Main Causes for growth of mosquitoes:
1. Standing water serves as a breeding site for mosquitoes. A Frisbee or a plastic bottle cap can hold enough water to support mosquito breeding. This is a major cause for their growing numbers.
2. Lack of cleanliness in the entire surrounding area:
a. In-spite of regular cleaning, if there is garbage collected and kept around, it will lead to growth of mosquitoes.
b. If there are clogged gutters or the drainage system is not robust, it will create an environment, favourable for mosquitoes.
Natural Solutions for preventing mosquito growth in a neighbourhood or housing society:
1. Removing ‘standing water’ and Cleaning the area:
a. Remove all standing water from the neighbourhood:
i. Collection & disposal of standing water, may be required multiple times, every day.
ii. In this regard, if the slopes are improper, then masonry work may be needed to allow water to flow to the drains, automatically.
iii. Water stored for different purposes should be closed properly and the tanks, containers or ponds must be cleaned very regularly.
b. Cleaning the area:
i. Cleaning & disposal of garbage needs to be very frequent to prevent mosquito breeding.
ii. If garbage needs to be kept around, garbage cans and compost bin lids should be fit securely to keep insects away.
c. The drainage system should be maintained well:
i. Regular cleaning of drains, gutters, STP system
ii. Repair of pipes, avoid leakages etc.
d. Keep the swimming pools cleaned and chlorinated even when not in use to avoid it from becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
e. An oil drip can or oil drip barrel is a common and nontoxic anti-mosquito measure. The thin layer of oil on top of the water prevents mosquito breeding
f. Allow corporation or management people to spray chemicals inside your compound and wherever there is stagnant water, once in a while. This is a chemical method of light poisoning. It may kill other insects too and is harmful to some degree to all life including human beings, as well. This can be restored to (at a small frequency, only if required), along with natural processes, in cases where mosquito population is large.
2. Lighting:
a. Usage of LED lights, yellow bug lights, sodium lights are advisable as they are also mosquito- repellent lights. This is to keep mosquitoes away from light as they are easily attracted by light.
3. Plantations:
a. There are few plants which repel mosquitoes. Planting these in sufficient number (as required), in the neighbourhood or garden will be a wonderful, environment friendly method of getting rid of insects, naturally. These are following:
i. Citronella plant
ii. Lemon Balm
iii. Catnip
iv. Marigolds
v. Basil (‘Tulasi’)
vi. Rosemary
vii. Geranium
viii. Mint, Lemon Mint and Peppermint
ix. Garlic
x. Eucalyptus
xi. Clove
xii. Neem tree, Lemon tree
xiii. Lemon grass, Citronella grass
4. Animal predators:
a. Domestic animals which feed on mosquitoes and insects, and should not be killed in the neighbourhood. Few example are cited below:
i. Birds
ii. Fish e.g. Mosquito fish, Frogs
iii. Dragon fly, Ground beetles, Water striders
iv. Lizards, Spiders, Ants etc.
(Source of information: few websites on internet)
1. Standing water serves as a breeding site for mosquitoes. A Frisbee or a plastic bottle cap can hold enough water to support mosquito breeding. This is a major cause for their growing numbers.
2. Lack of cleanliness in the entire surrounding area:
a. In-spite of regular cleaning, if there is garbage collected and kept around, it will lead to growth of mosquitoes.
b. If there are clogged gutters or the drainage system is not robust, it will create an environment, favourable for mosquitoes.
Natural Solutions for preventing mosquito growth in a neighbourhood or housing society:
1. Removing ‘standing water’ and Cleaning the area:
a. Remove all standing water from the neighbourhood:
i. Collection & disposal of standing water, may be required multiple times, every day.
ii. In this regard, if the slopes are improper, then masonry work may be needed to allow water to flow to the drains, automatically.
iii. Water stored for different purposes should be closed properly and the tanks, containers or ponds must be cleaned very regularly.
b. Cleaning the area:
i. Cleaning & disposal of garbage needs to be very frequent to prevent mosquito breeding.
ii. If garbage needs to be kept around, garbage cans and compost bin lids should be fit securely to keep insects away.
c. The drainage system should be maintained well:
i. Regular cleaning of drains, gutters, STP system
ii. Repair of pipes, avoid leakages etc.
d. Keep the swimming pools cleaned and chlorinated even when not in use to avoid it from becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
e. An oil drip can or oil drip barrel is a common and nontoxic anti-mosquito measure. The thin layer of oil on top of the water prevents mosquito breeding
f. Allow corporation or management people to spray chemicals inside your compound and wherever there is stagnant water, once in a while. This is a chemical method of light poisoning. It may kill other insects too and is harmful to some degree to all life including human beings, as well. This can be restored to (at a small frequency, only if required), along with natural processes, in cases where mosquito population is large.
2. Lighting:
a. Usage of LED lights, yellow bug lights, sodium lights are advisable as they are also mosquito- repellent lights. This is to keep mosquitoes away from light as they are easily attracted by light.
3. Plantations:
a. There are few plants which repel mosquitoes. Planting these in sufficient number (as required), in the neighbourhood or garden will be a wonderful, environment friendly method of getting rid of insects, naturally. These are following:
i. Citronella plant
ii. Lemon Balm
iii. Catnip
iv. Marigolds
v. Basil (‘Tulasi’)
vi. Rosemary
vii. Geranium
viii. Mint, Lemon Mint and Peppermint
ix. Garlic
x. Eucalyptus
xi. Clove
xii. Neem tree, Lemon tree
xiii. Lemon grass, Citronella grass
4. Animal predators:
a. Domestic animals which feed on mosquitoes and insects, and should not be killed in the neighbourhood. Few example are cited below:
i. Birds
ii. Fish e.g. Mosquito fish, Frogs
iii. Dragon fly, Ground beetles, Water striders
iv. Lizards, Spiders, Ants etc.
(Source of information: few websites on internet)
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