How to Prevent Mosquitoes From Breeding Around Your Home

When the weather begins to warm up and homeowners yearn to spend some time outdoors, uninvited guests tend to show up and bring all their friends and family. Not your neighbors from down the street – mosquitoes. They move in on your property and find the perfect place to breed, making many homeowners’ properties almost unusable.

With the potential for those flying, blood-sucking pests to carry illnesses and diseases like yellow fever, West Nile, and Zika viruses, they are more than just a nuisance. Many homeowners and their family members are especially sensitive or allergic to their saliva resulting in more than just an itchy bug bite, but massive welts or blisters.

Mosquitoes can lay up to 3000 eggs in their limited lifetimes, which is only a couple of weeks, and hatch in just 48 hours - maturing in only 14 days. Prevention of mosquito breeding grounds is the most effective method of creating and maintaining a backyard sanctuary that homeowners can actually enjoy throughout the summer months.

This leaves homeowners scrambling for solutions on how to prevent mosquitoes from breeding around their homes and property.

Tidy Up the Lawn

Those leaf piles that accumulated last fall – many property owners have them. The junk and rubbish in the yard that every homeowner means to get rid of but just didn’t find the time to collect water and provide the perfect mosquito breeding area. Schedule a day (or two) to tidy up the property and rid your yard of any debris.

Trim tall grasses and any overgrowth to eliminate hiding spots for mosquitoes to grow their population. Keep an eye on those areas and maintain them throughout the warmer months to keep the property safe and sound for family, pets, and guests.

Eliminate Standing Water

Flowerpots, birdbaths, and water features can add stunning ambiance to any property but can also be a breeding ground for mosquitoes if the water becomes stagnant. Take a walk around the property after each rain, and inspect for (and dump out) any standing water. Use a pump to keep water flowing in fountains and birdbaths, or change out the water frequently.

Water can also become trapped in areas that aren’t as visible including in gutters, downspouts, dips in the lawn, and large rainwater collection barrels. Keep your rain collection barrels covered to avoid mosquito breeding areas and fill in any holes in the lawn.

If the gutter system is retaining water, it may be time to have a gutter cleaning company remove any debris, partial clogs, or fix any damage that collects water –  instead of guiding it away from the home.

Treat the Property – DIY Style

There are a multitude of mosquito-killing treatments homeowners can purchase at their local home improvement store including sprays and seed-like treatments. Common DIY spray treatments come in easy-to-use bottles that attach directly to a common garden hose while spreading “mosquito bits” may require a handheld or walk-behind seed spreader.

Bring on Reinforcements

If the mosquito problem is out of control and homeowners aren’t equipped to handle it alone, consider hiring a professional pest control specialist to help. The pros use EPA-approved (Environmental Protection Agency) chemical sprays to eliminate adult mosquitoes during their active times in the morning and at dusk. This keeps them from populating and ensures that the treatments are safe for humans, pets, and surrounding wildlife.

Barrier treatments attack mosquitoes while they are resting – usually during the hotter daylight hours. Depending on the specific treatment, weather, and environment, barrier treatments can offer between 7 and 21 days of protection.

Keep in mind that a one-time treatment may not be enough to enjoy your backyard oasis and it may be beneficial to hire help on a maintenance contract to spray as needed throughout the mosquito breeding season.