Rain and imported fire ants

So last time I posted about rain and mosquitoes.  I thought I needed to follow up that post with one on rain and imported fire ants, especially since it's still raining.

I've been getting a fair number of inquiries about imported fire ants as of late.  There are usually two categories of questions that I've been fielding:

1. What happens to fire ants when it floods?

2. How do I control all the fire ants that are popping up?

I have covered both of these topics before and they are also covered on other sites with great information, so I will link you to sources for more information.

Question 1

Flooding and fire ants from a previous blog post

Scientific American article on how fire ants form rafts to survive floods

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Disaster Education Network article on fire ants after flooding

Question 2

Do you have fire ants? from a previous blog post- covers different basic types of treatments

Baiting for fire ants in the fall also from a previous blog post

Treating fire ants in certain backyard situations also from a previous blog post- this one covers "odd" areas like veggie gardens, compost bins, etc.

IPM action plan for fire ants from eXtension.org

REMEMBER!! DO NOT TREAT FOR FIRE ANTS WHEN IT IS RAINING!!

Rain and mosquitoes

With all of the rain that we have received lately and more on the way, it's understandable for people to be concerned about mosquitoes.  I'm not going to rehash everything here in this post, but I will direct you to past posts on mosquito topics.

I do want to let people know of floodwater mosquitoes which are different from our normal culprits.  I usually get the statement of the "huge mosquito" or a "mosquito that REALLY hurts when it bites" or a "mosquito that tried to carry them away".  These are the floodwater mosquitoes that come out after we have heavy rains.  These mosquitoes lay their eggs in areas that water will reach during flooding conditions (or heavy rainfall).  Fortunately, they can also be repelled with mosquito repellent.  The EPA has a site that can help you choose a mosquito repellent here.

As for other mosquito information, remember the following:

1. Stay indoors during peak mosquito hours*- dawn & dusk
   1. *please note that some Aedes mosquitoes are day time feeders while some Culex are night time feeders in addition to being active at dusk and dawn, so precaution should be taken whenever outside
2. Eliminate standing water
   1. Dispose of old tires or cover them with a tarp to keep off rain
   2. Clean out gutters and downspouts
   3. Bird baths, pet water dishes, etc. should be emptied and refilled twice a week
   4. Store containers so they do not hold water
3. Keep grass mowed to a proper length & vegetation trimmed (mosquitoes like to rest in thick vegetation)
4. Repair leaky faucets or A/C lines that produce condensate
5. In permanent standing water areas, use things like mosquito fish or Bt israelensis (dunks)
6. Keep window screens in good repair
7. Use repellents when going outside (follow label instructions).

For mosquito & mosquito disease information see this page for more information:
http://urban-ipm.blogspot.com/2016/07/mosquito-and-mosquito-disease.html

For information about heartworms (transmitted to pets by mosquitoes) see this page:
http://urban-ipm.blogspot.com/2017/08/heartworms.html