Nothing quite puts a dampener on enjoying time outdoors in Summer than finding yourself covered in itchy mosquito bites! Mosquitoes are a very common problem that we have to deal with when providing pest control in Knoxville.

Identifying Mosquitoes

So, apart from the tell-tale bites, how do you know if you have a mosquito problem? These pesky insects are tiny little creatures, usually no more than 15mm, and weigh less than 2.5mg. They have thin bodies, wings, and long legs. Their coloring ranges from yellow to brown and gray. There are well over 3000 species, but only a handful are commonly found in Tennessee. Some of the most common types include:

• Culex Mosquito (sometimes called the house mosquito)
• Asian Tiger Mosquito
• Yellow Fever Mosquito

Mosquitoes can be found hanging around both indoors and outdoors, but they are usually attracted to water, so common places to see a swarm include ponds, birdbaths, dog bowls, and other water sources.

Fun Fact! The reason Mosquitoes bite us is that they are attracted to carbon dioxide, lactic acid, and octanol, which are present in our breath and sweat.

When is ‘Mosquito Season’?

As a provider of pest control in Knoxville, one question we are often asked is when mosquito season starts. There is no simple answer to this question. Mosquito eggs hatch at temperatures above 50 degrees. That means that in Tennessee, we can see mosquitoes appearing as early in the year as late March or as late as October. This is a large window of opportunity and explains why such large volumes appear in Tennessee - they have plenty of time to breed!

Time to breed isn’t the only reason mosquitoes are prolific in Tennessee. There are three things that mosquitoes need to thrive, and Tennessee offers all of them in abundance, making the Volunteer State the ideal habitat for mosquitoes for nine months out of the year!

1. High humidity levels
2. Shaded areas to stop them from drying out in the sun
3. Standing water in order to breed

Tips for Preventing Mosquitoes

The best way to avoid mosquito infestations is to deprive them of their basic needs, as detailed above - humidity, standing water, and shade. It takes over a week for an egg to develop into an adult mosquito. If you can drain any standing water before this process is complete, the mosquitos will die. Take some time to inspect your property for standing water and pour it out onto the ground. You might find standing water in many places, including kiddie pools, flower pots, birdbaths, and anywhere else rainwater could collect. Don’t forget to check gutters for standing water too. It takes only a half cup of water for mosquitoes to breed. You can also help to limit shade in your yard by keeping on top of trimming back trees and shrubs.

These tips can help to reduce the risk of a mosquito infestation, but if they have already started to make themselves at home, you will need to seek out professional pest control in Knoxville to take care of the problem effectively.

Mosquito Pest Control Services

When you arrange pest control in Knoxville to handle your mosquito infestation, the first step is a thorough inspection to identify potential breeding sites and evaluate the extent of the current mosquito population. Once the pest control technicians have a clearer idea of what they are dealing with, treatment can begin. EPA registered pesticide will be applied to key areas that mosquitoes will likely rest in during the day when the sun is high. These include flower beds, bushes, tree canopies, windows, ornamental planting, and roof lines. This should kill live mosquitoes more or less immediately. It is worth noting that the pesticides used for mosquitoes are plant-safe, so they will not cause any harm to your garden.

Killing the live mosquitoes is only the first step in the process. The pest control technicians will also take steps to eliminate the breeding sites identified during the initial inspection of the property. Mosquitoes require standing water to breed, and as little as a half cup of water is enough! Pest Control in Knoxville will work with the property owner to eliminate sources of standing water, including anywhere that rainwater might collect. If you happen to have a pond or water feature, you will need to take additional precautions to deter mosquitoes. This includes adding things like bubblers, fountains, water-wigglers, or waterfalls to stimulate movement in the water. If you do not have fish or plant life in your water feature, you can also have larvicide added to the water as a biological measure to eliminate breeding. Swimming pools should not be affected as the water is more than 2 feet deep.

You will need to keep up with treatments throughout the extensive mosquito season that we have here in Tennessee. When you work with professional pest control in Knoxville, they will advise you on the frequency of treatment that is going to be required to keep those pesky mosquitoes at bay.

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Otis Termite & Pest Control is a full-service pest control company with a focus on outstanding service. We have been serving the East Tennessee area for over 56 years and our reputation is built on prompt and effective service. We’re good at what we do and we’re fast. We do the job right the first time – and that’s an actual guarantee! 

Call 865.690.1662 or visit www.otispestcontrol.net.