Although mosquito control is one of the more pressing issues around the world, many people throughout the United States might not give much thought to mosquitoes in their backyard. Mosquitoes are notorious for carrying pathogens that can cause serious illness and disease.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) diseases such as malaria, dengue and yellow fever, estimates put worldwide mosquito-related deaths at around 700,000 per year. Based on information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the West Nile virus is one of the most concerning and common diseases carried by mosquitoes.
That means learning how to help get rid of mosquitoes is one of the most important things you can do for your family's backyard comfort. And there are many different ways to manage mosquitoes.
Swatting at these bloodsuckers one by one just won't cut it. Sure, if you want to get rid of mosquitoes on a very small scale – say, one or two on your arm or leg – you can print this page, roll it up and start chasing them down. But with so much on the line (e.g., your family's health, your sanity, your freedom from itching, etc.), you'll need better methods of mosquito control if you want to stay mosquito-free.
Here's a simple checklist on how to get rid of mosquitoes to help keep you and your family itch-free:
How to help get rid of mosquitoes indoors and out
Having mosquitoes in your home is not common. The real problem isn't so much preventing mosquitoes from coming into the house, but rather, looking to the outside of your home and making it less attractive to mosquitoes. Standing pools of water in your backyard can make great breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
Occasionally, a mosquito or two can get into the house and wind up dying. Additionally, a home environment does not offer a hospitable place for females to lay eggs, so there is little worry of mosquito reproduction in the home. However, in the event a mosquito does get inside your home, there is a chance they can bite. Closing doors and making sure that your window screens are intact can help to keep mosquitoes out of the house.
Then, work with your pest control professional to help keep the unwanted pests from becoming a major problem. A combination of professional mosquito treatments and preventative measures will help keep the insect population down and reduce the risk of you and your family getting bitten while you're in your home or backyard.
Best ways to repel mosquitoes
If you're trying to figure out how to repel mosquitoes, you're in luck! There are dozens of ways to keep those annoying, buzzing and blood-sucking insects from getting close to you outside or making their way into your home.
The best advice to repel mosquitoes and prevent bites, according to the CDC, is to cover up with long sleeves, long pants, and a hat when you are outdoors. Use a mosquito spray that contains no more than 30% DEET and reapply according to product label instructions.
How to prevent mosquitoes from coming indoors
Don't invite the mosquitoes over to dine on your family. Instead, seal up your home. Make sure your doors and windows seal tightly, and if you are going to leave them open, make sure they are outfitted with properly fitted screens. The screens should be in good repair and have no holes or tears. Sealing up cracks and crevices in the foundation and around entryways will also help keep most insects out of your home, mosquitoes included.
One of the best ways to get rid of mosquitoes is to control their population by limiting their breeding capabilities. When a mosquito sucks your blood, they are actually making their reproductive output more efficient. They extract the amino acid, isoleucine, which helps them lay more eggs. So the fewer opportunities mosquitoes have to bite you, the fewer of them there will be.
How to get rid of mosquitoes outdoors
Mosquitoes require water for two important life cycle stages (hatching into larva and developing into pupa), so eliminating standing water greatly reduces their population. This will leave them no place to lay their eggs.
Standing water often collects in or near buckets, gutters, old tires, garbage, plastic tarps, containers, birdbaths, pools, rain barrels, potted plants and similar items. Do what you can to mitigate that standing water each day by doing the following:
- Clean gutters and drainage systems often.
- Fix leaky outdoor water faucets,
- Treat swimming pools and keep water circulating.
- Pull tarps and covers taut.
- Replace birdbath water every 5 to 7 days.
- Fill in depressions and holes with dirt or gravel.
The ultimate goal is to be sure there are as few areas for water to collect standing water as possible. Check with a pest management professional about what you should do with such areas as bird baths or deep depressions in your yard that may hold standing water.
How do mosquito traps work?
Mosquito traps get rid of mosquitoes by baiting them into the trap with some type of attractant. Some traps use fans to suck mosquitoes into a net, while others trap them with a sticky glue, much like glue traps for rodents.
Other, more sophisticated traps can electrocute the mosquito when it lands on the device. Some models use carbon dioxide to imitate a person's breath, thus drawing in mosquitoes.
Unfortunately, different species of mosquito react differently to attractants and the design of the trap. This means there is no "best mosquito trap" for all situations.
Factors like placement, wind, mosquito species in your area and the landscape around your home can influence the efficacy of a mosquito trap. The only way to know for sure that you're using the best methods to keep mosquitoes out of your yard and home is to work with a pest control professional.
Call Terminix® for mosquito control
If you're tired of worrying about mosquitoes in the yard and are not sure how to get rid of them, don't leave things up to chance. Contact Terminix as soon as possible.
An experienced Terminix mosquito control professional will be able to inspect your yard to find the best possible treatment to help you keep mosquitoes from ruining your time outside.
