MOSQUITO ORGY: a neglected swimming pool containing rain water and leaves in barrio Santiago.
¿What do you do with your pool while away? ¿How many Merida homeowners are allowing mosquitos to party in standing water which collects in their backyards while they travel? Last year I wrote about a biological control which can float in your untended pool, toxic only to mosquitos, introducing them to a deadly gut organism. This year, due to widespread problems afflicting humans, I decided to do more. While I was very happy with the biological product, I wanted to prevent access to the water altogether. So I contrived my own cover, seaming together pvc-mesh screen as a physical barrier. (The entire project cost me about $70-usd, not counting the galvanized pipes supporting the mesh or the flashing, which I already had, and which prices I’ve forgotten; and I still have almost a half roll of mesh left over.) Here’s the finished installation:
Our pool, partially drained and covered by a homemade screen, measuring about 4-1/2 meters by 6m.
To start, I bought a roll of 60-inch x 30 meter pvc-mesh (malla) from a larger hardware supply, and a small can (una lata pequeña) of pvc cement (pegamento) from a local plumbing supply; and then I seamed together three lengths of screen, using a roll of aluminum flashing as a work surface so the cement didn’t bond with the paint on my roof, where I did the seaming. (Smaller hardware stores often sell mesh by the meter, but the ultra wide mesh may be more difficult to locate.) I tested the bond for a week in the bright sun to be sure it would remain strong, trying two types of adhesive. Both felt equally strong, so I went with the more neutral color.
Close-up of small can of adhesive, on seamed screen mesh.
Adhesive test on two swatches of screen mesh.
Joining the first pair of three lengths of screen on my roof — pool in top of photo.
Of course, there are other places for mosquitos to party, so we each need to do our part:
A favorite breeding area may be in a nearby yard, guarded by ferocious beasts.