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CNN Live At Daybreak

Best Ways to Repel Mosquitoes

Aired August 08, 2002 - 06:24   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to talk more about the West Nile Virus outbreak now. Five deaths and more than 70 cases in Louisiana and more new cases popping up across the southern U.S. each day, like in Alabama. There's one in Washington, D.C. now. Many people are very worried about this outbreak and want to get rid of the mosquitoes which potentially carry the virus, and they want those skeeters out of their backyard.

John Fuller from Home Depot joins us live on the phone from Atlanta to talk about the best ways to repel mosquitoes.

Good morning.

JOHN FULLER, HOME DEPOT GLOBAL PRODUCT MERCHANT: Good morning.

COSTELLO: So let's get right to it. What kinds of things can you buy for your backyard?

FULLER: Well, as far as backyard and around your home, we sell personal repellents that you can put on yourself like Cutter Skinsations (ph) or Deep Woods Off. Those are personal repellents that you apply to your skin and clothing.

COSTELLO: Do they smell at all?

FULLER: No, they don't. Obviously people have probably used citronella candles and you can smell the citronella burning and that type of an oil. But when you're using these personal products, they're not providing or, you know, putting out an odor that you're going to smell.

COSTELLO: Oh, that's actually a good thing. Let's talk about things you can actually put in your backyard, like things like the mosquito magnet.

FULLER: Your backyard, obviously, before you really take care of your backyard, you need to eliminate standing water, any areas like an old birdbath that could house water, because those are breeding areas for mosquitoes. So if you've got a low lying area in your yard that typically holds water or some old material or an old bird bath that you're not cleaning out, first clean those out. That'll eliminate the breeding grounds.

COSTELLO: Got you. And we're looking at these things that you can buy for your backyard. Does one work better than the other?

FULLER: Well, there's a couple things you can do. You can apply some general sprays for your lawn that are permetherin (ph) based like Cutter Bug-Free Backyard or we also have Bug Be Gone from Ortho, that are hose in products that you can apply in a broadcast. Those are, you know, just general applications for lawn and landscape type area.

Then there is new products more recently to the consumer market that are mosquito bait and trapping type devices, like the mosquito magnet that you just mentioned, which can control up to three quarters of an acre of your backyard.

COSTELLO: Wow. And this propane fogger, that sounds pretty serious.

FULLER: Propane fogger meaning the mosquito magnet or a product like from Burgess, which you fog your backyard?

COSTELLO: I don't know. Which is better. You tell me. The Fogger.

FULLER: The Fogger you fog your backyard and obviously air is going to take it away. It's a contact kill and it's going to kill what's there. The mosquito magnet, which is the mosquito trap, what makes those effective is you leave those units running continuously and what they will do is completely -- not completely eliminate but reduce the amount of mosquitoes in up to a three quarter acre area. The key to those units and the effectiveness of them is proper positioning in your backyard.

COSTELLO: Oh, proper positioning. So tell us the proper position.

FULLER: Well, you want to make sure that you analyze your backyard, which way the wind flows across the yard, so the unit can be most effective. Because mosquitoes are going to work up wind looking for a food source.

COSTELLO: OK.

FULLER: Typically, you're that food source. What this machine will do is attract those mosquitoes away from you or away from what's typically been their food source as far as human beings when you have outdoor activity.

COSTELLO: And those kind of things actually kill the mosquitoes, whereas citronella candles, which frankly I find don't work all that well.

FULLER: They don't work very well. They create a nice ambiance, but, you know, as far as good protection in your backyard, they're not the most effective.

COSTELLO: Yes, we're looking at those bamboo torch things, too. They don't work either, do they? FULLER: They'll provide minimal control, but it's just for a small area around that torch or just, you know, kind of a blocking area for mosquitoes to fly through.

COSTELLO: So tell me, are these products flying off the shelves now that the West Nile Virus is becoming really dangerous?

FULLER: Our numbers on both personal and area repellents have increased significantly and you can actually watch where some of these outbreaks have taken place, like in our Southwest Division with the Louisiana market, obviously Florida has always been strong. They just had a case in Chicago where a gal had got the infestation or detected West Nile.

So as you see these pockets emerge, obviously it's heightened awareness with the consumers and people that, if they remembered to put it on great, but now they're making sure they put products on before they go outside or they have outdoor activities.

COSTELLO: Oh, they really should, especially if you're an elderly person or you have a preexisting condition, you really want to put mosquito repellent on.

FULLER: Yes, you don't know what your reaction is going to be and, you know, they've got over 33 states now where they've detected the West Nile Virus. So everything east of the Mississippi and then a few states to the west, you really need to be careful when you're outside and do the right protection for yourself as well as kids and elderly that are out.

COSTELLO: And I can imagine people coming into Home Depot and asking about the West Nile Virus and the symptoms. Do you get that question, too?

FULLER: Yes, we do. And obviously, you know, you can look. There's a lot of Web sites. There's some pretty neat sites by both Raid and Cutter that are out that can, you know, tell you what, you know, give you a little forecast over the next three weeks, you know, what the infestation should be by your zip code or state. Customers can go into there, as well, and learn about it. And it'll give some tips as far as, you know, it's more of a flu type system. Different people will get it and react in different ways. Obviously we're not going to get into the medical side of it because everybody's different.

But what we do at Depot is try to, we provide you the products to protect yourself and your backyard as best you can, and as well as give you some tips like eliminating standing water...

COSTELLO: Oh, yes.

FULLER: ... or eliminating areas in your yard or around your yard where mosquitoes can breed.

COSTELLO: OK, one more quick question, because I know we're running out of time here. When does mosquito season end? FULLER: Mosquito season ends when humidity and heat goes away. This year looks like it's going to be an extended season based on the weather patterns, because it got started a little late. In the southern markets, you're looking clear to through September to the first part of October, if the weather holds out.

COSTELLO: So it's important to protect yourself for some months to come.

Thank you very much.

John Fuller on the phone from Home Depot this morning helping us out. We appreciate it.

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