My neighbor next door planted Bamboo plants which have turned into trees. Unfortunately, she does not care for her property much less the trees that have grown and continue to grow. My question: The northeast part of the country has had excessive moisture over the Winter. Will Mosquitoes or other type of insects cause an infestation in her Forrest of Bamboo Trees when the warmer weather arrives? This neighbor has a swimming pool a few feet from these trees. I need to be prepared for this.
No doubt insects generally need moisture to be successful in their quest to take over any landscape. And since the eastern side of the United States accumulated a lot of rain last year and through our recent winter, I would guess this could be a “good” year for bugs. Mind you that’s “good” for the bugs – not humans!
But to isolate a specific tree, plant or yard as the “source” of any given problem would be short sighted. You see, insects typically have a very limited “range”. And mosquitoes are no different. They might forage 25-50 feet to get a meal but in general will stay where they feel protected and secure. In these “regions” of the yard they’ll lay in wait for a blood meal that happens by. So even though the bamboo may harbor some pests like mosquitoes, its more likely any mosquito problem that develops will be distributed throughout the neighbors yard and eventually, over to your property. So I would focus more on low lying plants, grass, potted plants, etc. And I would focus on these areas that you have the ability to maintain.
So in this case, you can no doubt treat your yard. And if you fog it regularly with the XEMPT EC listed in our MOSQUITO CONTROL article, you’ll be able to keep the mosquitoes (and other biting pests) minimized on your property. So even though they might be thriving next door, you’ll be able to sustain a mostly mosquito free environment for you and your family by treating throughout the spring, summer and fall.
In fact I reside on a river lot that’s around 1 acre in size. I use our BUGSPRAY FOGGER to apply 2-3 gallons of mixed material to the landscape closest to my home. I find I need to treat 1-2 a month to keep everything under control. Coincidentally we have bamboo thriving in half of the lot. This section is the area closest to the river. And though this area can harbor mosquitoes, its not nearly as much of a problem compared to my deck where my wife keeps potted plants she constantly waters.
Additionally, my driveway is alongside my neighbors driveway and we frequently meet outside since we both use our garages quite a bit. During these meetings, its amazing how frequently they will be on their side getting bit by mosquitoes while we talk for 3-5 minutes and yet on our side, nothing. In fact I will many times use this as a gauge to know when I need to treat again. So if I’m out there for a few minutes talking to them and I’m not getting bit they are, I know my treatment is still holding strong. But as soon as I discover mosquitoes or gnats on my side, I start to think I might need to do another treatment.
The point is mosquitoes and most biting insects will target moist shady areas to nest and roost. And they’ll stay as close to these areas as they can as long as food is coming by so they don’t have “commute” too far to eat. But any of these areas can be maintained easily and if you take a proactive stance regarding this pest, you can keep them out of your yard regardless of what’s going on next door.
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Jonathan
Customer Care
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