Mosquito Spraying: Is It Worth It?
If you have lived in the Triangle area during the summer, chances are you have become all to familiar with a common backyard pest, the mosquito. Not only can they be carriers of serious diseases, they are a huge nuisance and can make spending quality time in your yard a miserable experience. Many people look for ways to eradicate mosquitos from their space once and for all. The most common way to do so is by spraying pesticides. Some cities even fumigate wide swaths of public land to keep it more accessible and bug free. However, there is a major side effect to this approach that has more of an impact than we once thought.
Spraying pesticides may kill the mosquitoes, but it kills a lot of other life in your yard too. There is no targeted mosquito killer on the market, which means all the beneficial bugs in your yard are at risk, like butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. Not to mention birds, who rely on a healthy bug population to feed themselves and their young. Mosquitoes occupy so many nooks in crannies that eradicating them will require a thorough sweep, further increasing the negative impact on the ecosystem of your yard. Targeted spraying may reduce their presence some, but wind and bug movement will spread the pesticide well beyond the initial spray sites.
Because spraying pesticide is a lucrative business, companies tend to promote the service without really discussing the risk involved. However, it’s not all doom and gloom. Consider reducing the frequency of sprays in your yard to help alleviate the impact to other critters. Or, switch to a natural remedy. There are promising alternatives on the rise that “repel” mosquitos and pose no risk to the rest of the life in your yard. A thriving ecosystem is so beneficial for the longevity and health of your turf and other backyard plants, so the more we can protect the creatures that help it thrive the better!
Email info@tlgturfcare.com for further questions and information.
Additional Resources:
WRAL, “Backyard mosquito spraying booms, but may be too deadly” https://www.wral.com/backyard-mosquito-spraying-booms-but-may-be-too-deadly/20423665/