RECLAIMING YOUR GARDEN
DON’T LET MOZZIES CONTINUE TO GET THE BITE ON YOU IN YOUR GARDEN. HERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU CAN DO
The yard spray for mosquitoes is a bit fashionable at the moment. It is a concoction of a number of liquids of odd connection but seems to be quite effective and last for long periods of time. Mixing a bottle of mouthwash with three cups of Epsom salts and three stubbies of beer seems to be all it takes to rid yourself of these pests for at least 60-70 days at a time.
I mean, who works this stuff out? But it seems to be effective.
The Epsom salts should be dissolved within the liquids until they disappear and then the concoction is ready for spraying around a deck, pool or outdoor living area.
The claim is that the mixture won’t hurt plants, flowers or, presumably, animals. However, if you are willing to have a go, it would be advisable to spray early in the morning when there is little breeze and avoid fish and frog ponds.
Other home remedies for mosquitoes, especially after the rain of this week when mosquitoes are breeding, are those management issues of removing items that collect water.
Avoid dark clothes that seem to attract the Dengue mosquito especially and also remember that these mosquitoes are found close to and in homes in dark places.
Cow dung pats, if you can find them, are certainly useful if only for their smoky novelty and earthy organic pong.
Citronella grass is worth an experiment and would probably do best on slightly mounded beds as mass plantings to get the value of their protection. It is the oil in the grass that works and the more it sways and is touched the more effective it becomes.
There are other natural plant remedies for mosquitoes that are probably out of our reach at the time of year when we most need some relief; these include catmint and geraniums (a reasonable possibility here). But you need heaps of them. One plant simply won’t do the job.
The electronic attractant lights are more effective with moths and large flying insects as you hear them incinerated with a crack and zap. Mosquito management with these attractant lights seems negligible, but I’m always open to standing corrected.
