Mosquitoes carry many different diseases, some of which can be seriously harmful to your health.
This makes them more than just an annoyance, it’s a good reason to make sure they aren’t near your home.
However, this can often be harder than you think it will be. You can find out more about the best techniques to deal with this issue yourself, or you can simply get the exterminators in to deal with the problem.
As always, prevention is better than cure, use the following tips to avoid having an issue and you won’t need the help of a professional.
Standing Water
The first thing to be aware of is that mosquitoes love and need standing water. This is where they lay their eggs and the reason you’ll often find them near water sources.
Walk around your property looking for any standing water. You can then work out where the water is coming from and stop it. Dripping taps and clogged gutters are two of the biggest culprits and easy to fix. But, don’t forget the pet water bowl; you may find it better to just provide water when they need it.
If you do have a pond or birdbath then either change the water every couple of days or add a pump and fountain to keep the water moving. This prevents bacteria from building up and makes it a much less attractive option to the mosquitoes.
Food
Mosquitoes, like any living being, need food to survive. Of course, mosquitoes don’t eat food in the conventional sense, they get what they need from your blood. But, what you may not know is that it’s actually the potassium, salt, and lactic acid in your blood that attracts them.
By avoiding foods like bananas, dried fruit, and even avocados, you’ll lower the level of these minerals in your blood and make it less attractive to mosquitoes.
Shade
You probably like a little shade from the heat of the sun, so do mosquitoes; that’s why you find more of them around when the temperature cools.
It’s a good idea to use temporary shade during the day that you can close up when not in use; preventing the mosquitoes from disturbing you during the best part of the day.
Nets
Netting over your doors and windows will allow you to enjoy the air flowing through your home without attracting all the mosquitoes into your house. You can get mosquito nets that simply hang across your openings or framed versions that attach on hinges; making them much easier to move as and when necessary.
Plants
Mosquitoes actually start arriving in your yard as soon as the temperature hits 50°F or more; even if they don’t seem to be an issue at this stage.
To get ahead of the problem you should consider planting herbs in your garden; especially around the places, you like to sit. Peppermint, lavender, marigolds, and citronella are all very effective at keeping mosquitoes away. Make sure you plant some near your doors and windows to stop them from going inside your home.
Mosquito Traps
You can purchase mosquito traps which are very effective at trapping and then killing the mosquitoes. Although these devices work straight away it can take as much as a month to break the breeding cycle and eliminate the issue completely.
The traps suck mosquitoes in with either a fan or a vacuum. Once the mosquitoes are inside they can’t escape as they will either end up stuck to the sticky paper inside or to a net.
These devices do need regular cleaning to ensure the mosquitoes are removed and the trap remains effective.
Mosquito Misting
You can purchase mosquito misting systems that use insecticides through a sprinkler style system that kills the mosquitoes and other pests.
These systems can be operated on a timer or simply via remote control. Of course, you need to ensure that the system uses an insecticide which has pyrethrin as its main active ingredient. This substance is deadly to mosquitoes but has a minimal impact on human health.
Whether you currently have a mosquito problem or not, it’s a good idea to implement these measures as they will help to prevent the issue in the future and make spending time in your yard much more pleasant.
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