Mosquitoes and You

The beautiful tropical paradises around the globe are a source of great beauty and relaxation. People move from other parts of the world in search for that relaxed beautiful moment but there are also other individuals who enjoy the treat, mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are some of the most irritating insects to be around, their bites are itchy and painful, and those that fly in the night can be loud and noisy, not forgetting that their bite can also transmit some of the deadly and nasty infectious diseases such as malaria and dengue fever.

Mosquitoes transmit diseases by biting a person infected with a disease and thereafter biting another person during their next meal. This cycle is very critical as it is challenging to control the spread of the disease without human intervention. This intervention includes humans protecting themselves from mosquito bites and controlling mosquito breeding.

Today I am going to focus on the second part how do we control mosquito breeding?

Mosquitoes breed in stagnant water, because that is where they can easily lay their eggs hatch and develop to the adult stages. Since the water is not moving, there is plenty of food for the developing mosquito stages. 

Stagnant water is water that is not moving and usually collects in;

1.  holes/pools on the ground,
2.  old utensils that are lying around in the open, e.g. pots, plates, cups, cans, water fountains, etc.
3. plates/base of flower pots, 
4.  on big leaves and  hollow stems,
5.  hollow stems in tree trunks,
6. old tyres,
7. anything that is hollow and can collect water.

It is therefore very important to drain and turn upside down all things that can collect water and be a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Fill all water pools so that there is no water collecting there anymore. As simple as these ways sound, they go a long way to reduce the breeding grounds for mosquitoes thereby reducing the population of mosquitoes hence reducing the risk of spread of diseases transmitted by mosquitoes.

Remember to always protect yourself against mosquitoes when you are in areas that are prone to mosquito borne diseases. Use insect repellents and always sleep under a treated bed net if you can.

If you have flowers or potted plants, fountains and huge plants in your garden, make sure to drain any water that collects and clean them to ensure that mosquito eggs are destroyed.