Mosquito Spraying
As you head outdoors, ditch the toxic mosquito spray services, and take advantage of the more natural and effective ways to reduce mosquito bites. You’ll get to enjoy a painless outdoor celebration, and the bees will thank you - David Mizejewski & David Weber
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What You Need to Know Before Spraying for Mosquitoes
Unfortunately, despite marketing claims, these sprays don’t just harm mosquitoes. The most widely used residential mosquito sprays are also highly toxic to native pollinators such as bees and butterflies, fish and other aquatic organisms, and they can even pose a risk to pets and people. Here’s what you need to know before spraying.
Most residential mosquito control companies use insecticides known as pyrethrins, which are chemicals derived from chrysanthemum flowers that are toxic to insects; or more frequently, pyrethroids, which are synthetic chemicals that mimic pyrethrins. Whether natural or synthetic, these are broad-spectrum insecticides that are highly toxic to a wide variety…
Articles of Interest
An interview with experts: Are backyard mosquito sprays safe and effective?
Sprays can only kill mosquitos that are in your yard at the time of spraying. Mosquitos typically fly 1-3 miles, so they can quickly re-populate your yard. A commercial mosquito treatment will be more likely to kill butterflies, bees and ladybugs in your yard at the time of application than the mosquitoes you’re trying to get rid of.
Should You Subscribe to a Mosquito Control Service?
Residential services typically use insecticides registered with the Environmental Protection Agency, like pyrethrins, derived from chrysanthemum flowers; and pyrethroids, synthetic chemicals that mimic pyrethrins. The treatments have become more common as the use of organophosphate pesticides, which can be more toxic to birds and animals, has been scaled back.
The Lowdown | Spraying for Mosquitoes
Using pesticides may indeed harm bees and butterflies, important pollinators that help gardens thrive. Orkin's Dr. Harrison says, "I hear all the time, 'is it going to hurt my bees?' We can't promise that every beneficial insect will survive the treatment."
Why is backyard mosquito control sometimes not effective?
Yes, I’m talking about pyrethroid resistance. Anyone reading this who knows me, can attest that I believe the widespread use of pyrethroids, both type I and type II, will eventually be really bad for us. To be fair, mosquito control is not the primary offender, Agriculture has used many more millions of gallons of those products than pest control over the last 30 years. But, in pest control, we have to be smart as we are dealing with the consequences. Insecticide Resistance has been documented for most major classes of synthetic chemistry across a wide swath of genera.
