BUZZ KILL: Mosquito Control in the Swamps of Jersey

Sun’s out, guns out—just ask outdoor enthusiast, Col. Kilgore (pictured above). But nothing ruins a good summer’s day like the annoying buzz of pesky mosquitoes.

The weather just turned absolutely lovely our little corner of the Garden State, which means we had approximately 24 hours of bliss before it went from sweater weather to ‘skeeter weather. Although not much of a problem on our breezy waterfront, Hoboken’s blockaded backyards can be ideal breeding grounds for malicious mosquitoes—because no matter how much you want to build it up, Hoboken is still swampland… “luxury” swampland with “breathtaking views,” but swampland nonetheless.

Aside from generally buginess and the nasty, itchy welts from the bites, mosquitoes bring an ever-evolving list of dangers with them—Malaria, West Nile, Dengue Fever, Chikungunya and now Zika.

The Hudson Regional Health Commission offers Mosquito Control tips on how to mitigate the threat of mosquitoes in your backyard—primarily by eliminating water sources and cutting them off at the source:

Hudson Regional Health Commission

For those who want to take the fight to the enemy, there are all sorts of foggers  you can deploy to bomb those bloodsuckers back to the stone age. For close-quarters combat, you can lather up on bug spray—or eucalyptus, if you want something a little less harsh. There are citronella candles and diffusers and a variety of items you can spend all sorts of money on, but recent Consumer Reports study found that the best mosquito repellent for an outdoor space is… a fan.

Rather than napalming the little bastards, it seems “the answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind…”