It’s that time of the year again! Yes, I love it: warm weather when I can go outside and enjoy the sun on my skin and the breeze in my hair. But, one thing I don’t like about the springs, summers, and falls in Minnesota and Wisconsin are the mosquitoes! And I absolutely hate ticks – hate them! (I may or may not be afraid of them as well since I know some friends who have Lyme Disease and it is no walk in the park).
That’s why I love our Mosquito and Tick Plan and generally all of our pest control services at Done Right Pest Solutions. There is no better way to have peace of mind from these pests invading your yard. Read on to learn more about what attracts mosquitoes and ticks to your yard and how to stay ahead of the swarm by preparing for mosquito and tick season in Minnesota (and Wisconsin) with Done Right Pest Solutions!
Want to skip the reading and just get a free quote? Call our office now: 651-342-9489.
Table of Contents
- Lyme Disease
- What attracts mosquitoes to your yard
- What attracts ticks to your yard
- How to prepare for mosquito and tick season in your yard
- Done Right Pest Solutions’ Mosquito & Tick Plan
- Why get professional mosquito and tick control
- Conclusion & nest steps
Lyme Disease
According to Global Lyme Alliance, “Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread through the bite of an infected black-legged tick, sometimes called a deer tick.” While mosquitoes are vectors, meaning they can transmit diseases to humans and animals through biting their host, they cannot transmit the Lyme disease pathogen.
They can transmit the following: Zika virus, West Nile virus, Chikungunya virus, yellow fever virus, dengue virus, and malaria parasites.
There are other diseases ticks can carry too, in fact the CDC lists 16. With heath at the forefront of everyone’s mind, it is important to protect yourself from these moving disease vectors in your yard.
What attracts mosquitoes to your yard?
The most obvious answer is: water! Water is a huge attractant because mosquitoes lay their eggs in or near a water source. All that is needed is 3 days and then hundreds of baby mosquitoes hatch. Water starts the growing process.
Did you know that female mosquitoes can lay eggs in a place where water can pool and then all it takes is a rain event and then 3 days later: baby mosquitoes.
A female mosquito can lay up to 300 eggs at one time! Thankfully, their life span is short, so they generally only lay eggs one time. However, after a blood meal from one mosquito, you could have hundreds of mosquitoes soon that will produce thousands in the coming months.
The next obvious answer is: food! If you or others are in your yard a lot, that can attract females to your yard in search of a blood meal. Mosquitoes are attracted to everything that classifies humans and animals: our exhales, our sweat, our smell, etc.
An answer you may not have considered is: blood type. Blood type can attract mosquitoes more, like the most common blood types being more popular.
Another answer you also may not have considered: alcohol. If you have parties in your yard where there is drinking, mosquitoes may find you more attractive.
What attracts ticks to your yard?
According to Pest Control Technology, “Not only are humans at risk but pets, especially dogs, are susceptible to contracting the disease. In mid-summer, cases spike, making spring and summer the optimal time for treatment.” The online magazine also warns, “There are about 200 species of ticks in the United States and about 850 species globally.”
The most obvious answer is: tall grass! Most folks know that ticks love tall grass. If you have a lot of acreage, consider mowing a large portion of it, or at least the portion that you use. For residential and suburb folks, simply keep up on your mowing and you should be fine. Ticks are not commonly in cities nearly as much as suburbs and the country.
Another helpful answer is: overgrown brush. If you have bushes and shrubs that are unkempt, most likely your neighbors won’t find your yard attractive. But, what’s worse than your neighbors not finding your yard attractive? Ticks finding your yard attractive. Trim the bushes and brush and remove it from the property. Most cities have an organic dump site you can bring your brush to.
Something I hadn’t considered is: get rid of the shade. Ticks don’t like sunny, well-manicured lawns. If you have an overgrown lawn and lots of trees, consider cutting down some trees to make your lawn more sunny. (I do not recommend this unless you have a tick issue in your yard).
“There are about 200 species of ticks in the United States and about 850 species globally.”
Enough said, call Done Right Pest Solutions for the best tick control services! 651-342-9489.
How to prepare for mosquito and tick season in your yard
First, we’ll look at how to prepare for mosquito season in your yard. Here is a checklist of items. The short answer is: Remove standing water, and be mindful of anywhere water can pool.
But here is a checklist of how to prepare for mosquito season in your yard:
- Consider getting rid of bird baths
- Remove empty flower pots
- Clean up any toys in the yard where water pools
- If you have a pool, consider adding some type of device that keeps the water moving
- Remove broken fountains that collect rain water
- Cover any rain water collection devices
- Level your ground so puddles can’t form after a rain event
- Make sure to use screens on your windows and doors so mosquitoes don’t come in your house
- Use mosquito repellent products, whether with deet or more natural, to keep mosquitoes off of you as much as possible
- Hire a professional pest control company: Done Right Pest Solutions has the best mosquito control services
Next, we’ll look at how to prepare for tick season in your yard. The short answer is: Cut down the brush and keep your yard maintained.
But here is a checklist of how to prepare for tick season in your yard:
- Trim all of the bushes and shrubs in your yard
- Cut all of the tall grass in your yard, or at least in the areas that you are active in
- Haul any excess debris in your yard away to a dump site
- Having a wood pile is one thing, but ticks are attracted to excess branches and brush, overgrown vegetation, etc.
- Use tick repellent products, whether with deet or a more natural product (like tea tree oil), to keep ticks off of you as much as possible
- Hire a professional pest control company: Done Right Pest Solutions has the best tick control services
Done Right Pest Solutions’ Mosquito & Tick Plan
It is important to know if your yard has a mosquito infestation or a tick infestation. Call the pros at Done Right Pest Solutions for more information: 651-342-9489, or read on about how we treat regularly for mosquitoes and ticks under our Mosquito & Tick Plan.
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 sometimes climb trees to drop onto hosts or reach out to hosts. The product we use for mosquito control is the same product we use for tick control.
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. Done Right Pest Solutions can reduce 90-95% of your mosquito infestation or tick infestation.
We offer one-time services and a Mosquito and Tick Plan. Get your yard covered for preventative mosquito control today!
Why get professional mosquito and tick control
The results are better.
It is important to note that professionals cannot eliminate 100% of mosquitoes and ticks from your yard. For one, they travel. They can come from neighboring yards. But, we can typically eradicate up to 95% of mosquito and tick populations from your yard.
Another reason is for the peace of mind. You don’t have to do a ton of research to know what chemicals attack specifically mosquito and tick systems and how to apply them. You don’t have to purchase the spendy products and the equipment. You don’t have to don the protective gear. You just pay someone to do that for you.
Plus, with the seasonal warranty, if it ends up raining a lot, just let us know and we’ll come back out. No additional charge within the warranty.
“There are about 200 species of ticks in the United States and about 850 species globally.”
Enough said, call Done Right Pest Solutions for the best tick control services! 651-342-9489.
Conclusion & nest steps
You’ve learned a lot about mosquitoes and ticks: from Lyme disease to what attracts mosquitoes to your yard and what attracts ticks to your yard; how to prepare for mosquito season in your yard and how to prepare for tick season in your yard; information about our Mosquito and Tick treatment and some bonus info about why get professional mosquito and tick control.
We hope you found this information helpful, and in the likely chance you didn’t read it all — we are always here to help! Give Done Right Pest Solutions a chance for the best seasonal mosquito and tick treatment. Start the conversation with us today by calling or texting 651-342-9489 or emailing us at donerightpestsolutions@gmail.com.
Here when you need us,
Done Right Team