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What is the Best Way to Control Mosquitoes?
Mosquitoes are notoriously persistent, incredibly annoying, and are definitely not the pest you want intruding in your backyard. These blood-hungry insects are known to ruin outdoor events quickly due to their itchy bites. So how do you keep mosquitoes out of your yard and away from your friends and family? There are many “DIY” tips out there and even more pest control companies, all claiming to be the best solution. Your options can be overwhelming so let’s simplify what you should focus on to get the best results for mosquito control.
Ultimately, the best way to eliminate mosquitoes is by hiring a professional pest control service, which we will cover below, but there are several things you can do yourself that will help in your pursuit for a mosquito-free yard. So let’s go over the best solutions out there for both professional and do-it-yourself mosquito control.
Yard Maintenance Is Important For Mosquito Control Success
Mosquitoes are attracted to lush vegetation, overgrown lawns, and damp areas. Trimming trees and bushes prevents hiding spots and shady environments where mosquitoes prefer to dwell. Grass should be five inches or shorter to make the mosquitoes flee to other places to rest. Mosquitoes lack strong wings and are often expelled by wind. When you trim your trees, bushes and keep your grass shorter, it promotes wind flow, and mosquitoes are forced away from your yard.
Next, you’ll want to do everything you can to eliminate standing water from your yard. The only environment necessary for female mosquitoes to lay their eggs is stagnant water. In fact, they only need a tablespoon of water to lay their eggs so be diligent in eliminating any amount of water, no matter how small. You can read more about where to look around your home by visiting our page about backyard mosquito control.
How Effective Are The "Do It Yourself" Products?
When it comes to at-home mosquito sprays or treatments, there are many products out there shouting for your attention. Let’s go through the pros and cons of the main types of mosquito products on the market today.
Products That Connect To Your Hose
First off, a popular go-to option has been some type of bug control product that can connect to a hose. These products are quick and easy to use so they are gaining in popularity. These products claim to help reduce the mosquito population in your grass but what they don’t tell you is how long they will work for. The problem with these types of products is that most are made up of a powder based or an oil based solution. This means that they won’t hold up in the harsh elements and they have the potential of staining surfaces other than the grass. So when you are treating your fence line or the base of your home you could start to see a residue or discoloration.
The hose solution also can not get the product to the ideal size. To be effective and to actually have the product stick to the surfaces it needs to in order to eventually make its way to the mosquitoes exoskeleton, the solution needs to be microscopic. The hose cannot generate a solution small enough to be effective on mosquitoes. So essentially, if you are treating the mosquitoes directly with these “connect to your hose” type of products, you’ll be able to eliminate these pests but as soon as the weather starts to pay its toll or mosquitoes come from anywhere else and land on your treated grass, you’ll start to see mosquitoes again.
The best mosquito spray companies, like Saela, use licensed products that are micro-encapsulated. This means that the product designed to eliminate mosquitoes is protected in a microscopic shell and only begins to release when it attaches to a mosquito. So when the rain, snow, wind or even the harsh sun’s rays hit the product it will last a much longer time than these powder and oil based products connected to the hose. The amount of times you would need to treat your yard to maintain protection would end up being more expensive than if you just hired one of the more expensive pest control companies. Even then, you would be giving up on all the upside a full mosquito treatment service brings you.
Mosquito "Shield" Repellants, Candles, Or Torches
Next, there are other products that claim to provide a shield against mosquitoes for a certain amount of time. These repellants or candles offer an easy fix, with very little work and claim to put a dome of protection around you and your party. Homeowners may gravitate towards these options as they provide a natural, eco-friendly option to take care of their mosquito problems. However, research shows that these “shields” are actually much smaller and fragile than advertised.
These types of products generally have an oil in them called Citronella. While Citronella does have some extremely mild mosquito repellent properties, placing a few candles or tiki torches around your party will not have the power to keep mosquitoes away beyond just a few feet. Not to mention the effects that a little bit of wind can cause for these types of repellants. The imaginary protective dome that these solutions claim are in fact just that, imaginary. Or at least they are a domb without a top and with many gaping holes in it. So unless you love the aesthetics, save your money, and get some proper mosquito repellent instead.
Pest control companies offer a short-term and long-term solution by eliminating the mosquitoes and stopping the problem at the source. Some companies are better than others but here at Saela, you are guaranteed to have a world-class service. We are built to last and in this forever. We refuse to cut corners and will do everything in our power to provide you with the best service possible.
Mosquito Lanterns
Another product that has been talked about a lot is a mosquito repellent lantern. These lanterns provide a light source and claim to offer up to a fifteen-foot barrier of protection. Within these lanterns there is a repellent mat that lasts about 12 hours and needs to be replaced on a regular basis. These products have a similar repellent method to the shields, candles and torches but they try to offer you more by adding light that you can use on your patio. The thing they do not tell you though is that mosquitoes are also attracted to light. So these lanterns are bringing the mosquitoes in while at the same time trying to push them away with their repellent. If you were thinking that this seems counter-intuitive, well, we agree. We do not recommend these at all.
Is Hiring A Mosquito Control Company The Best Way To Control Mosquitoes?
We know we are a little biased here but, absolutely. There are great things you can do on your own to combat mosquitoes and many of those tasks will provide you with some level of mosquito control but to achieve the best mosquito control, you need to hire a pest control service like Saela.
These pests are ever changing and evolving and mosquito products have needed to change over the years. That’s why having a professional is the most important step in your mosquito control efforts. Knowing what products to use depends on the climate you are in and that is just as important as knowing where to treat those products. There are different tools needed in certain circumstances and every neighbor presents a different challenge. Mosquito control that might work in your yard might not in your neighbors yard. That’s why you want to have a professional who is dedicated to the research and training needed to always maintain an effective service. Saela is structured in a way that ultimately provides you with the constant mosquito protection you are looking for. With us, you also have unlimited free re-services. So if you are in between your regular service and want some extra protection for your family bbq coming up, just let us know and we will be happy to get you taken care of.
There is so much that goes into effective mosquito control. For the best results, you’ll want a company who will customize their service to your yard's specific needs. We love what we do and are excited for you to enjoy your mosquito-free yard.
As a Defender of Public Health, we have developed a Protection Program that will keep Mosquitoes away.
