Regional business protects yards from pesky insects

Mosquitoes were feeding on Dan Buchanan and his family until he got fed up with them. Now, those pesky insects are going to die.

Buchanan is the owner of the southeastern Minnesota franchise of Mosquito Squad. He started the business

because he lived in a heavily wooded area next to a river, and he and his family were confined to indoors. Now he and a couple crew members are striking back with several ways to protect homes from infestations.

The most common program is a cycle in which Buchanan or his employees re-apply an environmentally safe spray to the foliage around yards every 21 days.

The pyrethroid-based chemical doesn’t just repel mosquitoes, it creates a barrier and kills them. Yet the chemical is safe, EPA tested and derived from Chrysanthemum flowers.

For those who can’t make that schedule work, there is also a permanent mist system.

“Basically, you install it and forget it,” Buchanan said.

Another option is an ultra low-volume fogger. Regardless, Buchanan and his employees will do all the maintenance on their products.

Buchanan no longer has mosquitoes in his yard, he said. His kids play outside; they don’t wear bug spray, and they never get bitten. Buchanan wants others to have that same satisfaction.

“What we’re all about is just creating an enjoyable and comfortable environment for you,” he said. “People spend tons of money on landscaping and caring for yards. If you can’t go out and enjoy that, it’s kind of a moot point.”

And Buchanan won’t let mosquitoes crash anyone’s party, either. He can apply a barrier for weddings, graduations and other outdoor events.

While last year’s drought meant fewer mosquitoes the melting snow this year could mean more mosquitoes in 2013, especially if there is flooding.

For those concerned about ticks, Buchanan can eradicate them as well. While he is based out of Oronoco, he services Austin, Rochester, Winona, Cannon Falls and everywhere in between.