In 2003, a total of 5,087 horses and more than 9,000 humans were infected with West Nile virus (WNV), according to the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Center for Disease Control, and individual state statistics. The statistics are sobering. Yet WNV isn't the only threat posed by the common mosquito. All forms of arboviral encephalitis (arthropod-borne neurologic disease)–some of which, like WNV, can afflict both horses and humans–are mosquito-borne, as are malaria, dengue fever, and deadly canine heartworm disease. Mosquitoes can also cause severe allergic bite reactions in some people and animals. And, as everyone knows, they are annoying pests.

For most of us, defending ourselves against mosquitoes means keeping ourselves and our horses coated in bug repellent from spring to fall. But mosquito control experts say that's a bit like putting the dog to sleep to cure a case of fleas: The dog isn't suffering, but the fleas aren't gone, either.

To really tackle a mosquito problem, you need what people in the bug world call "integrated pest management." It's a holistic approach that encompasses biological and chemical tactics, environmental management, population control, and, finally, bite reduction. In a nutshell, it's a strategy that helps you reduce the overall number of mosquitoes on your property, so there are fewer to harass you, your horses, and the other people and animals on your farm