Biz promises mosquito-free property

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - With growing concern over the West Nile Virus, one local business promises to keep yards mosquito-free, for a price.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, at least 26 people have died in eight states this season. The nation is dealing with what the CDC says could turn out to be the worst year ever for the virus. Mosquitoes pass the virus from birds to humans. One of the best ways to stay safe is to take action outside of homes. That means eliminating potential mosquito breeding grounds.

Scott Langdon is among those who fight mosquitoes for a living. As owner of the Indianapolis franchise of the Mosquito Authority, he guarantees he can keep homes mosquito-free, if residents sign up to have him come out every 21 days.

"We eliminate the source. We eliminate the larva and then control the adults And if during that three week period, if our customers have bites or problems, we come back and re-spray it, no charge," says Langdon.

Langdon does what mosquito control tells all homeowners to do: get rid of standing water. But Langdon is licensed to do something residents can't do: spray, using a pesticide solution that he says is half the strength of the DEET contained in typical bug sprays.

"What that does is kill the active mosquito, the live mosquito on contact. And it creates a barrier that persists for 21 days," says Langdon.

He sprays fences, trees, tree trunks and anywhere mosquitoes breed.

"Of course the problem with the individual is you'll do your part and your next door neighbor does nothing — you still have mosquitoes,” says Terry Gallagher of Marion County Mosquito Control. Gallagher says the best way to keep mosquitoes at bay is to work with your neighbors.

"If a neighborhood group, if they have a Saturday cleanup day and everyone does kind of their part, they'll go a long way in reducing the mosquito population for their neighborhood," he says.

Langdon agrees. The fight, he says, doesn't end.

"You are never going to get rid of them. Our program is to control the mosquitoes, eliminate them from your property. They're still going to be there, no matter what you do. We want them out and we want to keep them out," says Langdon.

The cost of the Mosquito Authority guarantee program is $59 dollars every three weeks.