That wicked-looking critter is an enlarged image of a backyard mosquito. Science has confirmed that mosquitoes can carry and transmit diseases after having drawn blood from a diseased human. Avoiding mosquitoes at all costs is imperative during Texas’ mosquito bite season running from late March through November. Wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants is wise, but uncomfortable in hot weather. Read the text for weapons to fight the Mosquito Wars. (Photo by John Jefferson)

By John Jefferson

 

I was sitting in the front yard early one pleasant morning last week sipping my first cup of coffee and listening to my favorite mockingbird trilling out a collection of its favorite tunes from somewhere unseen in leafy treetops across the street.  

The April 22 WWW column reported that Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine had started a poll on which bird should replace the mocker as the Texas State Bird. My column opposed replacing it. Mockingbirds work just fine!

The next week, I ran into Russell Roe, the able editor of TPW Magazine, and he affably jabbed me over the article.  But he also said nearly 70% of voters also preferred the mocker in the magazine’s poll!

The other birds considered were worthy challengers (except grackles) but were unlikely replacements. Mockingbirds live in all of Texas year around and represent us well. The others come and go.

About halfway through my coffee, another itch began. This one had to do with mosquito bites. It seemed too early for the nasty pests.

Finally giving in to the aggravation, I went back inside and to work. An email caught my attention. It was for a product called “Squito Stickers.” These are green patches about the size of a quarter containing citronella oil and can be stuck on your clothes to drive away mosquitoes. A long list of customer comments supported their effectiveness. I immediately ordered some. 

I haven’t completed testing them (so am not yet endorsing them), but they look promising. They’re marketed by a company called “bugmd” if you can’t wait for our tests.

But the fact that they are infused with citronella oil reminded me that we had a citronella plant for a while, and it worked well. Freezing winters killed it.

I did some Internet research and found a number of plants that are said to repel mosquitoes. As much rain as Texas has had the past few weeks will no doubt create a perfect storm for mosquitoes. Any standing water will be a likely breeding pond for them. 

We maintain bird baths that formerly were mosquito breeding basins. When we discovered mosquito granules for bird baths and flowerpots, that ended. We apply the granules regularly and they are harmless to our dogs and the neighborhood birds and squirrels. We haven’t had mosquito larvae in birdbaths since we started using the pellets. They’re marketed as ”Mosquito Bits” and are available at home improvement stores and on Amazon.

We also fight mosquitoes successfully with several Thermacell products that emit a light aroma into the atmosphere. Mosquitoes hate that! There are a variety of styles – some are even lanterns –so pick the one you prefer.

Most require starting fifteen minutes before effectiveness and are available at Academy, Walmart, and Amazon.

Simpler mosquito weapons include citronella plants and several others. Lemon grass, garlic, , marigolds, rosemary, basil, mint, sage, and lavender plants also work repelling ‘skeeters. They smell good, too.

I guess it’s time to head to the plant nursery!

JJ