Remember all the hoopla about West Nile Virus and how I scared the bejeezus out of you with all the dangers associated with it and then gave you hope because of all the ways you learn about and prevent it (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)?
I, too, thought WNV was a thing of the past, or at least at bay over the winter, but I just learned I was wrong. The Falls Church web site talks about what we can do now to prevent WNV in the spring and summer. Quite honestly, this is the first reasonable or sensible argument I have heard for raking leaves.
Their suggestions:
Clean Rain Gutters – Clean out leaves and debris from your gutters frequently. Wet leaves provide nutrients and protection for mosquito larvae.
Recycle Old Tires – Recycle tires or store them where they won’t collect rainwater. For playground use, drill water drainage holes.
Rake Leaves – Leaves left in your yard will decompose and become food for mosquito larvae in the spring.
Fill Holes and Yard Depressions – Those puddles of water in your yard make great mosquito breeding sites!
It’s entirely possible that simply burning the old tires will create enough smoke to get rid of the mosquitoes, but don’t trust me on that. Is anyone reading a good source of information on tire fires and their effects on pesky insects?
And while we are on the subject of annoying critters, I will be happy with my mosquitoes any day, as long as I don’t have to deal with scorpions. Let’s get real for a second – in comparison, mosquitoes don’t seem so bad, do they?
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
