When thinking about deadly animals, typically what comes to mind are sharks, alligators, and other fearsome beasts. However, it may surprise you to hear that mosquitoes are actually considered the deadliest animal in the entire world.
While they aren’t filled with formidable teeth and claws, they cause more human deaths than any other animal.
June, July, and August are the peak months for mosquito activity in Frisco, TX and the surrounding cities – are you prepared?
This article is going to help you understand why mosquitoes are such a dangerous problem and we’ll also fill you in on the solution.
The Problem
Mosquitoes transmit deadly diseases
Deaths from diseases transmitted by mosquitoes have become a more frequent and frightening local news headline over the last decade. There are more than 40 different species of mosquito that inhabit the North Texas area. While only a few species have been proven to carry deadly diseases, the threat is real.
In Dallas County in 2012, 400 people fell ill with West Nile Virus (WNV) and 20 people died. Unfortunately, that outbreak wasn’t an isolated incident. Over the last five years in Dallas County, 135 people have been diagnosed with WNV and 8 people have died.
When it comes to the West Nile Virus in the North Texas area, the culprit is typically the Culex quiquefasciatus mosquito. These WNV carrying insects lay their eggs in water and they don’t require much standing water to get the job done. While the males are harmless and feed only on nectar, the females of this species can carry a mean punch.
The females require protein and iron to develop their eggs. Unfortunately for us, this means a blood snack fits the bill perfectly. Luckily for us, however, Culexmosquitoes prefer easier meals, meaning they favor snacking on nesting birds rather than people.
Another disease that mosquitoes spread is the Zika virus. While this virus is not as common, it’s still a serious threat. Cities all over Texas such as Frisco and McKinney are monitoring and testing their mosquito populations for this disease. Zika can cause fever, rash, head aches and other serious symptoms.
However, many people infected with the Zika virus fail to show any symptoms making it difficult to identify. Zika infection during pregnancy causes serious birth defects and other pregnancy problems as the disease can be passed from the mother to the child in utero.
The Aedes mosquitoes are usually to blame for transmitting Zika virus and the females are known to be aggressive biters. They are highly attracted to people and are considered to be fairly intelligent. The Aedes mosquitoes choose dry vessels as their preferred breeding ground.
The females intentionally make that decision realizing that if they lay their eggs in dry basins, rainwater will eventually fall and fill it enough for the eggs to hatch.
People are becoming more aware now of the deadly diseases mosquitoes can carry. One of the scariest facts of these diseases is that there are currently no direct treatments available to cure them, according to the CDC.
While hospitalization and supportive treatments can be helpful in severe cases, the best option is prevention. It is far better to stop the problem before the mosquitoes ever have the chance to infect you or your family.
Mosquitoes are a major nuisance for you and your family
While you may be new to lawns, your newly acquired lawn is most likely not actually new. Maybe your new yard doesn’t need a complete overhaul, just a touch-up. If you’ve noticed spots in your yard where the grass looks damaged, then you may want to consider trying overseeding.
Overseeding is the process of adding new grass seed over the grass that is already present.
The Solution
Quality professional mosquito treatment
Mosquito season begins when temperatures rise. Peak months are June, July, and August but the population numbers don’t begin to drop until October.
A good rule of thumb is that if nighttime temperatures are consistently in excess of 50 degrees, you can expect the mosquitoes to arrive.
This is the best time to begin considering your plan to keep your yard safe from mosquitoes.
Many neighborhoods such as Frisco, TX have mosquito treatment programs – you may have noticed the trucks spraying on your street from time to time. There has been a big effort to trap, monitor, and treat the mosquito population.
However, the neighborhoods are mainly spraying the trees and higher mosquito breeding grounds so these sprays aren’t very helpful in treating the mosquitoes on your property. The best thing we can do is to help the effort by making sure our properties are sprayed and properly treated.
How Gecko Green will handle your mosquito problem
1. The first step in eradicating the mosquitoes from your property is a full inspection. Our trained and licensed specialists know all the mosquito hot spots. They will use their expertise to properly identify all of the mosquito breeding grounds.
2. Once every stone has been turned (so to speak), our specialists begin the treatment process. We spray product on all the targeted places where mosquitoes typically rest and breed. We spray thoroughly to make sure all areas are completely treated; this includes the underside of leaves, shady areas, foliage and trees up to 15 feet, under patios, house eaves, fence lines, and surrounding vegetation.
We also use granular larvicides to stop the breeding cycle. Some areas, such as flower or vegetable gardens, are not necessary to treat as they can contain beneficial insects and they are not typical mosquito resting sites. Our specialists are sure to spray every problem area to ensure that you and your family will be safe, happy, and mosquito-free.
Mosquitoes need water to breed so treating or eliminating areas of standing water are a critical part in controlling the population. Our team is always also careful to avoid bodies of water that contain wildlife like fish or turtles. These animals are nature’s mosquito treatment because they prey on the mosquito larvae – best to let nature take its course there.
For standing water that can’t be removed and have no wildlife, our specialist can treat it with small larvicides to eliminate mosquitoes from using it as a breeding ground. Other water filled places and items (like plant pots, yard items, trash cans, and children’s toys) can be overturned to dry out.
3. After your property has had its first treatment, the key is to continue the process throughout the mosquito season. That’s why our team will return every three weeks to continue our treatment cycle. This process ensures the population will stay as low as possible.
4. We guarantee our service! If the mosquitoes come back in between treatments, so do we – for free!
Your Mosquito Problem Solved
Gecko Green has an expert team of licensed and certified specialists that will be able to eradicate mosquitoes from your property. We offer mosquito treatment in Frisco and the surrounding cities – view our service area map for a full list of cities we serve.
Call us today and we guarantee we can help you with all your mosquito needs.
