Most people agree that mosquitoes are unwelcome pests that they want to keep as far away from their yard as possible. Unfortunately, these tiny flying pests inhibit most places on planet Earth and love to attack animals and humans, sucking their blood and leaving red, itchy welts in their wake. By doing this, mosquitoes are inadvertently spreading deadly diseases all around the world. Some of the most harmful include Zika virus, West Nile, yellow fever, malaria, and dengue fever.
Although mosquitoes are not responsible for damaging landscapes, properties, or plants in yards, if these pests are present in a big enough quantity, they can quickly become a real nuisance and can even become dangerous. By ensuring that all of the windows and doors on a property are closed and intact, you can effectively keep mosquitoes out of your home. Being bitten by the pests can be prevented by wearing a good mosquito repellent. To get rid of them outdoors, the most effective way is to get rid of any sources of standing water.
Getting rid of mosquitoes
Unfortunately, it is not possible to either prevent mosquitoes from coming into your yard or to get rid of them once they are there. What you can do though is successfully minimize the number of them present. There are certain environments that these pests thrive in so by eliminating or treating these, it will stop them from breeding in great numbers. Some of the things you can do include the following things:
- Keep the yard tidy – anything that can hold water, regardless of whether that is natural or not, can act as a potential breeding ground for these flying pests. Rainfall or water from sprinklers can easily pool in debris around your yard and create the perfect place for mosquitoes that lay their eggs and, thus, reproduce. This is why it is really important to keep your yard neat and tidy as it removes this problem from occurring. Additionally, you may want to remove things like dog bowls, yard furniture, and even candles as they too can pool water.
- Treat sources of water – any open source of water in your yard (e.g. a water feature or pond) does not necessarily need to be drained in order to get rid of mosquitoes. What you need to do is treat the water with something that kills the eggs of the mosquitoes, such as larvicide. There are also things called mosquito dunks that can be used to treat water fountains, bird baths, and ponds as they are not harmful to any animals, including birds and fish. For ponds that are home to catfish, bluegill, mosquitofish, goldfish, and bass, then no treatment is required as these naturally eat the larvae of mosquitoes.
- Use a fan – an effective non toxic way of keeping mosquitoes at bay whilst you are spending time outdoors is by using a strong fan. It is suggested that a good indoor or outdoor fan can stop the flying pests landing on your skin by as much as 65 percent. In order to get the best amount of coverage, use a fan that oscillates from side to side.
It is clear to see then from these that effective yard mosquito control is what is needed in order to minimize the number of mosquitoes present in your yard.
What causes mosquitoes in your yard?
Invasions of mosquitoes are typically associated with water, but this does not mean that only those yards in areas close to big bodies of water or swampy areas are prone to experiencing this problem – it can happen pretty much anywhere. This is because mosquitoes only need the smallest amount of water to breed in. For instance, they can lay their eggs in rainwater in something as small as an upturned bottle cap.
Some of the things that can collect water in your yard include the following:
- Birdbaths
- Trash
- Contours or low lying ground
- Piles of debris
- Drainage areas
- Tires
- Tree holes
- Boats
- Wheelbarrows
- Plant trays and pots
- Neglected or untreated decorative ponds or swimming pools
- Pet bowls
- Upturned trash containers or buckets
- Clogged or dirty roof gutters
Preventing mosquitoes from coming into your yard
Hatches of mosquitoes can happen in just a few days and so being able to prevent invasions of them requires a good amount of maintenance and diligence. By not keeping on top of the tidiness and cleanliness of your yard, the perfect breeding environment for these flying pests can quickly emerge. The best way to stop invasions of mosquitoes is by stopping potential breeding grounds from appearing.
In order to combat the issue of mosquitoes, lots of people turn to using chemicals. Whilst this approach is effective in killing the larvae of mosquitoes and so reducing their prevalence, the effect of this method is always short lived. Even worse is that many of the chemicals used are also harmful to us humans, as well as other insects and animal life, such as butterflies and bees. Using pesticides like this also contributes to resistance amongst mosquitoes, thus making it increasingly more difficult for people to keep these pests away and to prevent disease from spreading.
A more natural way, although maybe not quite as effective, is using citronella candles dotted around your yard. The more you use the better as they are only really effective for keeping mosquitoes away in the immediate vicinity of the candles. So whilst they may stop you from getting bitten by the pests as much, they will not stop them from coming into your yard in the first place and nor will they do anything to stop them from breeding and multiplying.
Electric bug zappers or light traps as they are also known are an effective way of killing mosquitoes, as well as other flying insects, such as flies, wasps, and gnats. However, there is little evidence to suggest that these devices are effective in reducing the number of mosquitoes found in your yard.
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