West Nile Virus is a real threat, as this very dry summer weather continues. Controlling and repelling mosquitoes is essential to enjoying time spent outdoors and to minimizing the risk of contracting diseases. Home Depot's Scott Krueger and Joe Austry help sort through the products on the market to help control mosquito populations and to make your yard less hospitable to mosquitos.

Prevention, Elimination and Repellents

In addition to being highly irritating, mosquito bites can also transmit serious diseases to both people and animals. Protecting yourself, your children and your pets is important for maintaining good health. Knowing how and where mosquitoes like to breed is the key to controlling the population. Reducing the number of places where larvae can grow and killing them as they do will greatly diminish the number of adult mosquitoes around you. Certain chemicals can be used to kill adults and also deter them from biting, so be sure to take advantage of a combination of methods to provide maximum protection.

Life Cycle and Breeding Grounds: While both male and female mosquitoes feed on flowers, only the females require blood. Blood is necessary to produce eggs. Once a female mosquito has acquired blood, she seeks a wet area to lay her eggs, after which the larvae slowly begin to grow. Larvae must remain in water for a short period of time as they grow and, once they reach maturity, they leave their nesting ground behind in search of food.

Female mosquitoes need blood to complete the process of laying eggs

Stagnant pools of standing water are ideal for placement of eggs

Prevention: The best way to avoid mosquito bites is to reduce the number of mosquitoes, and the best way to reduce the number of mosquitoes is to eliminate areas where they can lay eggs. Even the smallest amount of standing water can serve as a breeding ground, so examine your yard closely to find these trouble spots. Get rid of cans, bottles and any other containers that are outside. Drain toddler-sized wading pools when you're not using them and avoid over watering your lawn. Eliminating potential breeding grounds will greatly diminish the mosquito population around you, but it's virtually impossible to eliminate all areas where water can collect, particularly if you have a pond or lake on your property. Introducing fish, such as goldfish, bluegills and minnows, that eat mosquito larvae will help control the population.

Change and clean the water in birdbaths regularly

Remove tree stumps where rainwater can collect

Keep roof gutters clean and free of clogs to prevent water buildup

Doors and windows with tightly knit mesh keep mosquitoes out of your home

Elimination Methods: Prevention will reduce the number of mosquitoes in your area, but it will not get rid of them entirely. Fortunately, there are a number of chemical means to eliminate both larvae and adult mosquitoes. The larval stage is the only time during the life cycle of mosquitoes that they are concentrated in one area, so it is an ideal time to try to eliminate them. Add larvicides such as BTI (a bacterium that produces a toxin lethal to mosquito larvae) and IGR (insect growth regulators) to bodies of water you don't want to eliminate. Some products prevent larvae from undergoing metamorphoses, leaving them stuck in the larval phase. Others use an alcohol derivative to create a film over the surface of the water, causing larvae to drown while ensuring water remains safe. For a more advanced solution, consider one of the high-tech machines that use a combination of heat and scent to imitate a human target and attract mosquitoes. When a mosquito flies in for a closer look, a high-powered, built-in vacuum sweeps them into a chamber where they are trapped and eliminated. After several weeks, you will be able to see the results -- a significantly reduced mosquito population and a yard that's much more pleasant to relax in.

Use larvicides to eliminate mosquitoes before they become adults

Electrocuters, or bug zappers, use heat and carbon dioxide to attract mosquitoes

Foggers can be used outdoors to spread toxins that will eliminate mosquitoes

Kill mosquitoes indoors with the help of appropriate insecticide sprays

When using chemical treatments, adhere to all manufacturer safety guidelines and recommendations

Machines that attract and eliminate mosquitoes are available in varying sizes to meet the needs of different yards

Repellent: In addition to eliminating mosquitoes, there are a number of ways to deter them that will enable you to spend quality time enjoying your front porch or back patio. DEET, a substance that has been around for over 50 years, remains among the most effective repellents. Different brands of repellent feature different concentration levels of DEET, so be wary of how strong each one is. In addition to DEET, repellents that use lemon-oil, also called citronella, eucalyptus and picaridin are also available and can be very effective. When you're done spending time outside, be sure to wash repellents off as soon as possible. Don't apply repellents to the hands of small children or anything else they might put in their mouths.

Spray repellants on clothing and exposed skin to ensure maximum coverage

Repellents retain efficacy for anywhere from 1 to 10 or more hours

Avoid spraying repellents into eyes, cuts or scrapes

Avoid using DEET concentrations stronger than 10% on children

Rain and perspiration may shorten the length of time repellents are effective

Always apply repellent in well-ventilated areas

Indoor and Outdoor: Certain methods of mosquito repellent and elimination are more effective either indoors or outdoors.

Repellent Cream and Sticks: If you're worried about accidentally spraying repellent in your eyes but want to ensure maximum protection to your face and head, look for repellents that come in cream or stick form. Creams are easy to apply around eyes as well as cuts, helping ensure complete coverage without the risk of injury. Sticks allow you to apply protection to areas you may have missed with a spray or might otherwise be difficult to reach, such as the back of your neck and ears.

Clothes: Some clothes now feature built-in insect repellent that remains effective through several washes, making them ideal for campers and people who love the outdoors. Special lightweight shirts with very fine mesh keep you cool during hot weather while preventing mosquitoes and other flying insects from biting.

Candles: Use citronella candles or torches filled with citronella oil to keep bugs away from small areas outside, such as a porch or deck.

Advanced Solutions: If you want a technologically advanced solution to your mosquito problem, consider a unit that uses heat and carbon dioxide to lure mosquitoes onto its surface and then sucks them away via a built-in vacuum. They offer clean operation and noticeable results in a matter of weeks. Look for a unit that's powerful enough to handle your entire yard.

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