Treating your lawn is one effective way to reduce the mosquito population on your property. But how often should you do it? This article will explore outdoor mosquito control strategies and discuss the right frequency of treatment.
How Often Should You Treat for Mosquitoes?
Why Are There Mosquitoes in My Yard?
Mosquitoes are a common summer pest in Canada and can be more than a nuisance. Some of these tiny insects are carriers of viruses and bacteria. This is why it is crucial to control their population and keep you and your family protected from their bites.
Mosquitoes in Toronto tend to stick to heavily wooded parks. If you find them hanging around your backyard, it means something there has become the perfect shelter. It could be tall turfgrass, too much thatch, or grass clippings. Mosquitoes also like to hide in thick or overgrown vegetation, mounds of branches or raked leaves, and compost piles.
You’ll also likely find mosquitoes outside your home if there is stagnant water. Mosquitoes only need as much as a bottle cap full of stagnant water to lay hundreds of eggs throughout their lifespan. The eggs will become adult mosquitoes in a matter of days. This means that even a little standing water and a few mosquitoes can quickly become an annoying swarm that will destroy your peace and outdoor fun in the summer.
Mosquito Treatment Options
You can control mosquito populations in your backyard in many ways. You can add ornamental plants or herbs known for driving mosquitoes away, such as lavender, marigolds, and rosemary. While these plants are never 100% effective at protecting you from mosquitoes, they possess properties that keep nature’s bloodsuckers away from your outdoor space. Most of them also have other benefits, making them worthy of a space in your backyard.
You can also keep mosquitoes at bay by keeping up with outdoor maintenance work. Ensure your lawn isn’t overgrown. Do not leave grass clippings on the lawn when mowing. If there are trees around your property, make sure to trim them. Also, remove any piles of leaves or branches and containers with stagnant water. In short, eliminate anything that can serve as a home for mosquitoes.
If you don’t have time to keep your outdoor space clean and neat, or if the tiny bloodsuckers are still hanging around your yard even after cleaning, it’s probably time to hire a professional for mosquito treatment. But before you call an expert in mosquito control near you, remember that mosquito control companies have unique offerings. Some use chemical fogging and other harmful techniques.
There are different types of mosquito treatment, but they usually boil down to two: adulticide and larvicide. Adulticide usually comes via mosquito fogging or ultra-low-volume sprays in which insecticides are dispersed in a fine mist or light spray to target adult mosquitoes. This process usually raises environmental and health concerns.
On the other hand, larviciding involves routinely treating water bodies or containers with chemical or microbiological insecticides to destroy mosquito larvae and pupae, the aquatic immature forms. Professionals apply these products to the standing water within and around your property.
Other mosquito control companies, like LawnMart, implement more natural solutions. Instead of using insecticide, LawnMart uses a safe, odorless botanical insect control made from chrysanthemums to treat all trees, grass, and foliage around your property. It helps reduce the number of full-grown mosquitoes running rampant across your outdoor spaces. To prevent larvae from developing into pesky mosquitoes that bite and bother you, the team applies Bacillus thuringiensis to any standing water. Bacillus thuringiensis is a natural bacterium that attacks and kills larvae.
LawnMart targets mosquitoes at all life stages, killing present pests and preventing future ones from bothering you. It’s the best way to kill mosquitoes, with no safety and environmental risks.
Before performing the treatments, mosquito control professionals will assess the site for risks. After designing the recommended solution, the pest control expert will guide you in making crucial treatment checklists.
How Often Should I Treat My Yard for Mosquitoes?
If you have chosen to treat your lawn on your own, you won’t find a universally ideal time frame because the answer can differ depending on various factors. Common bug sprays, for instance, should be applied once daily, while some mist-type treatments last as long as 30 days. Meanwhile, applying natural mosquito repellent products, like cedar oil, is crucial several times a week during the pests’ main activity season.
Although most treatments have a 30-day residual, the closer you get to four weeks after treatment, the less effective they usually are. Because of this, many mosquito treatments are frequently carried out by pest control experts. They may even increase the treatment frequency for sudden and significant mosquito outbreaks nearby.
At LawnMart, treating your outdoor space with botanical insect control and applying natural bacterium to stagnant water is performed once every three weeks, which is six times each mosquito season. If you’re worried about whether natural treatment will work, the company offers two free service calls in case bugs return before the team’s next scheduled visit.
Regular effort is necessary for mosquito control involving non-chemical treatments. A mosquito’s life cycle can last anywhere from four days to a month, so weekly control is advised to disrupt their development and reduce the likelihood of lapses. At least once a week, check for mosquito breeding to ensure you don’t miss any mosquitos that develop quicker than the others.
More Tips to Protect Yourself From Mosquito Bites
Your yard may be mosquito-free after treatment, but other places you visit are likely not. Mosquito bites are not just itchy but can also be dangerous. So, don’t give the bloodsuckers a chance to bite you. Protect yourself with the following tips:
- Wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and socks, especially when you are going out at dusk or dawn.
- Use mosquito netting whether you’re sleeping indoors or outdoors. A fan will also help, as mosquitoes are deterred by wind.
- Use an insect repellent with natural ingredients, such as eucalyptus oil.
Benefits of Hiring a Pro for Mosquito Control
While you can easily order mosquito control products online or pick some up from the nearest hardware store, these products often only provide temporary relief. LawnMart’s professional mosquito control team goes further than simply deterring the tiny bloodsuckers from lingering in your outdoor space. The team tackles the problem at the source. In addition to killing larvae, LawnMart can help maintain and make your lawn less inviting for adult mosquitoes.
By hiring pest control specialists who use only organic products, you can also guarantee your and your family’s safety. You don’t need to stress yourself about finding safe but effective mosquito control products or spend time learning from tutorials how to get rid of mosquitoes in a DIY fashion.
The biggest benefit of leaving outdoor mosquito control to professionals is that you can enjoy your outdoor space again after the treatment. Nobody wants to get chased away from their yard, especially when the weather outside is nice and warm. You don’t have to wait too long to enjoy an outdoor barbecue with friends or family. Professional mosquito treatment will allow you to make the most out of summer in your outdoor area.
Keep Your Backyard Mosquito-Free With LawnMart’s Comprehensive Mosquito Control Service
Take control of your backyard (and entire lawn) and start enjoying your time outdoors without worrying about mosquitoes. With just six treatments, LawnMart can help eliminate mosquitoes on your property this mosquito season.
Contact us today to learn more about mosquito lawn treatment or get a free quote.