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Martins and mosquitoes



All,

Martins don't eat large numbers of mosquitoes; the bugs are primarily 
nocturnal, the birds diurnal. Bats are our greatest vertebrate allies in 
the war on adult mosquitoes, although most of them would probably 
actually prefer a nice juicy beetle or moth. Fish, feeding on larvae, 
pupae, and eggs, are probably far more important vertebrate mosquito 
predators; other insects, disease organisms, and the vagaries of the 
weather ultimately have the greatest imapct on their populations. In 
your yards, the best thing you can do is identify and drain any small, 
fish-free pools of water (especially things like flower pot saucers, 
gutters, cans or buckets, and water-holding tree holes). it only takes 
about a cup of water persisting for less than two weeks to kick out 
enough mosquitoes to be really annoying.

If you didn't catch it on the news, one of my colleagues here at NCSU, 
Dr. Mike Roe,  has discovered a highly efficacious, safer, alternative 
to DEET for repelling skeeters and other biting arthropods. The chemical 
is a natural product of a wild tomato I worked on for my Master's 
program many, many years ago; this chemical is already used in cosmetics 
and other products so the mammalian toxicity is well understood.. The 
expectation is that repellent products containing this material may be 
available as soon as a year from now.

All this being said, I wish like *#@#& the doggone martins would take up 
in my backyard martin house! (unocupied for 6 years and counting- in 
spite of the pond and lovely white house in close proximity.)

And so it goes.

Take care,

Clyde
Clayton and Raleigh, NC
clyde_sorenson@ncsu.edu