What Am I Doing to Attract Mosquitoes to My Virginia Yard?

There are many ways you could be drawing mosquitoes into your yard. Some of them you can control, some you can't control, and some you may not want to control. And you don't have to. There are ways to deal with mosquitoes, even in a yard that is a mosquito paradise.

Mosquito Attractants You May Not Want to Control

The conditions that are most attractive to mosquitoes are conditions you may not want to control. Why? Because removing these conditions can make your yard look barren and ugly.

• Flowers - You may not know this, but mosquitoes need sugar more than they need blood. One of the ways they get sugar is from the nectar of flowers. But if you have flowers in your yard, you're probably not going to want to get rid of them.

• Vegetation - Mosquitoes don't just draw blood out of mammals; they can also use their mouthparts to draw the sap out of plants. The more plants you have in your yard, the more food you will be providing mosquitoes.

• Hiding places - Mosquitoes hide from the midday sun because it dries them out. They'll hide in vegetation and other landscaping and find cover under external structures such as decks, porches, patios, stairs, etc. We don't imagine you want to get rid of your back deck or the vegetation around your home to reduce mosquitoes on your property.

Mosquito Attractants You Can't Control

There are times when your yard is more attractive to mosquitoes for reasons that are out of your control. Here are a couple of the most noteworthy attractants.

Rainwater causes damp conditions - If we get a lot of rain, mosquitoes are going to thrive. The good news is that your yard won't be the only yard in your neighborhood that will be attractive during times of extended rain.

A blood meal - When mammals walk around in your backyard, encroaching mosquitoes may sense them, come near, bite them, and seek to lay eggs in your yard once they've had a blood meal. You provide this blood meal, your family, pets, and your extended family—all of which can is controllable. You can say, "No one is allowed in the backyard." But what you can't control are squirrels, chipmunks, mice, rats, and all of the other wildlife that passes through your yard.

Mosquito Attractants You Can Control

You are not powerless to control mosquitoes. Here are some ways you can make your yard less attractive to mosquitoes:

• Fill in any holes that capture rainwater. Stagnant pools give mosquitoes a place to breed.

• Clean any obstructions from your gutter system. It only takes half a cup of stagnant water to allow mosquitoes to breed.

• Repair any leaking spigots or hoses in your yard, reducing dampness and stagnant water.

• Give your plants just enough water so that it sinks into the ground and allows the topsoil to dry. You can help dry topsoil by trimming tree branches to let the sunlight in and creating space between the plants in your landscaping to provide good airflow.

• Remove any containers from your yard. These are objects that collect rainwater.

• Alter objects that collect rainwater, like poking a hole in a tire swing to let the water drain to the ground and dry up.

Can You Control Mosquitoes on Your Own?

The tips above will help reduce mosquitoes on your property and reduce mosquito bites, but they will not prevent mosquitoes. The only way to get complete control of mosquitoes is through control agents, and professionals best apply these agents.

Why Professional Mosquito Control Works

At some point, mosquitoes are going to rest in your yard. They can't fly all day. In fact, they don't fly that much at all. They prefer to rest and wait for a mammal to come walking by. As they rest, mosquito treatments work to eliminate them. And you might know this, but dead mosquitoes don't reproduce. They don't bite you either.

Routine treatments during mosquito season can have amazing results. These treatments don't just work to eliminate the mosquitoes in your yard; they are residual and take out mosquitoes that come into your yard from your neighbor's yard between visits.

If you've never tried professional mosquito control, give it a shot. The results may surprise you. For mosquito control service in Roanoke, Virginia, and the surrounding area, reach out to us. At All Pest Control & Solutions, we use industry-leading mosquito control products and methods that provide the best results possible.