Build Mosquito Trap

Larger Than Usual Mosquito Population in Westchester

If you’re slapping and scratching your legs a little more this summer, you may have fallen victim to the unusually high number of mosquitoes this year.

“Our tree and turf department confirmed we’ve had an incredible amount of calls from people complaining they’re outside being hammered by mosquitoes,” said Matt Frye, an entomologist at  JP McHale Pest Management  in Buchanan.

Frye says the heavy rainfall and warm temperatures early this season are major causes of the big mosquito population this summer.

“Standing water is the breeding source for a large number of our mosquito species,” Frye said. “In my yard there’s been standing water almost all summer. That’s ideal habitat.”

Standing water, which accumulates from rain, means mosquitoes are especially common on lakes and ponds. Also, areas near the edge of the Hudson River are where mosquitoes typically nest. To get rid of mosquitoes, pest control experts can either kill them at the larval stage or prevent their increase using biological or chemical controls.

Here are some of Frye’s recommendations to avoid being bitten:

The Westchester County Department of Health is also monitoring the large mosquito population.

“Usually, it’s a gradual build-up during the summer to peak numbers of mosquitoes, but this year we had a lot of warm weather with a lot of rain early,” said Principal Sanitarian George Vaselekos. “That’s what’s contributed to the large numbers we’ve got in our traps this year.”

He and his team trap mosquitoes three times a week and send them to Albany for testing. Despite the high volume, no mosquitoes have tested positive for  West Nile virus  so far. The disease typically emerges during the summer and early fall and can cause serious illness in humans if individuals are bitten by a mosquito that carries it.

Besides the regular testing procedure, dead birds can also indicate the disease exists. Communities in lower Westchester that border New York City are more prone to mosquitoes capable of contracting West Nile virus during any outbreak. They are called urban mosquitoes. On the other hand, salt marsh mosquitoes found in areas near Long Island Sound don’t pose a public health risk but do aggressively bite humans.

How to Build Your Own Mosquito Trap

Anyone who’s ever sat outside for a few hours, only to get up covered in itchy, red mosquito bites knows how frustrating these flying pests can be. Friends and relatives will tell you, “Oh, they’re just attracted to you because you’re so sweet!” but are mosquitoes really attracted to sweet things? And if so, could we use this attraction to construct mosquito traps that eliminate these pests entirely?

In reality, it’s not necessarily the “sweetness” of your blood that attracts mosquitoes - it’s often the carbon dioxide you’re exhaling that draws them in. However, mosquitoes can also be attracted to strong smells, like those found in perfumes, shampoos and body lotions. They may also be attracted to the smell of foods you’ve eaten - bananas, in particular, seem to have an attracting effect, while eating garlic acts like a natural repellent.

But if simply avoiding bananas and eating more garlic doesn’t seem to do the trick, why not build your own mosquito trap to help keep these buzzing bugs at bay? Here’s how to do it…

What You’ll Need: Black construction paper

Instructions:

Empty a two liter soda bottle and cut the top few inches off (cut right where the bottle begins to curve into the cylindrical bases). Set the top of the bottle aside, as you’ll need this in a later step.

Next, heat one cup of water on the stove until it’s nearly boiling. Mix in four tablespoons of brown sugar until they dissolve and then add the remaining water to bring the temperature of the mixture down. Once the mixture is cool enough to place in the bottle, mix in a pinch of yeast, which will generate the carbon dioxide that mimics human breathing, and pour the liquid into the bottom cylinder you created when you cut the top off the soda bottle.

Now, grab the top part of the bottle and invert it so that the narrow bottle neck is pointing down. Press the top part into the bottom cylinder with the liquid inside so that it forms a tight seal. The bottle neck shouldn’t touch the liquid in the base, but it should come close enough that any mosquitoes flying into the trap will drown in the liquid.

Finally, wrap your trap in black construction paper to help disguise it and lure in unsuspecting mosquitoes. Place your finished trap near standing water sources or near any other area with a heavy mosquito infestation. Be sure to check your trap at least every two weeks, as you’ll need to empty and replace the mixture to prevent mosquitoes from laying their eggs in it.

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