Why you have mosquitos, even without standing water

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If you've seen some mosquitos in your garden, it's perfectly natural even if you or your neighbors don't have standing water. And by standing water I mean those nasty little places where water accumulates and sits, and mosquito larves turn into those little blood-sucking insects we all hate. I was just in the backyard a few minutes ago, enjoying my coffee, when I got bit. Pesky skeeters!

And no, I have no standing water, nor do my neighbors. There are no "green pools" around here. But that doesn't keep mosquitos from visiting my garden. And the reason is simply that they fly.

Mosquitos aren't the biggest insects in the world, but they get around. The adult ones are looking for blood.

Mosquitos hate being in the sunshine, so if at all possible, avoid the garden on cloudy days (like it is this morning). Wait for a sunny day, and after you've put on a generous amount of sunscreen, stay in the sunlight. I learned that as a kid in Minneapolis - the skeeters would stay away from the sunlight, but would gather in large gangs in shady areas. We just hated it when a ball would roll into a shady area - we ran in and out, fast!

I have a couple of defenses against mosquitos, the best being a mosquito repellent which I spray on my skin. It works great, and smells awful. I also can spray for them, which I do on a regular basis. I mix up a gallon on spray and walk around the garden, making sure to spray thoroughly in bushes.

It's been a very rainy spring here in the Phoenix area, and there will be a lot of insects. I'll try to focus on the butterflies!

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