Do you feel like you’re being bombarded with mosquitoes and can’t get away? During the summer, mosquitoes can become overwhelming pretty quickly! In addition, as the summer continues, the mosquito population will continue to increase, especially if they’re using your yard as a breeding ground. Many homeowners don’t realize that mosquitoes may be targeting their homes for other reasons than just to feed on our blood. In order to avoid mosquito problems during the rest of the season, there are a few things that you need to be on the lookout for that could be accidentally increasing the number of these annoying and dangerous pests on your property!

Let’s talk about water! Sources of standing water on your property are a huge red flag when it comes to mosquito breeding. These pests need standing water in order to reproduce, so it is important to eliminate any standing water found around your home and property as best you can. In the summertime, it’s common to have a few extra water sources around to help beat the heat. Some of these extra water sources may include pools, sprinklers, gutters, and fountains. Any of these water sources could be used by mosquitoes to reproduce on your property. There is a way to help keep mosquito populations down on your property, however. Preventing water accumulation or removing any standing water around your yard is a key part in preventing mosquitoes. Replacing the water in birdbaths and kiddie pools once a week can also help to keep mosquitoes from using them as their breeding sites. If you have a pool in your yard, make sure to keep it disinfected and filtered. It is also important to search your property for any areas of standing water that may not be as obvious as a pool or birdbath — these areas could be as small as unnoticed rainwater accumulated in a spare plant pot in your backyard. Rainwater can also collect in items such as buckets, toys, watering cans, and wheelbarrows, so it is important to prevent these items from retaining water by overturning them or removing them altogether. In addition, make sure to check your gutters on a regular basis, checking for blockage and making sure they are draining properly. If the mosquitoes on your property have no place to breed, they will have no way to multiply.

Another red flag when it comes to dealing with mosquitoes is the presence of long grass and shrubs around your yard which serves as resting sites for mosquitoes and allows them to escape the heat of the day. Mowing your lawn once a week and trimming the bushes may help with this. Another common mistake homeowners make while attempting to eliminate mosquitoes is using bug zappers. Bug zappers can actually attract mosquitoes to your property and will only eliminate the male mosquitoes which don’t even bite. Instead, these bug zappers will lead the biting female mosquitoes right onto your property.

Eliminating mosquito breeding sites will help to keep them from multiplying, but you’ll still need to keep the adult mosquitoes from invading your yard. Luckily, there’s a way to help with this! Some plants help to naturally ward off mosquitoes and also provide some nice foliage. Some of the mosquito-deterring plants you may want to consider planting on your property include herbs such as basil, lavender, rosemary and peppermint and flowers such as geranium, marigold, and pennyroyal which have a repellant quality. Planting other plants, such as catnip, citronella, lemon balm, and garlic may help to deter these pesky pests as well.

Controlling mosquitoes on your own can be a daunting task, especially when it comes to eliminating all the sources of standing water on your property! Some water sources are nearly impossible to get rid of and others you don’t want to get rid of at all! The most efficient way to get rid of mosquito problems is to contact your local pest control company. At Schendel Pest Services, we will provide a plan that will meet your needs and take care of your mosquito problem for you! Our technicians will inspect your property for areas of standing water and treat them with safe products that won’t be harmful to anyone but the mosquitoes! Give us a call to learn more about residential mosquito services!