Mosquito Prevention Options for Your Tulsa Landscape

Summer has arrived here in Tulsa, and with that comes the universally unwelcomed mosquito. It's wise to include mosquito prevention as part of your regular Tulsa lawn care program during the summer. So how can you prevent these dreaded insects from ruining your outdoor living fun?

Mosquito misting systems. A growing way of getting rid of mosquitoes, these systems spray a mist of insecticide to eliminate mosquitoes throughout your outdoor living space. These systems can automatically disperse the mist during high-risk times or can be managed with a simple hand-held control. This is good for when you’re getting ready for a cook-out or some other special outdoor event. The automatic misting units are available with either a traditional drum-top system or tankless system, both of which can evenly dispense the insecticide throughout the outdoor living space.

Misting systems from MistAway offer enhanced features like automatic leak detection and shut-off, wind sensors, and an agitation cycle that provides consistent insecticide concentration.
Oklahoma landscape can help you keep your Tulsa outdoor living space free from pests with these  mosquito misting systems.

Other Mosquito Repellants. Mosquito traps, citronella candles, and various other personal mosquito repellants like those made picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus, or DEET. Make sure you use an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered insect repellent.

Mosquito netting and air curtains can also help keep mosquitoes away from you and your visitors. Air curtains, which are often used at businesses in entrances and drive-up windows, send a continual blast of air across an entrance opening to separate the outside from the inside while the entrance is open. The constant stream of air prevents many kinds of flying insects from entering an area. These can be used in outdoor environments and homes to prevent these insects from intruding. Air curtains are also helpful in preventing warm or cold air from escaping a certain area, which can save on costs for energy.

Mosquito Prevention. It’s important to drain or dispose of items in which mosquitoes would be likely to breed such as unused jars, ceramic pots, old tires, buckets, and other items that can hold standing water. It helps to turn these items over when not in use.

The Oklahoma City County Health Department gave this checklist:

Change water and scrub the containers holding outdoor plants twice a week.
Drain sagging swimming pool covers.

Change water in birdbaths at least once a week.

Stock ornamental pools with mosquito-eating fish and aerate the water.

Empty pet’s watering pans daily.

Keep swimming pools cleaned and chlorinated.

Fill any tree holes or stumps to prevent accumulation of water.

Clean clogged gutters. Remove any standing water on flat roofs.
Repair leaking faucets and air conditioners that cause puddles for several days.

Be careful to irrigate lawns so as to prevent water from standing for several days.

Eliminate weeds and tall grass.

Mosquitoes are not only irritating but can also transmit the West Nile virus.

 Contact the Tulsa outdoor living space professionals for help in preventing and eliminating these outdoor pests.

Lawn Care Tulsa - Top 5 Lawn Pests and Diseases

You’ve seen them take over your Tulsa lawn, or you’ve seen what they have left of your lawn and garden. These are the little lawn pests; the culprits that leave your lawn looking tired and battered. What are some of the more common lawn pests and diseases?

Top 5 Lawn Pests in Tulsa:

1. Moles: Of course, these guys will burrow through your lawn’s soil, wreaking havoc on roots and grass, as well as leaving tunnels and holes. The soil they pile up on top of the lawn is not only unsightly, but also makes it very difficult to mow.  They feed on the next culprit, so where there’s one, there might be another.
2. Grubs: These little, white immature beetles, shaped like a “C,” will eat away at your grass roots, creating large sections of brown, dead grass that is easily pulled up.
3. Chinch Bugs: These bugs will cause injury to your grass making patches of yellow or copper-colored turf that may look like the injury was the result of drought or heat.
4. Snow Mold: This fungal disease causes patches of yellow or brown grass that may clump together and have a white, cobweb-like layer.
5. Red Thread: We may begin to see this lawn disease creep up in Tulsa after the wet summer we’ve had. This disease causes patches of reddish-brown grass strings and is often related to a nitrogen deficiency.
   

Keeping your lawn healthy throughout the year will lessen the chances of an attack by these pests and diseases. Regular mowing helps the grass stay strong, as does aerating the soil, overseeding the lawn, and fertilizing it to help give the lawn the nutrients it needs.