With the warmer weather on the horizon, you are going to be spending more time outdoors. But your fun in the sun can be severely hindered by uninvited guests in the form of mosquitoes. Not only are these flying nuisances annoying but they can pose some pretty significant health risks to you, your family, and friends.
Few things are more bothersome than mosquito bites. They itch, they can get infected if you’re not careful, and they can lead to disease and illness. Don’t put everyone’s health at risk, learn how to keep mosquitoes away from your home by practicing these five effective methods for preventing these pests from coming around and ruining everyone’s good time.
Some of these are simple, common sense tips others might be less known to all. But everyone who lives in a region where mosquitoes are prevalent would be well-advised to take the proper precautions for eliminating mosquitoes from around their homes. But another thing to keep in mind is that any residence with a major mosquito problem should call in professional help like your local mosquito authority franchise. They have the expertise and equipment to eradicate even the most deep-seated infestations.
For the rest of you, take one or more of the following steps to take care of your mosquito problem.
1. Pour Out the Standing Water
Stagnant water is the last thing you want hanging around the exterior of your home. Anything that holds standing water is going to be like a magnet for mosquitoes because that’s where these pests like to breed. Stagnant water is the ideal place for mosquitoes to reproduce and lay their eggs and hatch more of their kind.
So, if you are finding an increase in the number of mosquitoes that are buzzing around you and your family, you may want to check the area for any instance of stagnant water. Look around for old flower pots, kiddie pools, even an old tree stump, anything that can fill up with liquid. This is particularly important for homes that see a lot of precipitation. Rainwater can collect easily in even the smallest of receptacles.
Take a good look around and find anything that might have become filled with water and dump it out asap. This will have an immediate impact on your ability to make your house mosquito-free.
2. Use A Mosquito Dunk
In some instances, there are homes that have receptacles holding stagnant water yet these cannot be emptied or drained. A bird bath is one such instance. Another is a backyard pond. Both of these can be easy breeding grounds for mosquitoes. But you don’t really want to eliminate either of these from your backyard.
The alternative is to use a mosquito dunk. This is a poison pill, so to speak, that you drop into the water and kill off all mosquitoes and their eggs. But don’t worry about the dunk injuring or killing any other types of wildlife that might come to these bodies of water to drink or enjoy. You won’t harm any of them because a mosquito dunk is formulated specifically to destroy only mosquitoes.
3. Increase the Natural Predators of Mosquitoes
Sometimes you can let others do the work for you when it comes to taking out the scourge of mosquitoes around your house. Some of the most common natural predators of mosquitoes are birds and bats, and if you can attract these forms of wildlife to your home you can rely on them to dine on your troublesome mosquitoes to greatly reduce their numbers. Look for other animals that commonly feast on mosquitoes and find ways to bring them to your yard.
4. Put in Mosquito Repellent Plants
Some types of plants are a natural repellent to mosquitoes. If you plant more of these in the yard around your home you can help to drastically decrease the number of mosquitoes that can get at you and your family Put in plants like basil, citronella grass, lavender, and catnip as a means for keeping the pests at bay. The scents of these plants are too unpleasant for mosquitoes to withstand and the longer this type of flora lingers, the fewer the mosquitoes you’ll notice near your home.
5. Clean Up Your Home’s Exterior
Homes that have a lot of clutter, junk, and overgrown vegetation are a lot more likely to attract mosquitoes. So, start cleaning up around the outside of your home, toss any old junk and objects that can serve as suitable breeding grounds for mosquitoes and cut down any dense brush and weeds that can provide shelter for these pests and your mosquito problem will clear up.
