Mosquito Control Tips: Why You Should Never Leave Tires In Your Yard

Every good mosquito control professional knows, mosquitoes are attracted to stagnant water. In fact, this is precisely where these pests lay their eggs after feeding on your blood.

In order to give yourself any chance of avoiding a bite from a mosquito, it’s important to drain any containers of standing water while reducing mosquito breeding habitats.

You may have heard of local councils or communities collecting old tires throughout your neighborhood, with the intention of reducing the mosquito population. However, why are these pests so drawn to these rubbery cylinders?

Mosquitoes Adore Old Tires

Filled with water and notorious for breeding thousands of mosquitoes, tires are a potential breeding ground for the biting female mosquito.

With that said, that’s not the only reason mosquitoes get comfortable in them. After lying around for a period of time, tires can become filled with nutritious leaves for mosquitoes to feed on to gain energy.

Only female mosquitoes suck our blood (they use the protein for breeding purposes) while both male and female mosquitoes eat plant matter for nutrition.

The thick, rubbery composition of tires also helps provide insulation and protection for mosquito eggs, making them the perfect nest for a new spawn of pests to grow.

How To Prevent Mosquito Breeding in Tires

While any mosquito control professional could just say “get rid of them”, you never want to make mosquitoes someone else’s problem by simply dumping the issue somewhere else.

With West Nile Virus so prevalent in the United States and the recent onset of the Zika Virus, combined with the sheer amount of tires that are lying around, properly preventing mosquito breeding in tires is a critical but daunting task for every community.

Here are a few things you can do in order to effectively prevent mosquito breeding;

• Dispose of any tires in your yard by contacting a tire recycling service, or you could even ask your local council to point you in the right direction
• Drill holes in any unused tires or tire swings in order to allow for proper water drainage
• Store your unused tires in closed containers or indoors
• Cover scrap tires with with a plastic cover or tarp (always remember to drain that regularly, as well)
• Shred old tires you may have so that they won’t carry any stagnant water
• Treat scrap tires with an approved control method, such as the mosquito control solutions offered by Mr. Mister.

We hope you’re finding our Atlanta Mosquito Control blog helpful and informative! For more information on what makes Mr. Mister Atlanta’s premier provider of innovative mosquito control solutions and techniques click here. Or, visit our Testimonials page to see what some of our satisfied customers are saying.