Mosquitoes carry and transmit diseases from person to person, resulting in the greatest cause of death in human history. Learn 4 tips for effective mosquito control here so you can protect your family today.
Table of Contents
- The Life Cycle of Mosquitoes
- Effective Mosquito Control
- How We Treat Mosquitoes
- FAQs About Mosquito Control
- Conclusion & Next Steps
The Life Cycle of Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes lay 100 eggs at a time. These eggs can be ready to hatch in just a few days or several months, depending on weather, climate, and other factors. Eggs hatch when they are submerged in water.
Eggs hatch into larvae. Larvae eat microorganisms in the water and molt 3 to 4 times in as little as 5 days into pupae. Pupae then develop the flying bodies of adult mosquitoes within 2 to 3 days.
Once mosquitoes become adults they emerge from the water, flying, looking for a blood meal.
Male mosquitoes feed on nectar from flowers. Female mosquitoes need blood in order to reproduce.
Did you know blood is toxic to male mosquitoes? It will actually kill male mosquitoes within a few days, instead of their normal lifespan of about 1 week.
Similar to ticks, mosquitoes have specific receptors, or palps, on their bodies that sense carbon dioxide. This means that these blood-sucking insects can zero-in on targets much easier.
Effective Mosquito Control
The CDC and EPA recommend using an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach to target mosquitoes and other disease carrying and transferring pests. IPM is a science-based approach, employed most often by pest management companies.
IPM uses a variety of techniques to prevent pests, prevent infestations, and eliminate conditions in which these disease carrying and transferring pests reproduce. For the best mosquito control service, contact Done Right Pest Solutions at 651-342-9489.
Get Rid of Mosquito Harborage Areas
Mosquitoes breed and hang out near water. The first step of effective mosquito control includes getting rid of any areas where water can collect or pool after a rain. It also involves protecting any of your swimming pools or other summer activity locations in your yard.
Mosquitoes breed in standing water, so as long as there is a current in your pool, they won’t breed there.
We recommend filling any shallow ground where water pools, excess holes in your yard, etc.
We would also recommend eliminating the following from your yard:
- Bird baths – or at least empty the water, rinse, and refill once per week to cut down on the mosquito population
- Old tires
- Old or non-functioning rain gutters
- Rain water collection items
- Yard toys that hold rain – put away during rainy weather so that they don’t collect rain, or at least empty the water and rinse off after a rain
Perform a Full Inspection
Every single visit, the pest control technician should perform a full inspection of the yard or area being treated for mosquitoes. These inspections can be done by the homeowner or property manager/restaurant staff.
- Walk over the areas that will be treated and ensure no items that shouldn’t be treated are in the way.
- Prepare for treatment by making sure pets have been outside recently to use the bathroom, so they can remain inside for the full drying time.
- And inform the homeowner or property manager of the steps your treatment will provide. Also inform them of reasonable expectations of the treatment and when you will next be back to treat.
Control Mosquitoes at Egg, Larval, and Pupa Stages
A successful mosquito approach includes all life stages: egg, larval, pupa, and adult, as well as sterilization and prevention techniques.
IPM uses strategies from each area. By treating areas where water could pool after a rain, this is prevention.
By treating a fountain prior to water placement, this can prevent the laying of eggs. The residual mosquito control product will have the ability to kill the egg before it hatches or sterilize it so those mosquitoes cannot breed.
A primary approach many mosquito control products use is an Insect Growth Regulator (IGR). This IGR inhibits the mosquito’s natural ability to reproduce and shortening the life-span. By cutting off the reproduction rate from 100 to 0, this will help keep your yard mosquito free over the course of the summer.
Because mosquitoes can fly in from other yards and with different weather affecting the pest control product, most pest control companies will employ a monthly mosquito treatment package. The regular treatment ensures the aggressive approach needed to target life cycle after life cycle of mosquitoes. It’s also important to know the different species of mosquitoes in your area.
Control Adult Mosquitoes
Once mosquitoes can fly, they can be harder to treat. Pest control technicians focus on the areas where mosquitoes will land, rest, and breed.
This method of control involves using a liquid product that is applied with a fogging machine to any trees, shrubs, bushes, tall grasses, and lawn ornamentation. The product takes about 1 hour to dry, but also has a direct kill component if any live mosquitoes come into contact with it.
Can You Guarantee a Mosquito Service?
Short answer: no. Outside pests cannot be eradicated, but they can be controlled very effectively with proper treatment, communication, and multiple treatment methods. Long answer: yes. We warranty our mosquito services for either 30 days or the entire season (depending on which service option you choose).
Most pest control companies will offer one-time services for events (should be performed 2-5 days prior to the event for most effective treatment results). The main program pest control companies will offer is a monthly approach to mosquito treatment.
The difference in these services varies. Some companies will charge for extra service in between regularly scheduled mosquito treatments. The price will most likely also vary based on company, yard size, area (rural or urban) or active sites in your yard.
Done Right Pest Solutions is similar to other pest control companies in that we have a one-time mosquito service available as well as a Mosquito and Tick Plan. We do not charge extra for services in between your regularly scheduled treatments. We watch the weather, but we can’t control the weather. You shouldn’t be penalized for extra rain.
The most effective mosquito services eliminate somewhere between 90-95% of all mosquitoes in your yard. We could never guarantee full elimination of all mosquitoes.
The point of mosquito control is to eliminate your risk of contracting a mosquito-borne disease or illness, which is greatly decreased with regular mosquito treatments!
How We Treat Mosquitoes
First our pest control technicians will walk the yard or patio space where the mosquito treatment is to be applied, inspecting as they walk, and making note of any potential problem areas for the area.
Next the technician will treat the perimeter of the yard along the grass line, the fence line, and any other lawn ornamentation indicating boundary of your yard and your neighbor’s yard. This treatment creates a subtle barrier for the mosquitoes.
Because mosquitoes fly and most likely will fly right over the barrier, so other areas of the yard must be treated. However, they may very well stop to rest on a fence post and come into contact with our product that will result in death of the mosquito.
Once the barrier is treated, the pest control technician will treat any shrubbery, bushes, trees, tall grasses, and other vegetation in your yard. This vegetation creates natural shade and mosquitoes love to stop to rest among the branches, leaves, etc.
It isn’t important to treat trees high up. Mosquitoes do not fly more than 10 feet off the ground typically. Simply treating the base of the tree plus the first few branches will suffice for efficient mosquito control.
If your yard has ticks, it may be important to treat higher into the trees, as ticks will often climb trees to drop onto hosts or reach out to hosts.
Finally, the technician will treat any areas of the yard or patio area that he had made note of during the inspection. An example of a potential breeding area may be a dip in the patio that collects rain water for a couple of days.
If you have a pond in your yard, we may use a mosquito dunk in there to eliminate it as a breeding site.
Treating these areas preventatively reduces the likelihood that mosquitoes will breed in your yard, decreases the population, and drastically improves your long-term quality of life.
By reducing between 90-95% of the population of disease and illness transmitting insects, it greatly decreases your risks of getting sick from these pests.
We offer one-time services and a Mosquito and Tick Plan. Get your yard covered for preventative mosquito control today!
Frequently Asked Questions About Mosquito Control
How are pollinators affected by this service?
The product we use for the mosquito and tick treatment has a very low risk to pollinators and pollinator gardens. Our technicians apply our product to the areas where mosquitoes and ticks hang out and breed. Pollinators do not have those same habits.
We decrease the risk of the product even more by keeping our distance from any pollinator gardens so that pollinating insects don’t land on our product and die. We want to keep these pollinators safe too!
How is my garden affected by this service?
Your flower gardens will not be affected by this service. As stated above we keep our distance from any pollinator gardens, and the product we use has a component that attacks the insect’s nervous system. This component will not harm the plants.
We will not treat any vegetable or herb gardens. We have no food-grade pesticides and therefore want to keep the food you eat safe.
Is this service safe for pets or kids?
The product we use is designed to kill mosquitoes and ticks, but EPA and FDA approved for residential yards. Once it dries it safe to be in the yard again.
How quickly does the product dry?
It takes about 1 hour to dry.
Conclusion & Next Steps
In this post you learned the difference between treating for larvae and pupae of mosquitoes verses treating for adult mosquitoes. We also gave a thorough example of how we would treat a residential backyard step-by-step.
After reading the answers to the frequently asked questions, you have a pretty good idea of this mosquito and tick treatment.
If you like spending time in your yard during the warm months, or maybe you are planning a backyard event this summer, give Done Right Pest Solutions a call today! Protect your family from illnesses and diseases mosquitoes transmit. 651-342-9489.
We’re here to help.
Done Right Team
Did you find this post informative? Have you been driven inside from mosquitoes? Comment below of a time where mosquitoes affected you. We would love to hear from you!
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