6 Ways To Ensure A Mosquito-Free Yard and Home

If you own a home and live in or near Atlanta, Georgia, it’s a sure bet that you enjoy the outdoors and spending time in the front and backyard. It’s also a sure bet that you think about how to keep the mosquitoes away while you’re in your yard. We realize it seems like there’s no way to prevent mosquitoes from buzzing around and biting and to achieve a mosquito-free yard. But if you have a plan, you can rid your yard of mosquitoes this year and beyond.

Here are six ways to ensure a mosquito-free yard and home:

Nip Them In The Bud

Getting rid of mosquito larvae is the first step you should take if you want to take mosquito control seriously. To do that, you’ll have to identify mosquito breeding grounds and destroy them. Standing water is the most common breeding ground for these insects. Even just a teaspoon of water can hold a whole raft of mosquito larvae. 

The goal is to stop larvae before they can become the next generation of adult biting mosquitoes. The best way to do that is to eliminate standing water from your yard. Identify anything that could hold standing water. Look for trash, piles of leaves, toys, and patio furniture that could hold water. Try to keep all these items empty at all times, or better yet, remove them. If you have standing water you can’t remove—for example, a birdbath—consider treating the water with a mosquito larvicide.

Use Insecticides

Insecticides such as DEET are the most common and effective temporary solutions to eliminate mosquitoes from your house. Insecticides kill mosquitoes and prevent them from returning. However, not all insecticides are created equal. DEET has been around since the 1940’s, but it has some unpleasant side effects. Newer insecticides like Permethrin and Picaridin are replacing DEET as less harmful alternatives. Whichever insecticide you use, make sure to research the effectiveness and safety concerns before you use it.

Go Natural

You may have heard of mosquito-repellent plants and bushes. There’s a lot of misinformation and half-truth out there. While some plants are unpleasant to mosquitoes, there is nothing you can plant that will keep mosquitoes away as well as artificial insecticides. However, if you want to give it a shot, some plants may be able to at least reduce your mosquito load, if not eliminate the population altogether.

If you want to go the botanical route, try the Lantana plant. If you haven’t heard of it, visit the nearest nursery. Lantana is the most well-known plant that kills mosquitoes and also repels them. However, be aware that this plant is poisonous for pets, so keep them away!

Avoid Bug Zappers

You can go online to shop for bug zappers or visit any home-improvement store. But here is the surprising truth: the best way to prevent mosquitoes is NOT to install bug zappers. Numerous research studies have shown that bug zappers are hugely ineffective at killing female (i.e., biting) mosquitoes. 

Bug zappers attract flying insects with UV light. But mosquitoes aren’t attracted to UV light, so the small number of mosquitoes killed were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It may seem that bug zappers are ineffective but harmless. However, some studies indicated that yards with bug zappers actually had higher numbers of mosquitoes. This may be due to the effect of competition from other insects. When other flying insects are being wiped out by bug zappers, mosquitoes will fill in the ecological gap. If you want to reduce mosquitoes, stay away from bug zappers

Maintain Your Yard

Try to keep your yard free of mosquitos by trimming shrubs and keeping your lawn well-mowed. Mosquitoes aren’t great flyers and like to stay out of the breeze. During the day, they often rest in bushes and tall grass. Keep water off your yard as well and water your garden only as much as is needed.

Go With The Pros

Mr. Mister is a professional mosquito control company in Atlanta that guarantees results and 100% customer satisfaction. We use 100% biodegradable substances and work seven days a week. That means that if you’re calling them on Saturday for your Saturday night backyard soiree, they will answer your call and respond! They can also install a permanent mosquito control system for you. Professional mosquito control sprays and systems work almost immediately and are effective ways to create a mosquito-free yard.