Mosquito, Aphid and Leaf Miner

Hey, I live in Edmonton and have been trying to find a good concentrate to control my mosquito, aphid and leaf miner problems in my yard. Is there any product that you would suggest that is pet friendly?

Control of mosquitoes, aphids, and leaf miners: There is no one product that will provide safe control for all three types of insects mentioned here.

a. Mosquitoes – The best control is locating and eliminating larval sites – basically any container, natural or man-made, that will hold water for a week or more. There is currently only one pesticide product on the market licensed by the Pest Management and Regulatory Agency (PMRA) of Health Canada for domestic or homeowner larviciding. Called Aquabac, it is a bacterial formulation very safe to use.  Click here for details. I do not know of any effective control for adult mosquitoes approved for homeowner use in Canada.

b. Aphids – If the affected plants are fairly sturdy, a strong stream of water from a garden hose may suffice to wash the aphids from the plants, killing some of them at least during the process. Otherwise, an application of an insecticidal soap or Neem oil should work; these are safe to use around pets.

 c. Leaf miners – I am not aware of any product in Canada labeled specifically for homeowner use against leafminers. You might try Neem oil or Spinosad if you can get it (currently undergoing registry review in Canada). Commercial greenhouse operations have used nematodes and parasitic wasps;  Click here for details.