Sam from Jonesboro, Arkansas writes
I just sprayed 2-3 days ago w/ Cyzmic CS @ 0.6 oz/gal, Permethrin SFR @ 1-1/2 oz/gal, Tekko Pro @ 1 oz/gal along w/ an 80/20 surfactant @ 1/2 oz/gal. Last night was my first night out on my back deck since spraying...very few adult mosquitos, but there seemed to be an abundance of new born mosquitos. I use a backpack blower w/ the Sniper mosquito system, which is simpy a handheld pump up sprayer w/ a hose and nozzle mounted on the end of my blower, so essentially a backpack mister. I concentrated my application to flower beds, shrubs, bottoms of trees, eaves on my house, front and back door area...did not spray my grass/lawn. There is a storm water drain that empties into a small ditch/creek between my neighbor's home and mine which empties into a bigger creek behind our homes. There is a wooded area behind the creek as I also treated the edge of the trees/forrest bordering my property. I have Altosid Pro G granular larvacide, but it has rained since I last applied it in the ditch where there is stagnet water. I feel like this is most likely the source of the mosquitos as I have tried to ensure no other stagnet water areas. I also spray inside my gutters as they tend to hold some water after a rain. I welcome any suggestions or recommendations to improve the effectiveness of my mosquito treatment applications... Thanks, Sam
Permethrin SFR 36.8% is not labeled for mosquito treatments anywhere other than on livestock or in livestock quarters, so you are incorrectly and illegally applying the Permethrin if you are using it for mosquito treatments. It also should not be mixed with Cyzmic CS nor would there be a reason to. Cyzmic CS on its own at 0.4 to 0.8 oz per gallon of water is more than sufficient to use for residual control of mosquitoes. The Tekko Pro at 1 oz per gallon is correct, your surfactant is a little heavy (normally only used at 1-2 tsp per gallon) but can work fine at that rate as long as you aren't experiencing plant burn. If you wanted to increase your control and get a contact kill/knock down you can mix in Pyrethrin, found in the product name ExciteR, which I feel is maybe what you thought you were doing with Permethrin but misunderstood what chemical should be used.
Spraying the lawn is not a necessity for mosquito treatments and dense foliage like where you sprayed is great, but if you want to spray the whole yard for extra protection you certainly can. Also keep in mind a lot of the times you will see no see ums and fungus gnats flying around and emerging from the lawn as well, and can look similar to mosquitoes. You can definitely use the Altosid in the drainage ditch to help any breeding in those areas from emerging to help slow down that population.
Overall, outside of the incorrect use of Permethrin the only thing you need at this point is patience. Its just not realistic to expect more results than what you have so far that early after treating. Mosquito populations, especially when they aren't all coming from just your property, can take time to eliminate. As long as you continue to use the chemicals in the areas you have been and do this consistently each month or so during the main pest season, you will start to see the overall numbers drop over time and the yard become a lot more tolerable to spend time in. Until the larger chunks of the population are under control, you can use small fans to keep the air moving on the porch areas to help reduce bites or their activity near you, or things like thermacell repellents for patios.
Answer last updated on: 09/03/2021
