Mosquitoes; The Most Dangerous Insects In Atlanta

Fool-Proof Ways To Protect Yourself From Mosquito Bites

How are you currently protecting yourself from mosquitoes? Do you put on mosquito repellent? Do you use torches, candles, or some other repellent product? Do you have a bug zapper? None of these provide fool-proof protection and one will actually make your problem worse.

• Mosquito repellent is the number one solution for personal mosquito protection, but who wants to put bug spray on every time they go outside?
• Torches, candles, campfire smoke, mosquito-repellent plants, and other deterrents impact mosquitoes, but a determined female mosquito will push past stinky smells to get a blood meal. The survival of her species depends on it.
• Bug zappers are great but not great in the way you might think. Zappers attract mosquitoes because mosquitoes are attracted to light. Unfortunately, studies show that zappers are only effective at killing male mosquitoes. Male mosquitoes will be drawn to your property by zappers, but the females will come to mate with the males but will avoid the zappers. And females are the ones that bite.

Okay. So how do you protect yourself from mosquito bites? We hinted at it above. The secret is to rid your yard of mosquitoes. If there are no mosquitoes in your yard, you will not get mosquito bites. That makes sense, right? Here are a few tips to help reduce the population of mosquitoes around your home, along with why these tips work.

• Remove containers. A female mosquito only needs a half an inch of water to lay her eggs and she'll lay a hundred at a time. Any object that acts as a container for rainwater can provide a breeding location. One female mosquito will produce a swarm in a little over a week. Keep in mind that some containers are obvious, like a kid's sand bucket, a bowl, or a cup, while others aren't so obvious, like a tarp covering equipment or indents in stacked wood. 
• Address puddles. A female mosquito will quickly use a puddle as a breeding site. Look for conditions that lead to puddles, such as a clogged gutter system, poor gradation, or ground holes. When you address these conditions, you limit mosquito reproduction.  
• Reduce moisture. Mosquitoes dry out easily. They want to be where there is high humidity or damp conditions. It pays to take steps to reduce moisture in landscaping and underneath structures. 
• Reduce vegetation and address weed problems. Mosquitoes eat nectar and plant sap. A yard filled with little flowers or unnecessary vegetation invites mosquito activity.

These steps may seem trivial, but it may surprise you to see how effectively they reduce mosquito populations. Give them a try. But remember that these are not the best way to keep mosquitoes out of your yard. You need to target adult mosquitoes and eliminate them. For this, we recommend professional assistance.