Tip of the Day: How to deal with a severe mosquito season

With rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns, mosquitoes that carry malaria and the West Nile virus have spread northward and to higher elevations. (Global warming might also make poison ivy more prevalent.)

And heavy rains in the Northeast and an abundant supply of unsold homes—those properties can become mosquito havens—have sparked predictions of a worse-than-usual mosquito season. Get your local mosquito-activity forecast on Weather.com.

Read this recent post on our Health blog for details on how to avoid and deal with mosquito bites. For maximum protection, use an insect repellent. Our report on insect repellents found that the top-rated products will protect you for up to 12 hours from mosquitoes and deer ticks (ratings are available to subscribers). We haven't tested it yet, but the new Off! Clip-On Mosquito Repellent, which uses a battery-powered fan to circulate the repellent, promises to keep insects away for up to 12 hours.

To stop mosquitoes from shacking up at your home, keep your gutters clean and turn over or drill drain holes in the bottom of buckets and any other item that can hold standing water. If you have one, empty your kiddie pool when it's not in use, and cover your rainwater-collection barrel(s). If properties near you have sources of standing water, make your local health authority aware of the problem.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Find out more ways to control runaway rainwater and pests in five home repairs you shouldn't ignore.

Q&A: How can I deal with lawn fungus?

After all the recent heavy rain we've had, several brown spots have appeared on my lawn, and they're spreading. Neighborhood dogs aren't causing the problem. Is my grass suffering from some kind of fungus?

Based on the photograph you sent us (shown), it looks as if your yard does have a fungus problem. Even if you took good care of your lawn earlier in the growing season, excessive water can damage grass and foster fungus growth.

To identify a fungus in your yard, use our guide to common lawn problems and visit the Cornell Cooperative Extension Web site. The CCE is a nationwide network of agricultural and environmental specialists based in Ithaca, New York.

Your next step is to apply a recommended fungicide to and around the infected area to keep the fungus from spreading.The CCE advises that you use the right product for the fungus problem you have and closely follow application instructions and precautions. When mowing, cut the healthy parts of the lawn before the sick, and bag and dispose of clippings to avoid spreading the fungus with your mower.

Proactive application of a general fungicide when the temperature first starts to rise in the spring, as recommended by our lawn-care expert, Peter Sawchuk, might prevent fungus problems altogether throughout the growing seasons, although you also need to take any possible measures to keep your lawn from encouraging fungal growth in the first place. Sawchuk buys fungicides in the fall since these products tends to be scarce in stores in the spring, when they're needed the most.

If you're in the market for a new lawn mower or tractor, read our latest report on this outdoor power equipment (story and ratings available to subscribers) and visit our mower/tractor product page.—Ed Perratore | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Water your lawn early in the morning, which lets the water settle in with less evaporation and protects your grass against the brightest, hottest part of the day. Watering late in the day could make your lawn susceptible to such fungi as brown patch, Pythium, and rust.

Trade group asks First Lady to consider using chemicals in White House organic garden

As we reported in "Getting Back to the Garden at the White House," First Lady Michelle Obama has planted an 1,100-square-foot vegetable-and-fruit garden at the presidential home (shown), joining a growing number of Americans tending to food gardens at home.

The news of the garden garnered the expected array of positive coverage, but one organization was unhappy that the FLOTUS' garden is an organic one.

The Mid America CropLife Association, which represents major chemical manufacturers, and its CropLife Ambassador Network program sent Mrs. Obama a letter that the MACA says "encourag[ed] her to consider using crop protection products and to recognize the importance of agriculture to the entire U.S. economy." ("Crop protection products" are agricultural chemicals.)

Read more about this unusual story in "Pesticide Industry Bugging Out on Obamas" on NotInMyFood.org, which like the Home & Garden blog is published by Consumers Union. e-mail | Twitter

Tip of the Day: Safely apply herbicides

The best way to keep your lawn free of weeds is to fertilize, water, and mow it properly. You can also make your lawn more resilient to weeds (and drought) by allowing it to grow longer. A healthy lawn will resist weeds without your having to apply chemical herbicides.

But if you're going to use herbicides to deal with broadleaf plantain, crabgrass, dandelions (shown), oxalis, and countless other weeds, you'll need to apply it properly. To identify common lawn weeds, use our interactive guide. Keep in mind that spot application of herbicides will require the use of less chemicals, which could save you money and be better for the environment.

Herbicides are classified according to their use or mode of action:

Nonselective herbicides like Roundup kill all kinds of plants.

Selective herbicides like Ortho Weed-B-Gon Max Weed Killer for Lawns Concentrate kill some plants but not others. In your lawn, selective herbicides kill dicots (which include many common lawn weeds), plants with branching veins in variously shaped leaves.

Postemergent herbicides such as Roundup and Weed-B-Gon kill growing weeds and may be either selective or not.

Preemergent herbicides prevent some weed seeds from even germinating. They are typically used in early spring to prevent crabgrass. Most often these herbicides are combined with a fertilizer, as in Scotts Turf Builder Halts Crabgrass Preventer.

To learn how to safely and properly use granular herbicides and concentrated liquid sprays, read our expert advice.