Getting bitten by mosquitoes over and over again makes enjoying your yard in the spring and summer almost impossible. No matter how many times you spray repellents, you keep being bitten by these invisible intruders.
Mosquito bites can be annoying, painful and can even make you seriously sick. Mosquitoes can spread diseases to you, your family and your pets. Dangerous diseases like the Zika and the West Nile Virus make the presence of mosquitoes an issue that needs addressing right away.
However, having too many mosquitoes in your yard is a very common problem. Homeowners across the United States, particularly in warmer, southern states like Texas and Florida, deal with these pests all the time.
But, how can homeowners get rid of mosquitoes? In summary, you can prevent mosquitoes on your property and prevent mosquito bites by:
- Eliminating sources of standing water
- Keeping your yard well-maintained
- Repairing window and door screens
- Regularly changing the water in dog dishes, bird baths and plant pots
- Taking caution not to overwater your lawn and any other plants
- Wearing long-sleeve shirts and long pants
- Wearing light-colored clothing
- Keeping a fan on
Keep reading to learn how you can limit the number of mosquitoes around your property.
Can Homeowners Get Rid of Mosquitoes Alone?
Some homeowners use lanterns, candles or sprays to keep mosquitoes away. These are simple steps you can take to deal with a mosquito control problem, but these bothersome pests will likely return to your yard. Additionally, some repellents are more effective than others. For example, citronella candles have proven to be largely ineffective at keeping mosquitoes away. Whereas something as simple as having a fan on can help keep mosquitoes away.
At best, even the most effective mosquito repellent products only keep mosquitoes from biting you for an afternoon outside or an evening cookout. But these products do not address the core reasons why there are so many mosquitoes on your property. If you’re looking for long-term relief from mosquitoes, you’ll want a more comprehensive mosquito control plan.
Prevent Mosquitoes From Coming Into Your Yard
The first step to preventing mosquitoes from hanging out in your yard is to identify potential sources of their shelter, food and water.
Mosquitoes are attracted to stagnant water. Eliminating sources of standing water on your property may help with mosquito control. There are some sources of standing water that you cannot eliminate, like a pond, for example. You should cover other water sources like ditches with soil to prevent future water build-up.
Another place around your home that mosquitoes love is gutters. By regularly cleaning out your gutters, you will collect less standing water. This will also prevent mosquitoes from gathering in your gutters.
Consider unused items, like tires, tarps, or empty flower pots, in your yard where rain often collects. Dealing with those items would help keep mosquitoes away from your deck and other outdoor areas.
Stop Mosquitoes from Laying Eggs Near Your Home
Learning more about mosquito eggs will help you know better how to get rid of mosquitos in your yard.
Mosquitoes go through four distinct stages of life: egg, larva, pupa and adult. For the most part, these stages take place on still water, where female mosquitoes lay their eggs. When mosquitoes mature to adult status, they can fly away from the surface water they developed.
These facts about the mosquito life cycle demonstrate how important it is to eliminate these sources of surface water. Look again at your yard and think about sources of water where mosquitoes could lay undisturbed for up to 10 days. These are the key locations where mosquito eggs may be hatching.
When possible, replace or refresh the water in these locations regularly to disturb mosquito egg-laying and hatching. Possible examples include birdbaths or water dishes for your pets. If you have a swimming pool, be sure to regularly treat your pool to prevent mosquitoes from hatching on the water’s surface.
Seek Help from Mosquito Control Experts
You aren’t alone in the fight against the mosquitoes on your property. If you are wondering how to get rid of mosquitoes long-term, seek help from mosquito control professionals.
Despite their best efforts, many homeowners struggle to keep mosquitoes away in the long run. They may prevent mosquito bites for a short while. Over time, factors beyond their control, like surface water nearby or weather, can bring mosquitoes back to their yards. It’s also almost impossible to eliminate all sources of standing water where mosquitoes can breed.
If you want to get rid of the mosquitoes around your home, contact the professionals and schedule a consultation right away. They can quickly assess areas of potential mosquito population on your property. Leave your mosquito control in the hands of skilled professionals.
Do Mosquitoes Die After They Bite You?
It’s a common myth that mosquitoes die after they bite humans or pets. This is sadly not true. When female mosquitoes bite you, they will soon lay eggs, resulting in more mosquitoes in your yard.
Why Mosquitoes Are Different Than Bees
Stinging insects like bees or wasps sting humans out of self-defense or to protect their hive. One species of bees, in particular, honey bees, die after stinging humans. With barbed stingers, female worker bees die shortly after stinging a human. The lower half of their bodies tear away, lodged in the skin of their victim.
Mosquitoes are different from honey bees in a number of ways. First, mosquitoes bite, while bees and other insects sting. While honey bees die after stinging humans, mosquitoes thrive off human or animal blood.
A key similarity, however, is that only female mosquitoes and bees attack humans or pets. Male mosquitoes only seek out sugar from plants, whereas female mosquitoes draw fresh blood from animals. Similarly, male worker honey bees do not have stingers and cannot harm other animals.
Why Mosquitoes Bite Humans and Pets
The mouths of mosquitoes extract blood through the skin of their victims. Female mosquitoes will seek human or animal blood soon after mating. Most mosquitoes lay eggs on water, and then the eggs will hatch a few days later.
Since mosquitoes do not die after they bite you, it is easy to see why there are so many mosquitoes in your yard. Instead of dying, they keep living, laying eggs and breeding. Biting humans or pets allows mosquitoes to thrive and reproduce. And, unfortunately, mosquitoes can bite multiple times.
This is concerning. Female mosquitoes in the United States transmit diseases like the Zika virus that can be very serious for humans. Mosquito bites can also make your pets sick.
How to Control and Prevent Mosquitoes
Mosquito control experts will identify key water sources where mosquitoes may hatch eggs. They will place mosquito dunks in surface water sources that homeowners do not want to eliminate. These solutions target mosquito larvae.
Another solution may be utilizing misting stations that will control adult mosquitoes in your yard. Implementing these solutions over time will greatly reduce the number of mosquitoes. These steps help protect your loved ones and your furry friends from dangerous mosquito bites.
It will be nearly impossible to locate all potential breeding areas on your own. Homeowners should rely on mosquito control professionals to put in place preventative pest solutions.
How Many Species of Mosquitoes Are There?
Around the world, over 3,000 mosquito species infect humans with hundreds of diseases. You may be aware of how mosquitoes impact people across the globe transmitting deadly diseases like dengue, yellow fever and malaria.
This may seem like a distant problem, but mosquito-related diseases harm Americans as well. Diseases like the Zika and the West Nile Virus affect people living in the United States. Zika may result in paralysis or birth defects, so it is a serious concern. Mosquitoes bite pets as well, causing illnesses like heartworm in dogs.
Mosquito Species in the Southern United States
Are you curious about how many species of mosquitoes there are in your area? In North America, the three most common mosquito species originated in warmer climates. Today, they now live throughout the United States.
Anopholes mosquitoes live in colder places like the Midwest. Culex and aedes mosquitoes thrive in Texas, Florida, and other humid southern states. Frequent rain in these states makes mosquitoes even more at home. Mosquitoes present the biggest threat in the warmer summer months.
The Habits of Different Mosquito Species
There are some major differences between mosquito species. Yet the small size of mosquitoes makes it difficult for homeowners to detect which species live in their yard.
Each mosquito species behaves differently. Targeting each group will help reduce the mosquito population in your yard. This is another reason why it may be so hard to get your mosquito issue under control.
Recognizing how many species of mosquitoes there are can be overwhelming. It seems like you can never deal with all the different challenges each species presents. Mosquito control professionals are better equipped to identify and control your pest problem. They can determine which species are showing up in your yard.
ABC Can Control the Mosquitoes on Your Property
There are a number of reasons why you would want to get rid of mosquitoes on your property. Fortunately, ABC Home & Commercial Services is here to help. We create custom pest treatment plans, so you and your family can feel at ease.
