Mosquitos just about top the list of the “worst insect pests of all time.” After all, who isn’t familiar with the itchy, painful bites that mosquitos leave behind after they pay you a visit? And while days of itchy, oozy mosquito bites are a nuisance we’d all prefer to forego, there is a more threatening reason to avoid mosquitos…they can carry potentially fatal diseases.

Mosquito season lasts from summer to fall, and every year we should take extra precautions to avoid the spread of West Nile Virus (WNV) and Zika Virus, two of the most common mosquito-borne illnesses found in the United States. Both of these diseases have claimed many lives in the United States, and, as neither has a cure or vaccine, you’re best chance to protect yourself and your family is to avoid being bitten by mosquitos.

Your first line of defense is always applying insect repellant before heading outside during mosquito season. Having a barrier spray professionally applied around your home and yard can eradicate potentially dangerous mosquitos from your property.

Mosquito season is typically May through October. We say “typically” because mosquito populations will begin to grow as soon as temperatures warm up, and naturally every year weather patterns change slightly and can be unpredictable.

You should be prepared to begin encountering mosquitos when the overnight temperature in your area is consistently above 50º. The months with peak mosquito activity are usually June-August, but population numbers don’t usually drop off till the cooler temperatures of October and November move in.

During the mosquito season months, you should also take extra precautions if you plan on being outdoors around dawn and dusk. The mosquitoes that are known to carry WNV are most active around sunrise and sunset, so be sure to wear insect repellant and long sleeves and pants if possible.

If you’re noticing large numbers of mosquitos in your yard, part of the problem may be that you are creating a mosquito paradise without knowing it. Mosquitos are drawn to wet and shady environments. Mosquitos require water for breeding, and even a tiny amount of standing water will attract mosquitos. These insects lay their eggs in the standing water and the eggs will hatch after 7 days leading to even more mosquitos buzzing around your property.

We know it may be  challenging to locate and remove every source of standing water on your property, but it is certainly in your best interest to try. Obvious areas such as birdbaths or plastic pools should be dumped every two days and have the water replaced.

Some spots that need to be checked aren’t as obvious, such as trash can lids, plant pots, furniture, gutters, rain spouts, buckets and yard toys. Check around your grass to see if any puddles have formed and remained stagnant. Dump and remove any areas of stagnant water from your property.

Mosquitos also prefer cool, shaded environments. These insects will happily nest under porches or in overgrown plants. Maintaining neat, trimmed plants and bushes will absolutely help to discourage these bugs from making their home in your yard.

Absolutely. If you’re determined to protect yourself and your family from mosquitos then a professional mosquito control service is your best option. The fog applied during service visits can eliminate the majority of the mosquito population and their larvae, along with a 30-40 day residual effect.

However, just getting a mosquito program for your lawn may not correct everything.  It will still be important to do the proper maintenance to rid your property of as much standing water as possible. 

The fogging applied to your property will keep mosquitos away for 30-40 days effectively. After the barrier spray has sat for a about month, the sun causes the product to break down. During mosquito season, we recommend that you have your property re-treated every month to best protect yourself from mosquitos.

The fogging product we use during for mosquito control applications only requires about a half an hour to adequately dry. Once the spray has had 30 minutes or so to dry, the product has completely set in. Any rain or water will not change the effectiveness of the product at that point, as it has built in stickers that help it adhere to whatever surface its applied to. After 30-40 days, the spray is eventually broken down by the sun, but water will not remove the spray.