If you’re like many homeowners in the Decatur, Georgia, area, you’ve probably noticed that it seems like there are more mosquitoes out this year. You aren’t imagining things – with record temperatures worldwide throughout the spring and summer and more rain than average, mosquitoes have had more opportunity than ever to breed and spread. With the sharp increase in mosquito activity, it’s crucial that you understand how to handle these pests.
In this article, we’ll give you a basic understanding of home mosquito control in Decatur. We’ll go over how mosquitoes are likely to respond to seasons, as well as their general behavior. Then, we’ll talk about some of the diseases that mosquitoes are likely to carry with them during the seasons when they’re most active. After that, we’ll give you some simple prevention techniques to help you keep these pests away from your home.
Finally, we’ll review the benefits of working with a professional pest control company that can help you completely eradicate mosquitoes. Tuxedo Mosquito Control is here to help you get rid of these pests and the worries they bring.
The Ever-Changing Mosquito: A Seasonal Overview
The first step in dealing with mosquitoes is knowing how they generally act and how they respond to changes in the weather. Mosquitoes are ectothermic, meaning that their body temperature is influenced most directly by the temperature of the air around them. Mosquitoes respond to temperature rather than season, meaning they can even be out in the middle of the winter if the temperature gets high enough. With the unusually warm weather that has persisted throughout several months of the past year, you must stay alert for signs of mosquito activity around your property.
Mosquitoes will often gather near areas of standing water, such as in marshes, swamps, and wetlands. Residents of these areas are at a higher risk of dealing with mosquitoes. Stagnant water in bird baths, rain barrels, kiddie pools, and other similar outdoor fixtures can attract these pests, as these are ideal places for them to breed. Mosquitoes are also attracted to the carbon dioxide that their victims produce. When the weather is warm, they are more active as their metabolism increases; this drives them to seek out more blood meals.
In upcoming sections, we’ll talk about how to keep mosquitoes away, but first, we should go over some of the diseases that mosquitoes are prone to carry and the risks that come with them.
Seasonal Mosquito-Borne Diseases: A Risk Assessment
When dealing with mosquitoes, it’s important that you understand the dangers they present. One of the most significant risks associated with mosquitoes is the diseases they can inflict.
Common diseases spread by mosquitoes include dengue fever, West Nile virus, chikungunya, and several variants of encephalitis, such as eastern equine encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, and La Crosse encephalitis. While it’s extremely uncommon in the United States, mosquitoes are also the leading carriers of malaria worldwide. During the warmer months of the year, these diseases are more common. However, since mosquitoes may emerge even during the winter if the weather is right, you should be on the lookout for them on any warm day.
In the next section, we’ll go over some things you can do to prevent mosquitoes from becoming a problem around your yard.
Weather-Resistant Mosquito Prevention: Tips And Techniques
As with most pests, the best way to get rid of mosquitoes is to put preventative measures in place to keep them from becoming a problem. Here are a few things that you can do to reduce the impact of mosquitoes on your property:
- Avoid going outside around dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are active.
- Don’t wear scented perfumes or fragrances when outdoors.
- Empty standing water in kiddie pools, bird baths, or other yard fixtures.
- Use an effective insect repellent that contains DEET or picaridin.
These simple tips will help you deter mosquitoes from your home and protect yourself and your family.
If you find yourself dealing with a mosquito infestation in Decatur, you can always contact our team at Tuxedo Mosquito Control.
The Most Effective Mosquito Control Year-Round: Contact Us Today!
Since 2003, Tuxedo Mosquito Control has been helping residents of Decatur, Georgia, deal with mosquitoes. We’re a local, family-owned company that focuses on quality service and treating our customers well. Our trained technicians meet exceptionally high standards, and you can expect personal communication during every step of the process.
Contact us at Tuxedo Mosquito Control today to request a free inspection. We’re the best mosquito exterminators in Decatur.