Mosquitoes can ruin your outdoor time and make you sick as well. These buzzing pesky insects that feed on blood will leave you with bites all over your arms and face. Mosquitoes are also known to transmit various infections that pose a risk to your health.
If you are planning to host a backyard party this summer, here are ways to keep mosquitoes away from your patio. You can also check out this guide to keeping away flies from your patio.
How to Get Rid of Mosquitoes in the Yard Naturally
The following ways will help you keep mosquitoes away from your yard naturally
1. Cleanup your yard
Since mosquitoes breed on water, empty and remove anything that catch even the tiniest drops of water. Drain water from garage containers such as buckets, cans, flower pots, pet bowls, pool covers, bird bath and bottles.
Regularly clean your patio and keep gutters and all drain lines clear. Debris such as leaves and tree branches can cause water to pool and attract mosquitoes. Find out if there is any leaky outdoor pipes or water based appliances and fix them promptly.
Cut tall grass and tree limbs around your yard to minimize dark cooler spots that favors mosquitoes. Check if there are small pits or uneven terrain in your lawn and fill with soil to avoid rainfall water stagnating there.
Even if you cleanup your yard, mosquitoes might be breeding and living in your neighborhood. It will be difficult to control them completely if you are not having a coordinated community response. Large outdoor or community mosquito control can be done through fumigation.
If you opt for spray control treatment around your home and neighborhood, let it be done by pest management professionals to prevent risk to other harmless or rather important insects such as bees.
2. Use mosquito repellents
To keep mosquitoes away from your patio or deck, you can spray a mosquito repellent. While there are plenty of such products, most of them have been studied and found not to offer any help at all. These include Ultrasonic repellents that are said to emit high-frequency sounds that keep away pests and insects.
Nutritional supplements and vitamins will also not stop mosquitoes from biting you. Also disputed are Citronella candles and tiki torches which only have mild repellent effect which is not significant enough to offer protection from mosquitoes.
Insect repellent aerosol sprays such as Cutter Dry can offer some relief from stubborn mosquitoes overnight but their effect may fade in windy conditions. These bug sprays come in different types with various active ingredients that help in keeping bugs at bay.
Mosquito repellent sprays that are applied on skin or clothing should be carefully chosen to avoid skin irritation and other allergic reactions. Also mind about their scents, some may be too strong to withstand.
Aerosol sprays can directly be sprayed into the surround air manually by pushing a trigger on the bottle or are connected to an automatic timer that is battery or electric powered.
Burning mosquito coils is also a less expensive option but not a versatile one. The burning end of a coil releases a smoke which has some form of odor that keeps mosquitoes away but not strong enough for perfect protection. The smoke can also be irritating when inhaled by humans.
3. Use outdoor fans
In addition to keeping your home cool, outdoor patio fans are more effective in controlling mosquitoes than some hyped methods such as citronella candles and geraniol diffuser. Fans that are strategically positioned makes it difficult for mosquitoes to fly and also helps in dispersing carbon dioxide we exhale which mosquitoes rely on to detect humans or other animals.
4. Change you lighting
Mosquitoes get attracted to incandescent white lights. Use General Electric yellow “Bug Lights” on your patio or deck. These lights do not repel mosquitoes but most night-flying insects are less attracted to the special yellow light color.
5. Change your party time
Most night flying bugs are more active from dusk to dawn. Let most of your outdoor events take place during the day to avoid interruption from mosquitoes. Although a day can be too hot, there ways to keep a patio cool during a hot summer for a smooth flow of events.
6. Cover the venue
Your soiree can also take place in an enclosed outdoor area. An outdoor screen room, party tents with mesh side walls and bug gazebos are perfect areas for evening gatherings. The transparent walls made of screens totally guarantee protection from bugs, winds and cold breeze.
Conclusion
Most products and methods allege to keep away mosquitoes have been proven not effective. Do not be deceived into purchasing a product that will fail. Always seek professional guidance from pest control experts for effective controlling of bugs. Check out this additional guide for keeping flies away from your patio.