Mosquitoes are among the most annoying of the summer pests. After a long, hot day, the temperatures finally start to cool down in the evening, making it the perfect time to get outside without fear of roasting in the sun… Only to then come under attack by clouds of mosquitoes. Can you even get rid of mosquitoes or are they just something that you have to try to keep at bay by covering yourself in bug spray? You don’t want mosquitoes holding your yard hostage, after all. You want to be able to use it, in peace.
Here’s what you need to know about what draws mosquitoes to your home and what you can do to help get rid of mosquitoes. While it is impossible to completely get rid of mosquitoes, you can still reduce the number of mosquitoes in your yard, making being outside more pleasant.
What Draws Mosquitoes To Your Home
Why is it that it feels like some places have more mosquitoes than others? There are a few factors that draw mosquitoes to your home and make it more likely that you’ll suffer from this annoying pest swarming your property. In order to get rid of mosquitoes, or at least, cull their numbers, you’ll need to be aware of what attracts mosquitoes to your property.
Some of the things mosquitoes are drawn to include:
- Standing water. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. In order to get rid of mosquitoes, you want to try to eliminate as many sources of standing water as possible. This includes places such as: bird baths, tree stumps, toddler pools, overwatered grass, open cans and bottles and containers, and more. Mosquitoes can lay up to 100 eggs at a time, so if you’re trying to get rid of mosquitoes, eliminating sources of standing water is sure to help.
- Debris in your gutters. If you have debris in your gutters, it can trap water, giving mosquitoes a perfect place to breed. If you want to get rid of mosquitoes, ensure that you keep your gutters clean. Twice a year is generally what’s recommended, once in the late spring and once in the late fall.
- Open doors and damaged screens. Mosquitoes breed outside, so if they get into your home, this is more of a temporary nuisance than a problem to fret over. However, you still don’t want them in your home. They’ll fly in through open doors and broken screens. To get rid of mosquitoes inside your home, repair your screens, avoid leaving your doors open, and consider using mosquito zappers.
How To Get Rid Of Mosquitoes
Now that you know what draws mosquitoes to your home, you’re better equipped to stave them off. Unfortunately, you cannot truly get rid of mosquitoes. As they can lay up to 100 eggs at a time, this makes getting rid of mosquitoes entirely virtually impossible. You see why they’re such persistent pests and why it seems like there’s no end to how many mosquitoes there are outside.
However, just because you can’t get rid of mosquitoes entirely or permanently does not mean that you cannot lessen their numbers and find some relief. Some of the things that you can do in order to get rid of mosquitoes include:
- Light citronella candles. Mosquitoes are repelled by the smell of citronella, so if you want to get rid of mosquitoes, lighting citronella candles and using other things with citronella will cause mosquitoes to try to stay away from the area, providing you with some relief.
- Treat your water features. So, mosquitoes lay their eggs in water, which is a significant problem if you have water features on your property. Fortunately, there are treatments you can use that cause mosquitoes to try to steer clear of them.
- Clean your property. As mentioned above, if you clean away any standing water and debris in your gutters, this can help you to get rid of mosquitoes.
- Call a pest control company. One of the best ways to get rid of mosquitoes is to call in the big guns. As previously mentioned, you cannot get rid of mosquitoes entirely, but you can get mosquito abatement. A pest control company will be able to treat your property with methods such as larvicide, source reduction, and fogging. With a treatment plan in place, you’ll be able to enjoy your yard again by lessening the number of mosquitoes invading it.
Onyx Lawn & Pest Control provides professional mosquito abatement services. If you’re looking for a way to get rid of mosquitoes on your property, contact us to learn more about our treatment plans.
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