Mosquitoes carry dangerous diseases known to infect humans, such as the Zika virus, malaria, and dengue, leading to millions of deaths every year. The worst part is, unlike other viruses, there are no known vaccines available for many of the viruses that can be spread by mosquito bites. Both children and adults are at risk of mosquito bites while spending time outdoors, so this is something that everyone should be concerned about.
There are some measures that homeowners and businesses can take to protect themselves, their families, guests, and employees from mosquitoes. Wearing long pants and long sleeve shirts, using insect repellent, installing screens on your windows and doors, and investing in monthly mosquito fogging or automatic misting systems are just a few. One other, often overlooked, simple way to keep your home or business free of mosquitoes is by simply picking up.
Mosquitoes Love a Messy Space
What makes mosquitoes one of the most treacherous and hardest to get rid of insects is that they only need a teaspoon of water to breed. While the simple solution may seem like you need to avoid having standing bodies of water around your landscape, the fact of the matter is, it’s not just bodies of water that mosquitoes breed in. More often than not, it is just common trash. Everything from bags to discarded cups makes the perfect home for mosquitos to live and breed in.
Richard Duhrkops, a nationally recognized mosquito expert and associate professor at Baylor College in Houston, Texas reported, “the bay area is rather a mess. There are a lot of different kinds of mosquitoes that are active there….thanks to the fact that there is a lot of habitats for them to breed in. There’s a lot of trash, abandoned tires, and other things like that.”
Here are some tips that our experts use to ensure that your landscape isn’t attracting mosquitoes:
1. Eliminate Wet Spots and Waste
Since mosquitoes prefer to lay their eggs in stagnant water, it is extremely important to keep your landscaping clean of debris or other items that can collect pools of water. For example, ensure you do not have old tires sitting around your landscape, that all trash is properly disposed of, and that you don’t leave things like kiddy pools out when not in use.
2. Make Sure All Water Features Have Circulation
As mentioned earlier, mosquitoes love stagnant water, which isn’t moving. Adding some circulation to outdoor water features will make them an unfavorable environment for mosquitoes to lay their eggs. Mosquito larvae cannot swim, which means that they would be unable to develop in water that has a moderate to strong current. Because of this, the mosquitoes will most likely look elsewhere to have their young.
3. Invest in Mosquito Repellent Plants
Plants such as alliums, mums, and marigolds are naturally mosquito repellent. Their aromas cause trouble for the mosquitoes by messing up their senses, acting as a type of drug, and making them confused.
As an added layer of protection for both your landscaping and your plants, accessing mulch that has cedar in it can help repel insects such as mosquitoes and termites. As with the plants, the scent of the cedar can confuse these insects or repel them. Using this type of mulch around your patio or other outdoor areas can create a layer of protection, and keep them from entering these areas.
4. Invest in Mosquito Control Services in Houston, TX and Surrounding Areas
Regardless of what steps you take to diminish the mosquito population on your property, the best and most effective way to avoid mosquitoes is to invest in mosquito control services. Whether investing in manual fogging every month or an automatic mosquito misting system, you can rest assured that Houston’s mosquito control experts at Unique Outdoor Illumination & Mosquito Pros can help! Contact our team today for more information on our services or schedule an appointment.
