How to prepare your home for mosquito season

Summer brings warm weather and fun outdoor activities for you and your whole family. Unfortunately, it also brings with it pesky mosquitoes. Whether you are biking, swimming, or just sitting around a campfire, chances are you are going to be bitten at least once. In order to cut down on the potential risks that come along with mosquitoes, discover some effective ways to prevent them from taking over your backyard.

Eliminate Breeding Grounds

The most common place for mosquitoes to hatch is in open water. Eliminate the breeding ground of these insects by making sure there are no buckets, boats, low ground areas, pet food bowls, or rain gutters that sit with water in them for longer than 7 days. A week to 10 days is all it takes of the eggs of these bugs to hatch.

Keep Mosquito Predators

There are animals that eat mosquitoes that you can keep on your property to help in cutting down the population. Ducks and chickens will eat the bugs and so will fish and frogs. This may not eliminate all of the mosquitoes, but it will definitely help in keeping the population in control.

Keep Mosquito Repelling Plants

Geraniums with a rose scent contain citronella oil, a natural mosquito repellent. Lemon balm plant, catnip, and basil plant also ward off the annoying bloodsuckers. In fact, research has shown that the oil found in catnip is more effective than DEET. Plant some marigolds, horse mint, or ageratum around your property to help with avoiding a mosquito takeover as well.

Citronella Candles

Citronella candles are also effective when it comes to keeping the mosquito away. These can be found at just about any retailer for a reasonable price. Light a few up and set them around the perimeter of your deck or sitting area and the critters should leave you alone while you enjoy the warm summer nights.

Screens

To completely avoid mosquitoes altogether, you can sit inside of a screened in room. Make sure that all of the windows and doors of your home are fitted correctly with a mesh screen. They keep mosquitoes and other insects out and your fresh, cool air in.

Close Gaps

If you do have screens, it is essential to make sure that there are no gaps anywhere. Even if these spaces are very small, a mosquito will be able to seek them out and sneak in. There are screen patches and silicone that can be used to effectively close up any open areas.

Mosquito Netting

As an extra safeguard, you can use mosquito netting over the top of beds and cribs to protect yourself and your kids from getting bit during the night.

Get Rid of Unnecessary Items

Look around your property to see if you have anything lying around that you are not using. Things like old tires, unused kid’s toys, and other junk as it is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. They will hold water making it a perfect habitat for the insect. Throw out what isn’t being used and they will have nowhere to lay their eggs.

Treat the yard

There are several different treatment options when it comes to applying something to your yard to keep mosquitoes and other insects away.

If you would rather let someone else do the work, our professionals at Dugas Pest Control can come and take care of the lawn treatment for you. Not only will we apply a treatment, we are experts at dealing with mosquitos and can minimize their presence around your home. We can come and reduce your mosquito population by up to 90% for a party, on a monthly basis, or every 6-12 months. We can also install automated mosquito misting systems customized to your home which spray at a pre-set times each day to kill and repel mosquitos. We can even treat entire neighborhoods if you and your neighbors would like to team up against the mosquitos. Simply give us a call.

With the Zika virus infecting many people around the globe, now more than ever you should be proactive in protecting yourself and your family from being bitten by these disease carrying insects. If you cannot control the problem on your own, there are professionals out there that can help. Contact us today to learn more about how to properly prepare for the upcoming mosquito season.