Mosquitoes can spoil outdoor fun and even pose a health risk to you, your family, and friends. Instead of reducing your outside time, slathering yourself with chemical repellents, or simply giving up, there are some simple steps you can take to keep mosquitoes out of your lawn. Here are 5 of the best, incorporating mosquito yard treatment, mosquito-free lawn tips, and mosquito control solutions to ensure your outdoor spaces remain enjoyable and safe.
#1: Avoid Having Standing Water
You’ve probably noticed that mosquitoes can be really bad around water sources such as rivers, ponds, marshes, and lakes. There’s a reason for that: mosquitoes like to breed around standing or slow-moving water and lay their eggs in it. Yards can be sources of standing water, and thus prime places for mosquitoes to gather, in unexpected ways. Say you leave the wheelbarrow outside when you’re finished with it and don’t turn it upside-down. Rainwater can collect there and become a breeding ground. The same goes for pots, plastic containers, children’s wagons, tires, etc. Inspect your yard for items that can collect water. Remove them if you can. If you can’t– for example, a tire swing– empty them out on a regular basis. This step is crucial in mosquito yard treatment and forms a fundamental part of mosquito control solutions to achieve a mosquito-free lawn.
#2: Use Citronella
DEET-based repellents tend to be very effective, but they have some drawbacks. First, they’re essentially poison, and you might not like the idea of putting that on your skin. When ingested or brought into contact with eyes, they can be harmful. They also have a strong odor that many find unpleasant. Citronella is one of several natural insect repellents that can be effective while also being safer and more comfortable to use. With a scent that many find pleasing, citronella-based repellents can come as sprays, candles, or essential oils, offering a pleasant approach to mosquito control solutions and contributing to a mosquito-free lawn, aligning with mosquito-free lawn tips.
#3: Reduce Shade
Tree shade is a great asset for a yard, especially in the summer, but the shade is also very welcoming to mosquitoes. They don’t like heat, so during the hotter parts of the day, they like to seek shade. We’re not at all suggesting you remove shade trees, but there are ways to reduce or eliminate other sources of shade. For instance, mowing the grass once per week to keep it at its ideal length keeps it from getting too tall and providing shade for mosquitoes and other pests. Likewise, keep shrubs and hedges trimmed so they’ll offer less shade. Finally, address any weedy spots right away. You don’t want weeds to grow and spread to begin with, and when they do get going, growth tends to be fast and big, creating shady spots in the lawn. These actions are part of effective mosquito yard treatment strategies and mosquito control solutions to maintain a mosquito-free lawn.
#4: Chlorinate Your Swimming Pool and Keep Other Water Sources Fresh
If you have a swimming pool or an outdoor hot tub, that’s great for you, but it also represents a large body of standing water. Keeping your pool or hot tub properly chlorinated turns it from a welcoming environment for mosquitoes to a hostile one, and it’s how to make sure that the only ones enjoying it are the ones who are supposed to be enjoying it. For additional deterrence, cover the pool when not in use. This is a crucial aspect of mosquito yard treatment.
Do you have smaller water features such as birdbaths, fountains, bubblers, and wading pools? You obviously don’t want or need to chlorinate them, but to make sure they don’t become breeding places for mosquitoes, just make sure to change the water at least once a week. This will get rid of any mosquito larvae present, and brushing the surfaces off before refilling will get rid of any eggs that might be there. Ensuring fresh water in these features is a key mosquito control solution and part of mosquito-free lawn tips.
#5: Spray Your Lawn
For eradication and prevention, nothing is as thorough and effective as a treatment by a professional service like AAA Lawn Care. In most cases, your yard will be mosquito-free within 24 hours of our first expert application, and follow-up treatments will ensure that the yard stays that way all season long, embodying the ultimate mosquito yard treatment. We do this by using special equipment and going after mosquitoes in the places where they breed and hide. Leaving this task to professionals also gives peace of mind from knowing that the job gets done properly and safely with no inconvenience or risk to you, a key aspect of mosquito control solutions.
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There are a lot of other ways you can help make your lawn free of mosquitoes, including using other natural repellents, avoiding scented body products when outside, wearing light-colored clothing, and using bug bulbs. However, the 5 we’ve covered are the most effective, and they’re easy to do. Professional care is the best, though, because it saves you time and hassle while being thorough, aligning with mosquito-free lawn tips.
In addition to providing effective professional mosquito treatments, AAA Lawn Care can also help control mosquitoes through lawn-care services that protect and beautify this very important asset. Since 1984, we’ve been serving residents of West Michigan, and we’re the region’s #1 locally owned business in this industry. We’ll also make an in-person inspection of your property before sending any specific cost numbers your way. To request a detailed quote, start here! This approach is part of a comprehensive mosquito control solution designed to achieve a mosquito-free lawn.