer have hit all-time highs and have been a real deterrent to being
outside. Mosquito population trends for the summer have reached four
times the number from last year. Visit the Iowa State University
medical entomology lab mosquito
surveillance website for more information.
"It is too late in the season for homeowner mosquito management actions
to have much effect," said Laura Jesse, Plant and Insect Diagnostic
clinician. "Eliminating all possible water sources – buckets, tires,
bird baths, other objects that hold water – that the mosquitoes could
use for their development may reduce the number produced on your
property, but not those blowing in the wind from outside your property
lines."
Floodwater mosquitoes (the most common biters) have no respect for
property lines and easily can fly several miles from where they
developed, according to Jesse. That's why the most effective mosquito
management programs are those that involve an entire community or
encompass a large area.
Personal protection remains the most practical way of contending with
mosquitoes for the remainder of the year. Avoid the areas and times of
day when mosquitoes are most active if you can, and wear long,
heavy-knitted clothing. Apply mosquito repellents sparingly but
thoroughly prior to going outside and wash thoroughly when you return
inside.
The CDC suggests that you use any of several EPA-registered products
that have been shown to provide reasonably long-lasting protection. For
most people, a low-concentration product will be sufficient for short
intervals out-of-doors. Those working outside longer can benefit from a
higher concentration of active ingredient, or repeated applications as
needed. EPA-registered products contain one of the following active
ingredients: DEET, Picaridin, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus or IR3535.
Giant numbers and giant mosquitoes
In addition to having an incredibly large number of mosquitoes in Iowa
this year, extension entomologists also have had more questions and
inquiries that start out, "I just saw the biggest mosquito of my life!"
“The very large mosquitoes that bite viciously are one of our 'usual'
species found in Iowa,” said Donald Lewis, extension entomologist.
“However, this year is different in that the population seems to be
larger than normal.” The extra-large mosquitoes are in a genus called
Psorophora. There is no customary common name for these mosquitoes,
though some references use the term "gallinipper" or "gallinipper
mosquito" for Psorophora mosquitoes.
Psorophora mosquitoes are a floodwater species. The females lay eggs on
moist soil and the eggs hatch when covered with water from floods or
temporary pools and impoundments. The larvae grow very quickly to the
adult stage. Some of the Psorophora mosquito larvae are predacious;
that is, they eat the larvae of other mosquitoes sharing the temporary
pool. There can be several generations of Psorophora each summer
depending on rainfall. In the fall of the year, the last eggs laid for
the season remain dormant and wait for floods the following year. Some
references claim the eggs can lay dormant for a long time and hatch
years later.
Of the 14 species of Psorophora in North America, the one common in
Iowa is Psorophora ciliata, a large mosquito with noticeably banded
legs, pale stripes on the side of the dark thorax, and stiff, erect
hairs along the legs. Females of Psorophora ciliata are vicious biters
and prefer to feed on mammals. They will bite during both the day and
night and are able to bite through heavy clothing.
“There is nothing special for the control of Psorophora mosquitoes,”
Lewis said. “The usual homeowner/gardener actions of eliminating
breeding sites such as bird baths, plugged rain gutters and old tires
may help reduce some kinds of mosquitoes, but not Psrophora that are
breeding in flooded fields. Personal repellents remain the best defense
against biting.”
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