Even if you don't live near a pond, stream, or lake, it still seems to happen every year. Within the first few days of spring arriving, the mosquitoes go crazy.
It begins well enough. You step outside, eager to enjoy the sun and everything the outdoors has to offer. For a short time, everything is perfect. You breathe in the fresh air, you get started on gardening and begin making plans for some outdoor projects. But then, with a little buzz in your ear, all those good feelings fall away .. you realize the mosquitoes have returned and they're after your blood!
It can seem as though mosquitoes emerge overnight in huge numbers or even swarms. With their return, you and your family are forced back inside. If you decide to tough it out, you find yourself dealing with itchy, painful bites that can also transmit deadly diseases, including West Nile virus, Zika, and Dengue fever.
Backyard Mosquito Control
The reality of mosquitoes is that they actually do show up overnight! Once the temperature in your area hovers at or above 50 degrees on a consistent basis, it’s warm enough for mosquitoes to begin their hunt. What's amazing is that there are more than 150 types of mosquitoes in the United States.
What happens to mosquitoes over the winter? Hibernating adult mosquitoes simply wake up once the weather turns warm. Immature mosquitoes often survive by overwintering underwater, where they can put their metamorphosis on pause until temperatures are more bug-friendly. Late-season mosquito eggs are usually cold-hardy, and they hatch the following spring. The result, of course, is the same: When it warms up, you get more mosquitoes. To avoid the problem, you need to plan for mosquito control right now.
By creating a mosquito control system for your property, you can successfully keep these biting insects at bay and enjoy your outdoor spaces.
What Attracts Mosquitoes
It’s easy to take steps to prevent and get rid of mosquitoes. You just have to know what attracts them -- Stagnant water and opportunities to feed.
Mosquitoes seek out non-circulating water for their eggs. Basically, they need it to work as an 'incubator' for their eggs and for the larvae that emerge. What makes it tough for property owners is that most mosquitoes only need a tiny amount of water to host their eggs. A pond, birdbath or a puddle works perfectly. Other water-collecting objects may not be so obvious, though. Mosquito eggs can also successfully grow in water that has been trapped in the folds of a tarp, in a bottlecap or plugged downspout. Even an overwatered garden can hold enough for the insects to lay their eggs.
But why are mosquitoes always biting? The female mosquito needs protein to create the eggs in the first place, and she does so by inserting her proboscis into the skin of unsuspecting people and animals, she then draws the blood out and flies away. That small amount of blood is enough to fuel the production of her eggs.
Step One: Eliminate Nearby Standing Water
Without a doubt, your first step to complete mosquito control is to focus on removing standing water.
- Keep your property dry by filling in low-lying areas where puddles and mud form.
- Remove foliage that blocks the sun.
- Overturn or remove objects that collect water.
- Put covers on boats.
- Remove old tires or drill holes in them.
- Work out all the creases in tarps and coverings.
- Clear up clogs in downspouts.
- Adjust eaves so they drain quickly.
- Circulate water in ponds and horse troughs.
- Chlorinate pools.
- Adjust roofs so water drains from them.
- Add mosquito-eating fish to ponds.
- Trim overgrown grass and thick vegetation where adult mosquitoes hide.
- Check areas within 100 yards of your property for these issues.
Know that some species of mosquitoes can lay 100-300 eggs every three nights. Since the eggs can hatch in a week for some species, this means every individual female mosquito may be adding as many as 600 mosquitoes to your property every week during the spring and summer!
Step Two: Active Mosquito Control
With the mosquitoes' breeding options cut back, you will next have to deal with the active adults.
This is where Mosquito
Magnet® CO2 mosquito traps come into play. These traps work by creating an attractant that draws female mosquitoes away CO2 mosquito traps work by converting propane into a carefully calibrated balance of heat, CO2, moisture, and a secondary attractant. Mosquitoes approach the trap and are whisked away by a vacuum. Trapped by netting, they dehydrate within 24 hours, further reducing the number of biting and breeding mosquitoes in your area. from you and to the trap.
If you want to see fewer mosquitoes this spring, set up your Mosquito Magnet® mosquito trap while the weather is still in the high 40 degree F range and rising.
Once the temperatures are in the 50-degree range, the traps will begin attracting mosquitoes. This will help to eliminate them before they can gain a foothold on your property. Then, just keep your trap at peak performance during the spring and summer season to enjoy optimal backyard mosquito control.
Eliminating Mosquitoes in the Yard
With a Mosquito Magnet® trap operating in your yard or on the site of your business, you can finally work and play outdoors without having to worry about these frustrating and potentially hazardous insects.
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