Effective Tips to Prevent Mosquitoes from Breeding in Your Backyard

It’s estimated that mosquitoes cause a staggering 2.7 million deaths per year. It seems amazing that these tiny creatures can present such a risk to humans, but they are human’s greatest enemy.

The reason is simple; female mosquitoes need the proteins and minerals in your blood. These are essential for them to lay eggs and continue the survival of the species. Once the female mosquito is ready to lay eggs, it will seek a human host, extract your blood, and lay its eggs.

It’s worth noting that only the females’ bite and the eggs must be laid in water.

The problem is that mosquitoes can carry a wide variety of diseases; these can be transmitted to humans when they bite you, making you ill and, in some cases, causing death.

If you notice a lot of mosquitoes in your backyard, then your first step must be to call an exterminator and get them to eliminate the mosquitoes. They can use a variety of tools but are likely to simply kill them with pesticides.

Naturally, preventing mosquitoes from arriving in the first place is preferable. You can do the following to help with this:

Remove Standing Water

As mentioned, mosquitoes need standing water in order to lay their eggs. They can’t put them in running water as the newborn mosquitoes won’t survive. Therefore, you need to look around your backyard and eliminate any standing water. It can collect in unused plant pots, dips in the ground, and even pet water bowls. Don’t forget to check your gutters aren’t blocked; that’s a great source of standing water.

Eliminate the standing water, and you’re less likely to have mosquitoes visiting.

Screen Your Home

Screening your home won’t stop the mosquitoes from coming to your backyard, but it will stop them from entering your home, meaning that you can sleep in peace.

You’ll want to fasten mosquito nets to all the windows. This works best if you have windows that open inwards; you can put the net on the outside and still use the window for airflow.

In doorways, you can add a mesh screen or a heavy beaded curtain. This stops the mosquitoes and can help your home stay cooler.

Get Planting

There are several plants that mosquitoes don’t like. These include marigolds, lavender, lemongrass, rosemary, and most types of mint.

You can put these plants in raised beds, specifically around seating areas, and you’ll find that the mosquitoes don’t disturb you.

It can also help to put a few drops of essential oil, ideally peppermint or lemongrass, at each entry point. This will deter mosquitoes.

Create Some Wind

Mosquitoes are small and not very good at flying. You can help to keep them away from specific areas of your yard by adding fans. Turn them on to a low setting, and the mosquitoes will be unable to fly through the wind.

Get Some Fish

If you have a pond, this is standing water, but you don’t need to eliminate it. Simply add a couple of fish. If mosquitoes do lay eggs, the fish will happily eat them.