Mosquitoes might be on the list of the most annoying pests known to man.
Why, you ask? Because all you want to do on summer evenings is to relax in your backyard. You might be grilling dinner for your family or hanging out with friends or lounging just trying to enjoy the sunset or gain a little peace and quiet.
Just as you settle in, that’s when you’ll see the problem. You won’t see or feel them right away. First, maybe you hear a high-pitched whir buzz by your ear now and then. Maybe it’s just the leaves rustling in the trees? But when the slapping and swatting starts, you know they’re there. Mosquitoes. Before you know it, you feel the bites and are itching the rest of the night. Enough mosquitoes can even send you back inside instead of leaving you to enjoy your backyard in peace.
But you shouldn't have to suffer. You should be able to hang out in your backyard without feeling attacked or feeling like you have to continuously cover yourself in bug spray.
Let’s learn how you can gain back those outdoor enjoyment hours with some tips on how to get rid of mosquitoes in your Northern Virginia yard.
Why You Want to Stop Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are certainly frustrating, getting in your way of embracing fun and sun in your own backyard landscape.
Additionally, however, they can carry some pretty nasty diseases, presenting more of a threat to you when you’re just trying to enjoy an evening outdoors.
What diseases do you have to worry about? Everything from Zika virus to malaria to dengue fever to West Nile. All of these things can have pretty lasting and harmful impacts on you and your family members. Your dogs can be at risk, too, as well as local wildlife.
This is why backyard mosquito control tips are important to follow to keep these small but mighty pests away from your yard.
4 Ways You Can’t Beat to Get Rid of Mosquitoes
Your home is your sanctuary. And you’ve spent time and money investing in it so you can enjoy it – inside and outside.
But mosquitoes don’t care, do they? They trample on every garden party or backyard adventure you come up with, and they never apologize. Jerks.
Here are some ways you can get rid of mosquitoes in your Northern Virginia yard.
1. Stop Mosquitoes By Eliminating Breeding Grounds
Mosquitoes enjoy water. In fact, they spend the initial 10 days of their lives in water, dining on organic matter in stagnant water and taking breaks to stop at the surface to breathe oxygen.
Then, they become pupae, which are partially encased in cocoons, and after a few days, they finally become biting, buzzing, mean adults.
So one of the best ways to get rid of mosquitoes is to eliminate stagnant water that’s lying around your property. Because if small pools of water are lurking, mosquitoes can breed very simply and quickly, doubling or even tripling their masses.
One way to do this is to regularly empty standing water from even small water-holding locations, such as bird baths, pet bowls, plant containers, and even water that collects on pool covers.
You also want to clean your gutters out so they don’t collect water and become another breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Finally, monitor those places where you might not expect water can build up. This is really important because mosquitoes can lay eggs in a place as small as in the cap of a bottle of water.
2. Manage Mosquito Habitats to Keep Them at Bay
Another thing you can do to get rid of mosquitoes in your Northern Virginia yard is reduce their handout spots.
Where do mosquitoes hang out? Well, they can’t fly for long because they are weak flyers so they need to regularly stop for rest breaks.
To stop, they like to be in what they consider safe places. These kinds of places include tall grasses and overgrown shrubs.
So if you can keep vegetation on the outer edges of your property trimmed down, and the tall grasses, trees, and shrubbery near your home pruned properly, you can limit their nearby hiding spots.
Also, don’t forget to limit woodpiles or store them further away from your home to get rid of mosquitoes near your patio or outdoor kitchen.
3. Try Mosquito Netting and Protective Clothing
Wearing long sleeves and pants during those peak evening hours when mosquitoes strike is a great backyard mosquito control tip in Purcellville, Waterford, and Round Hill, VA. This makes it more difficult for these pests to bite you.
If you’re ever going into an area that you know are prone to mosquitoes, adding longer layers can help you avoid a lot of bites since your skin is more difficult to get to.
For smaller children in your family, you can also try mosquito netting over your cribs, strollers, or baby carriers. This can be super helpful when mosquito repellents aren’t possible.
4. Focus on Mosquito Adults in Your Control Strategies
Now that you’ve controlled mosquito breeding grounds in your own yard, it’s time to think about others that might be wafting in from your neighbor’s water piles.
Just like any pest, there are quite a few varieties that can invade your Northern Virginia yard – from common house to yellow fever to Asian tiger mosquitoes.
Since adult mosquitoes are those that breed, to get rid of mosquitoes in your yard, applying a mosquito control product every 30 days from April through November can help keep populations – and therefore their offspring – down.
To handle mosquitoes on your property, professionals will use a backpack mister and spray a fine mist to target mosquito hangouts like underneath trees and shrubs, under decks, and near grasses and common harborage places.
An organic, professional-grade mosquito product can go a long way in beating mosquitoes. Organic products contain cedar oil, so they are safe for your pets and family members, while also being effective against mosquitoes. In fact, cedar oil blocks a pest’s scent receptors and disrupts their body’s systems naturally.
Another key backyard mosquito control tip in Purcellville, Waterford, and Round Hill, VA: You want a custom approach to this treatment in your yard. The professional you hire should give your yard a thorough assessment to determine which areas need treatment in every corner of your property.
The mosquito populations you can control this year with equal fewer mosquitoes the following year, which can help continue to keep these pests and the diseases they carry far away from your backyard gatherings.
Find the Best Mosquito Control in Purcellville, Waterford, and Round Hill, VA
You know mosquitoes are the worst. They are absolutely no fun to have in your yard.
If you can have professional and regular mosquito control and follow our other tips above, you will greatly limit the number of mosquitoes – and their bites and itches and disease – in your backyard.
Since the diseases mosquitoes carry can be fatal, taking the most precautions for your health and safety, as well as to maximize your outdoor enjoyment, is worth it. That’s why we’re offering you these backyard mosquito control tips. We want to make sure you have all the information you need to beat this bug.
By taking action, you take back control of your property instead of feeling like insects are chasing you back inside.
You may read through all of these suggestions and still find yourself wondering what to do.
Maybe the process seems overwhelming. Let Turf’s Up help. We can come to your property and do a thorough assessment and advise you on what to focus on specifically. And then provide you with a detailed plan of attack.
It’s your property, and we want to do everything we can do to help. We want you to enjoy the outside as much as we do without having to constantly worry about mosquitoes.
Give us a call. We can maximize your safety in your landscape and help you keep mosquitoes at bay.
Ready to learn why Turf’s Up could be your totally awesome choice for mosquito control services in Northern Virginia? 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.
