With mosquito season well and truly underway, you may already be nursing a few painful bites! This is something we all want to avoid as much as possible, especially since mosquitos can transmit a number of blood-borne diseases, including Zika and West Nile Virus. The best course of action is to arrange professional mosquito treatment in Knoxville, but there are also some tips you can follow to mosquito-proof your yard.

Get Rid of Standing Water

The first step is to search your entire yard for items that could hold water. These should be removed or covered. Mosquitos use water to breed; even just a bottle cap full of water can produce as many as 100 mosquitoes! Items to look out for include birdbaths, buckets, kiddie pools, and even toys with parts where water can collect. If you have a tire swing in your yard for the kids, a great tip is to drill holes so any water accumulating there can drain away. The same principle can be applied to planters and other containers. Trash cans are also a big culprit, so ensure you have a well-fitting lid to ensure no water can accumulate. Acting quickly is essential, as it only takes 5-7 days for a new generation of mosquitoes to emerge from standing water! When you book professional mosquito treatment in Knoxville, your technician will carry out an inspection and help you identify potential problem areas to eliminate.

What About Pools and Ponds?

If you have a pool or a pond on your property it isn’t feasible to to keep them covered, or empty them to avoid mosquitoes. The problem is stagnant water; that is what mosquitos need to breed. A pond pump, bubbler, or fountain will keep the water moving, making it an unsuitable breeding ground for mosquitoes. You could also introduce mosquito-eating fish to the pond as a deterrent! For your pool, you should use a pool cover when not in use and regularly skim the pool to remove debris and prevent stagnant water gathering. You can also make use of mosquito dunks, which contain bacteria that will target any mosquito larvae and disrupt their growth.

Don’t Forget to Clean Your Gutters

Your gutters can also be a breeding ground for mosquitoes, so it is important to keep them clean. If they get clogged with leaves and other debris, water can pool and stagnate, which, as we have established, is how mosquitoes breed.

Ground Their Flight

Despite being winged insects, mosquitoes are not the best flyers. They are very weak and rarely fly more than a few hundred yards from where they hatch! A fully mature mosquito can reach a top speed of 1.5 MPH, but they prefer calm air to do so and plenty of landing spots to rest on. Unfortunately, most backyards naturally block breezes that would throw them off because of trees, fencing, and heavy shrubbery. You can help to unsettle their flight path by using a fan on your porch or deck when you are sitting outside. This will keep them away from you and help avoid any bites.

Mosquito Repellent Plants

Mosquitos love to hide in tall grass and overgrown foliage, so keeping your garden neat is a great step towards discouraging mosquitoes in your yard. It would help if you also avoided shrubs or bushes near the places you like to sit, although when you have mosquito treatment in Knoxville, the technician should also treat your foliage. If you want to take one step further, you can also try planting some natural mosquito-repellent plants. Certain species have fragrances that block human scent and repel mosquitoes. Some of the best options include Catnip, Lemongrass, Lemon Balm, Garlic, Rosemary, Lavender, and Citronella Geraniums.

Stay On Top Of Your Yard Work

Mosquitoes will make their home in just a few inches of overgrown foliage, so yards with a lot of greenery or that are a little unkempt are havens for this annoying pest. If you want to deter mosquitoes, it is important to stay on top of your yard work. That means clipping back any tall grass, pulling weeds, tidying up any debris, and keeping shrubs trimmed. Mosquitoes will soon seek a safer home if the hedge trimmer and lawnmower regularly appear!

Mosquito Treatment in Knoxville

All of these tips can help reduce the likelihood of mosquitoes in your yard, but none are a substitute for professional mosquito treatment in Knoxville. Ridding your property of mosquitoes is not something you can DIY. Over-the-counter products are just not strong enough. At Otis Pest Control, we offer a comprehensive management program for mosquito treatment in Knoxville, including extermination and population control. We will inspect your yard to identify potential breeding spots and offer advice on how to remove them. We will then use EPA-approved pesticides to kill mosquitoes on contact and leave lasting protection. Our treatment is applied around the perimeter of your home and on bushes, under leaves, and grass areas. Everything we use is safe for plants, so your landscaping will not be harmed. Otis is the one to call for professional mosquito treatment in Knoxville.

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.