On some evenings, all you really want to do is enjoy the outdoors in your backyard.
It’s not too much to ask for, right? Our Northern Virginia backyards are there for us to spend time in afterall. It’d be silly if you could only look out at it from the inside.
But that’s exactly what mosquitoes make us do. Hide indoors, waiting for their swarms to disappear.
That’s why when it comes to mosquito and tick control, you want solutions that work. You don’t want to sit behind closed doors and stew about disease-carrying bugs just outside your doors.
As you try to eliminate these pesky problems, you start your hunt for solutions. At some point, you might even try anything that promises even a second of solitude away from the whirring in your ears, the itchy stings, or finding ticks lurking just beneath your skin.
Unfortunately, you can spend top dollar on all the products that promise top results, and then end up being riddled with mosquito bites or having to pull ticks off of your dog’s and kids’ skin. The last thing you want is to waste time and money on solutions that don’t work, make your problem worse, or are unsafe to use in your yard.
Let’s take a look at different control methods to handle these tiny but troublesome pests in Northern Virginia – the ones that don’t work, and – more importantly – the ones that do work.
A Little Background on Ticks & Mosquitoes in Northern Virginia
Pretty soon, temperatures will be warming up in your Northern Virginia property. And that’s when they emerge. Just like us, mosquitoes and ticks love the warming weather – particularly 40 degrees Fahrenheit or higher for ticks and 50 degrees Fahrenheit or higher for mosquitoes.
Asian tiger mosquitoes make up the biggest majority in this area when it comes to these flying pests. They emerge in April, and they are, unfortunately, the biggest carriers of West Nile Virus.
With ticks, you’re likely seeing blacklegged or deer ticks the most. These nasty bugs are the biggest potential carriers of Lyme disease. And the northern counties of Virginia are the ones that see the highest numbers of ticks, the Virginia Department of Health reports.
But don’t leave out Lone Star and American dog ticks, which are also present in our region.
And Lyme disease isn’t the only thing they carry; they can also bring Rocky Mountain fever and ehrlichiosis.
You can see why mosquitoes and ticks are just the worst to have to deal with on your property.
That’s why learning how to get rid of mosquitoes and ticks in your yard is essential to enjoying your evenings outdoors.
5 Mosquito and Tick Control Methods That Don’t Work
If you conduct a Google search, you’ll likely find quite a few mosquito and tick control options out there.
And many of them might be tempting to try. Most of them, unfortunately, have proven ineffective. Let’s dive a little deeper into these options and talk about why they might be a waste of time and money for you.
1. Mosquito- and Tick-Repellent Plants
Mosquitoes like to hang out in shady, moist, warm areas under plant leaves. Darkness, humidity, and moisture are some of their favorite things. Ticks like to linger on tall grasses, front legs outstretched waiting for a meal to walk on by so they can latch on and begin their feast.
Considering these facts, it seems natural to imagine that some plants should exist out there that help with mosquito and tick control.
Among the list of some that crop up regularly on mosquito-deterrent plant lists include mint, rosemary, lemon balm, lemon verbena, and lemon thyme.
These herbs may have natural scents and essential oils that tend to make up ingredient lists in some natural control products for these pests, but they don’t do the same thing by just sitting in your garden. Unfortunately, these plants haven’t been scientifically proven to keep these bugs away.
2. Salt Guns & Electric Bug Swatters
As you search the Internet, you’ll find some interesting looking products out there that promise the world for mosquito and tick control.
You may have heard of salt guns, for instance. They fire salt particles, which aim to kill bugs it comes in contact with. If you have great aim and want to tackle each individual bug one at a time, it claims to work. But bugs don’t travel in ones and twos in your yard. They come in swarms, so a salt gun may not help. They can also be dangerous if you accidentally point them in other people’s direction by accident.
Another similar type of product is the electric bug swatter, which resembles a tennis racket and electrically shocks pests that hit it. Sure, if you can hit the pests, this product could eliminate them, but you’d have to ensure you hit quite a few to take down the biggest pest populations in your yard.
3. DIY Mosquito and Tick Control Solutions
As you see the ticks and mosquitoes pile up in your yard, you might want to just get outside and try to handle this problem yourself.
You rush to your nearest home improvement store and scan the DIY mosquito and tick control options. We hate to break it to you, but DIY products haven’t proven to be very effective against these bugs.
First of all, they cost more than you might think. You think you’re going to save money, but then once you add up the costs of the product and equipment, your total price usually ends up much higher than you think.
Next, the job can be a time-consuming hassle. You have to purchase the projects, learn how to apply them properly, store them correctly, and maintain and clean them up after each use. The timing is also precise for each application so you don’t miss a window of control. If you get busy with other responsibilities, it’s hard to squeeze in the time to treat for mosquitoes and ticks on a regular schedule.
Then, after you’ve spent the time and money necessary to gather the products to do the work, seeing that they are ineffective can be a big let-down. Store-bought products just aren’t usually as impactful as commercial-grade products. Even if you find ones with an ingredient that others have, you might notice there is still a difference compared to professional treatments.
4. Leaving Out Important Pieces of the Mosquito and Tick Control Picture
Learning about mosquitoes and ticks and where these bugs hang out and implementing some preventive mosquito and tick control methods is just as important to the entire strategy for keeping their populations down in your yard.
If you have wood piles near to your home, it’s likely these pests are there. Moving them 20 feet away from your home can help.
If you have a dog or cat that goes outdoors, make sure to follow your veterinarian’s recommendations to ensure they are protected from ticks.
Eliminating standing water can also help limit pest breeding. This includes water that hangs out in containers, pet bowls, or even pool covers.
Keep your grass mowed regularly to eliminate tall grasses where ticks like to hide.
These tasks will help prevent mosquitoes and ticks, but they aren’t everything. You have to make sure to include them in a total mosquito and pest control solution that includes professional applications.
5. Synthetic Chemicals
When you review the wide variety of random suggestions for mosquito and tick control on your property, you may just throw your hands up and give in to calling a pro.
But not every pest control company will use the same approach. Many companies use synthetic chemicals that may have you worried about their safety.
This is why choosing a company that you can trust and feel good about their approach is the best solution for you. You don’t want a company spraying something that isn’t safe for your family or pets or doing it incorrectly and adding an additional safety risk to your yard.
Safe and Effective Mosquito and Tick Control is Right At Your Fingertips
When thinking about how to get rid of mosquitoes and ticks, you don’t want to worry about bites and diseases. And you certainly don’t want to waste your hard-earned money and limited time on things that don’t work.
No one deserves that. You may want to tackle mosquitoes and ticks in your Northern Virginia yard, but have no idea where to start. As your last citronella candle burns down and you swat away another mosquito, you might feel hopeless, thinking you’ll never figure it out.
Let Turf’s Up help. We use a safe and effective cedar oil to control mosquitoes that is completely safe, as well as highly effective, as controlling pests like mosquitoes and ticks in your home landscape. Cedar oil blocks the scent receptors of mosquitoes and ticks, disrupting their systems. We apply it every 30 days from April through November to help keep bug populations – and their offspring – down. Using a backpack mister, we spray a fine mist and target areas where we know they hang out.
This is your home, and we want you to be able to enjoy it. You’ve invested in your outdoor space, so you should be able to bring family and friends together to eat dinner, have a cocktail, play games, or even watch a sunset – mosquito and tick free.
Ready to learn why Turf’s Up could be your totally awesome choice for mosquito control services in Gainesville, Haymarket, and Manassas, VA? We’re stoked to learn more about you and help you eliminate your mosquito problem once and for all. Get started today with a free quote. Together, we can prepare a customized plan that is perfect for you and your yard.
