South Florida Mosquito Mayhem
South Florida has been experience quite a bit of rainfall during the past few days which results in a major problem: mosquitos. If you live near the beaches along A1A such as Delray Beach, Hillsboro/Deerfield Beach, Highland Beach near Boca Raton or Lighthouse Point opposite of Coral Springs all the way down to the tourist loving Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, mosquito mayhem is inevitable.
Being outdoors is a privilege – by owning property with lush landscape is definitely the American dream. But those dreams can be broken when a swarm of mosquitos ruin your night while celebrating your grandmother’s nanogenarianhood to the Independence Day BBQ. Even citronella tiki torches can’t defeat the swarm of pests. Nor can the insipid smell of the bug spray that masks your Chanel No. 5, compete with top notes of Raid.
However there is a solution to this problem! In the previous article about rain harvasting systems which could prove to be an effective irrigation system during South Florida’s rainy months (which are unpredictable) from mosquito misting systems. Either one is effective to preventing being eaten alive. The former would help plants and trees being watered without using sprinklers or hosing. Rain harvesting has different purposes, but as long as there is no standing water, then mosquitos won’t have a place to hang out. If you cannot find the time to design or implement a rain harvesting system or dump out standing water, then consider a mosquito misting system.
Mosquito misting systems in South Florida are relatively safe. According to the EPA, the three main insecticides are:
- Permethrin
- Pyrethrins
- Piperonyl butoxide
You can log on to www.epa.org for more information regarding these pesticides. Short term exposure to these insecticides are not harmful, but mosquito misting systems have timers, so you can enjoy the outdoors without being sprayed by the chemicals. Best time to spray would be an hour after a rainstorm to prevent mosquitos from charging in. Especially if you live near a lake, this would be advisable during the early evenings when it is still humid.
