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This is the time of year when Mt. Juliet residents prepare for mosquito season. Are you ready? If not, it isn't too late to save your spring and summer from being ruined by these irritating, and potentially dangerous, pests. Here are some tips and strategies to help you reduce mosquitoes in your yard.
Remove Standing Water
The mosquitoes that bite you in your yard are usually mosquitoes that are already on your property. This is because mosquitoes don't travel very far. Some mosquitoes won't travel more than 300 feet from where they hatched. Therefore, controlling mosquito populations can reduce how many bites you receive. And one of the best ways to control mosquito populations is to reduce stagnant water in your yard. Here are some ways you can do this.
Check your gutters. When gutters are broken or obstructed they can give mosquitoes a breeding site. Mosquitoes can breed in an inch of stagnant water. They'll breed in obstructed gutters or in standing water that accumulates near your home due to gutter issues.
Fill in low spots. If you have puddles that form near your home or in your yard, you may be able to prevent those puddles by filling in low spots. This will let the rainwater soak in more evenly, rather than puddling up over-saturated soil.
Remove containers. Any object that can hold rainwater for more than a week can become a breeding location. This could be the seat of a swing, a toy left in the yard, a kiddie pool, a tarp, etc. Empty these containers and store those items away if you can. Mosquitoes can go from egg to adult in just over a week.Turn off lights at night or choose yellow bug lights.
Lighting and bug zappers can attract mosquitoes to your yard. Mosquitoes, like many insects, are attracted to light. If you keep lights on at night, you will lure mosquitoes into your yard. You can also lure them in by leaving your shades open at night.
If you need lights on at night, consider yellow bug lights. These lights can be found at any home improvement store. Yellow bug lights are not a repellant, but they do not attract mosquitoes and other bugs like incandescent lights do.
You may also consider removing your bug zappers. Studies have shown that bug zappers are great at drawing mosquitoes in but only effective at eliminating male mosquitoes, which don't bite.
More Tips To Consider
In addition to the advice above, we have a few additional tips to share. If at all possible, schedule your outdoor activities to avoid dawn and dusk - the times when mosquitoes are most active. We get asked a lot about citronella candles. These candles have a mild repellent effect to mosquitoes, but do not seem to offer significantly better results than burning other candles. Mosquitoes are relatively weak fliers, so placing a large fan on your deck can provide a low-tech solution.
The Best Solution for Mosquito Control
Unfortunately, nothing will completely elimination mosquitoes from your yard, but a combination of the efforts recommended above along with regular mosquito misting services is your best solution and will greatly reduce mosquitoes in your yard. When you have a regular mosquito service, mist treatments are applied to your landscaping, tree canopies close to your home and underneath decks to take down mosquitoes that try to hide or breed in your yard. If you live in our Middle Tennessee service area, reach out to us. Our Mt. Juliet pest control experts will help you get control of those mosquitoes.