How To Get Rid Of Mosquitoes In Your Lawn

An Introduction To Mosquitoes And Their Role In The Environment

There is a popular bar trivia question that goes what animal kills the most humans every year? Most people, thinking it is a trick question, answer other humans. That answer is close, because humans are second. But mosquitoes kill almost twice as many humans every year.

Mosquitoes are best known for their bites. Female mosquitoes use the proteins in mammal blood to create their eggs. They bite with their long mouths, piercing the skin and sucking out the blood they need. The saliva in their bites causes an allergic reaction, which eventually leads to an a very itchy bump that can last for a few days to several weeks.

The bites themselves are the most common complaint about mosquitoes. One bite can be so distracting, it ruins days or weeks of your summer. But mosquitoes are known carriers some of the worlds most deadly diseases. When they bite two or more hosts, their saliva can transfer viruses between hosts, leading to serious illnesses.

What makes mosquitoes unique is that scientists are still unsure what value mosquitoes play in the environment. Most pests, like spiders, flies, centipedes, and more, are critical to the worlds ecosystem. But if all mosquitoes were eliminated tomorrow, its unclear whether this would have any ecological consequences. They are a potentially deadly insect without significant value.

How To Get Rid Of Mosquito Breeding Areas

Mosquitoes in nature rely on ponds, slow moving rivers, swamps, flood plains, mud puddles, and other relatively still bodies of water to lay their eggs. Depending on where you live, these features may be nearby or even contained within your property. Habitat removal is still important, but may not be as effective.

However, mosquitoes of the Aedes genus and Culex genus often prefer to lay eggs in items like containers that fill with rainwater. Human dwellings are far more likely to have these types of containers.

Containers for breeding mosquitoes can be any object that holds water. The timeline from laying the egg to an adult mosquito leaving the water is as little as a week, so the water does not need to be present indefinitely. The container also doesnt need more than about a square inch of water to hold several hundred eggs.

The following are some examples of removable outdoor items that can hold water:

• Dog Bowls
• Tree Stumps
• Wading Pools

Many other objects can offer a breeding spot for mosquitoes besides these. Something as small as a bottle cap could conceivably be a place for mosquito eggs to thrive. As part of your mosquito control, regularly examine your yard for any areas where water might collect during rain.

When possible, it is best to remove these containers or buildup altogether. If they must be outside and serve a purpose, be sure to empty them after use or rain.

There are also situations where the item cannot be removed, but can be treated. For example:

If All Else Fails Play This Song

It’s always a surprise to know what scientists deem worthy of research, but when it results in useful answers, why not? Researchers knew mosquitoes responded to low-frequency vibrations, so they wondered what would happen if they introduced something more noisy, specifically “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” by dubstep artist Skrillex. And it worked. Their research, published in the journal Acta Tropica, revealed that hungry female mosquitoes had less sex and attacked less often after listening to 10 minutes of the Skrillex song.

Of course, playing that tune nonstop on your patio isn’t for everyone.

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Clean Up Prune Trim Cut

We always think of standing water as a place for mosquitoes to breed.Pots full of water in the yard, old tires, whatever stuff that is laying around that holds water also holds the chance for mosquito activity.My areca palms are famous for creating spots of standing water.When old fronds fall off they act like canoes under the tree that are perfect for a mosquito nursery. Im constantly keeping these cleaned up as well as thinning them overall.This weekend I will be publishing a video showing you a complete backyard mosquito defense strategy and the first thing I am going to do is trim out my areca palms.So if you like red hot pruning action as well as spraying and praying and even fogging, so you dont miss it!Its also a good idea to keep the lawn cut. Mosquitoes can breed in water in a thick lawn and the more you cut it, the more airflow is created which helps to dry up that water.You may even consider that during a time when you have a lawn party coming up, you mow a little lower anyway and this, in turn, should help to naturally reduce the mosquito activity in the lawn.

Making A Homemade Mosquito Repellent

Just like you, mosquitoes find certain scents repulsive, according to Mosquito Magnet, a company that helps consumers fight the pests. Those scents include citronella, peppermint, basil, garlic, lemon balm, lavender, marigold, catnip, rosemary and eucalyptus. When making a homemade mosquito repellent for your yard, keep these scents in mind.

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What Would Happen If We Killed Every Mosquito In The World

Ever wonder what would happen if every biting mosquito on earth were to vanish? Scientists have debated that very question.

The general consensus? Despite a few negative ecological impacts, other insect species would fill the void left by mosquitoes, and the overall results for people and planet would be a net positive.

Cutting off the nose to spite the face

While the complete global eradication of every good or bad mosquito species is a purely hypothetical and unrealistic aim, its not at all unrealistic to try to kill or prevent mosquitoes in your own yard. However, its essential that you do so in a way thats ecologically rational.

Reciting the names of every mosquito body part from memory makes a great impression on a first date. Image credit: Mariana Ruiz Villarreal LadyofHats Self made based on this websites between others: , , , ., Public Domain, Link

In our yard which is right smack in the middle of the hot, humid southeastern US we have virtually no mosquitoes. And weve managed to accomplish this objective with no discernible negative impact to other species.

The cost? Youve probably paid more for lunch.

Heres how we got rid of our mosquitoes using safe, organic methods and how you can too

Keep Your Property Clean And Clear

Mosquitoes are attracted to areas that provide them with a cool, dark, and damp place to lay their eggs and feed. Taking some time to update your lawn maintenance schedule for the summer season can do wonders when it comes to deterring mosquitoes. Ensure that your lawn is mowed consistently, trim trees and shrubbery throughout the year, and prevent puddles of rainwater from accumulating on your grass to make your property less appealing to mosquitoes.

You should also clear out trash and unnecessary junk from your property, as these items can often provide mosquitoes with sneaky hiding places that store still water. Old tires are a particularly notorious culprit, providing mosquitoes with warm shelter and a damp environment they can use to lay their eggs. Clean out your lawn as frequently as possible to eliminate all hiding spots you might have in your yard.

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High Tech Mosquito Control

The DynaTrap is a very effective way to rid your yard of mosquitoes. It does not utilize any chemicals so it can safely be used both indoors and outdoors. It doesnt zap them and doesnt use propane so you do not need to purchase and refill propane tanks. Its very quiet. Just plug it in and turn it on, let it run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It does take 4 to 6 weeks to break the mosquito lifecycle.

How To Get Rid Of Mosquitoes In The House

When determining how to get rid of mosquitoes in the house, check under sinks, in closets, under furniture or in the laundry room. Mosquitoes like to rest in dark, humid places. If you confirm that you have a mosquito population in your home, get rid of them with indoor-tested products.

• EPA-registered indoor flying insect and mosquito repellents are available in fogger, aerosol or pump spray form.
• Fans and fly swatters are low-tech solutions that can deter and eliminate mosquitoes.
• Keep mosquitoes from entering your home by repairing or replacing any damaged window screens. Add a screen door to outside doors and screen in outdoor porches, pergolas and patios.
• If mosquitoes persist in your home, call a pest control expert.

Tip: Consider using mosquito netting around your bed to help you sleep during a lasting infestation.

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Treat Yard With Mosquito Spray

Be sure you are getting the spray to the underside of the leaves on the foliage you are treating. Simply spraying the tops of the leaves will not be effective.

DoMyOwn.com has put together multiple mosquito control kits to make picking the right products easy for you and your specific needs.

Pro Tip

If you are planning an outdoor party or other outdoor event on your property you can add a pyrethrin based concentrated insecticide to your regular insecticide solution. The addition of a pyrethrin will offer two benefits:

• Pyrethrin offers a very fast knockdown which means you will see very quick results
• Pyrethrin based insecticides offer a short term repellency to keep mosquitoes and other annoying insects away from the treated areas.

You should resist the urge to coat your entire yard and home with the insecticide spray application. Doing this will reduce the mosquito population but it will also reduce the beneficial and predatory insects on your property. Reducing the beneficial and predatory insects could allow pest insects to move in after time.

Get Rid Of Mosquitoes And Enjoy Your Summer

As a long-term solution, mosquito prevention is important. Avoid attracting them and make sure you dont provide attractive breeding grounds. These should be your first steps to controlling the mosquito population in your house and yard.

Attracting a few mosquito predators is also a good idea. By combining these strategies, you will be able to take back your backyard.

Now that your yard is ready and you are wearing the right stuff. You are all ready to tackle that next outdoor project, mosquito-free.

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Happy Gardening!

I believe everyone can grow at least part of their own food! Let me show you how.

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How To Get Rid Of Mosquitoes In Your Backyard

Blog / Pest Control / How to Get Rid of Mosquitoes in Your Backyard

When the weather starts to warm and your family is moving outdoors, you may start to notice a problem. Those pesky mosquitoes appreciate the warm weather as well, and they can start making your outdoor time miserable. These mosquito control tips from Senske Services will show you how to get rid of mosquitoes once and for all, so you can start enjoying your outdoor living space again.

Garden Plants Fornatural Mosquito Control

Plantssuch as rose-scented geraniums are quite effective at repelling mosquitosbecause they contain natural repellants such as geraniol and citronellal. Thisnatural mosquito control method is best suitable for lawn care Dallas TX.

Lemonbalm is anexcellent example of a plant that contains repellents such as geranial,Geraniol, and citronellal. Additionally, its easy to grow.

Catnip is also one of theplants used to control mosquitoes. It contains essential oils that are 10 timesmore powerful than DEET.

Gardenersas well note that crushing lemongrass , lemon , and basil can repel mosquitoes for less than30 minutes. You can try these plants by rubbing their leaves on your skin.However, some herbs might react with your body, so be cautious.

Soybeanoil is also another natural solution used by most people. Soybean-basedrepellents protect people from mosquito bites for approximately 1.5 hours.

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Spray Use The Right Mosquito Repellents

If you use the right mosquito control backyard spray, it will not only eliminate adult mosquitoes but also prevent them from coming back. Its critical that the spray used in your mosquito control for the yard is professionally applied and EPA approved. This is the only way to ensure it is not going to add toxins to your yard. Few local retailers will carry the type of EPA registered mosquito repellent you need that is industrial strength.

The best mosquito control will make your yard inhospitable to the pests. It coats surfaces with a substance that smells bad to the mosquitoes, which drives them from your yard. It also coats the surface of standing water to prevent larvae from hatching and developing. This two-pronged approach will prevent new infestations from developing after you deal with the existing one.

Want To Safely Kill Mosquitoes Step : Understand How They Work

If you want to get rid of mosquitoes in your yard, you have to start by understanding the life cycle of mosquitoes and what theyre attracted to. From there, the solutions outlined in this article to help you safely kill mosquitoes will make perfect sense.

Very quickly, heres a quick rundown of some of the things you need to know about mosquitoes to kill them or effectively stop them from proliferating:

A. What is a mosquitos life cycle?

The life cycle of a mosquito is: Egg > Larva > Pupa > Adult.

Mosquito larva. No, this is not actual size. Image credit: Sven.petersenOwn work, Public Domain, Link

Depending on the species:

• a female ADULT mosquito will live anywhere between 6-8 weeks, and
• a male adult mosquito will live about 10 days.

The time it takes mosquitoes to go from egg to adult can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks depending on the species. This process is sped up by hot weather and ideal breeding grounds, e.g. stagnant water with decomposing organic matter .

B. How far can mosquitoes fly?

The distance a mosquito can fly depends on the species. For instance, Aedes Aegypti will only travel about 50-100 meters. Others can fly for many miles over the course of their lives.

But the better the conditions are in a given spot, the more likely they are to stay there and the more theyre going to reproduce.

C. What do mosquitoes need to reproduce?

D. How many new mosquitoes can a single mosquito produce?

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Bug Zappers And Traps

Bug zappers might seem tempting. Just the name implies that you can easily zap all nearby mosquitoes in an instant. Unfortunately, bug zappers are known to kill more beneficial insects than mosquitoes. Mosquito traps might also be a temptation to try for mosquito control, but they actually attract more mosquitoes to your yard, not less. So this might also not be a great option for you.

Using Poor Control Materials

Sometimes the problem is the mosquito control material itself. If youre using a product that you picked up from a big box store or maybe something that is totally organic, its not going to be as effective as a professional product. That means that even if youre treating the right areas, youre still not going to effectively get rid of mosquitoes.

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How To Safely Kill Mosquitoes In Your Yard

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Trying to figure out how to prevent or safely kill mosquitoes in your yard without using dangerous synthetic chemicals that harm wildlife or people? This article will help!

Do you want to have a safe, healthy, mosquito-free yard and neighborhood? So do we.

We set out to figure out how to make that possible, looking at the best available research. Weve also put that information to work effectively in our own yard, and have recruited our neighbors to be part of the solution.

The results? We can walk out in our yard on hot, humid summer mornings and evenings without being covered in mosquitoes like we used to be.

Want to get the same results? Follow the steps in the flier , then print and share them with your neighbors!

The more people in your neighborhood who participate, the better the results will be. After all, mosquitoes dont recognize property boundaries.

Getting Rid Of Places That Adult Mosquitoes Can Live

Mosquitos prefer to rest in dark, enclosed, shady, moist, humid places like below to escape sunlight and wind. If your yard is a damp, muggy place, it will be a mosquito attractor. Here are a few things you can follow to make your yard free from mosquitoes.

• Regularly mow the lawn and trim any tall grass, shrubs in the yard.
• Wet leaves are good mosquito hideouts. Do not overwater and do watering to the roots of plants.

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Grow Mosquito Repellent Plants

If you have already read our recommendations for 21 mosquito repellent plants, you already know that there are certain plants you can grow that will keep mosquitoes away without the harsh use of chemicals. Lavender, marigold, and lemongrass are a few of the more popular and beautiful options, but there are so many more that will also really spruce up your yard while also keeping the area free of flying pests. Many of these plants are both visually appealing and effective at keeping mosquitoes away. There are also certain herbs you can grow that are great for keeping your kitchen stocked while also repelling mosquitoes, like basil, thyme, and rosemary. Take a look at the article listed above for mosquito repellent plants and also this list for even more plants you can grow to keep mosquitoes away.