Mosquitos
Although there is no sure-fire way to keep them out of your yard, you can follow some simple steps to prevent them from multiplying.
- Clean up any possible sources of standing water such as saucers, fountains, wheelbarrows, trash cans, kiddy pools, and buckets to eliminate potential breeding areas.
- Clean birdbaths every few days and replace them with fresh water.
- Keep ponds aerated or stocked with fish. They prefer quiet, non-flowing water for egg-laying.
- Put up a bat house. Bats can eat up to 1,000 mosquitos per hour.
- Use Summit Mosquito Dunks or Summit Mosquito Bits in standing ponds and rain barrels. Mosquito Dunks are non-toxic to pets, fish, and humans. Make sure to follow directions on the label.
- Remove any brush piles. Brush piles make great homes for adults to hide.
- Keep your gutters clean and clear.
Mosquitos are most active at dusk and early morning. Of course, this is the perfect time of day for everyone to be in their gardens.
When gardening, make sure to wear light-colored clothing and avoid wearing floral perfumes.
There are many repellants out on the market, along with many plants that repel mosquitos. Although they do help, they are not 100 % guaranteed effective. The best way to avoid getting bitten is not to go outside or to use a bug spray such as "OFF" while outdoors.
