Insects need two things to survive: sustenance and a place to breed. Summertime brings one of the most annoying insects — the mosquito. The mosquito has a short life span, with the males living about a week and the females lasting about a month. In that short amount of time, their main activity is making more mosquitoes. While the male does not feed off people, the female does because she needs blood in order to produce eggs. Once this happens, she needs water in which to lay her eggs. That’s where people really come to the rescue and inadvertently help to increase the mosquito population.
Every family has a treasure trove of things that hold water in their yards. Everything from ponds to their kids’ toys can add to this. Leaks (from your sewer pipe, for example) can really be a huge factor, but there are a few things a plumber can do to help a homeowner out with this.
First of all, a plumber can check your sewer pipe to be sure there are no leaks. Even a very small leak in the sewer pipe will draw mosquitoes and other bugs. It may not even be a large enough leak for you to notice or smell, but the bugs can. Water lines coming into the house should also be checked for leaks.
Second, all hoses and hose bibbs should be inspected for leaks and replaced as needed. Hose bibbs do wear out and need to be replaced every so often. Water lines for pools, spas, and water features are other places where leaks could be drawing unwanted attention.
Families that have outdoor pets and leave bowls of water out for them can discuss with their plumber an attachment that can be placed on a hose bibb that allows the pet to drink water as needed. This eliminates the need for bowls and is better for the pets because the water is always fresh and never runs out.
Taking just a few steps to ensure less water is available for mosquitoes and other insects to use goes a long way to cutting down on their population, making the yard a much nicer place to be.