Dump every source of standing water weekly, keep foliage trimmed, and start recurring barrier treatment in spring before the mosquitoes are bad.
Preventing mosquitoes is a much easier job than evicting them in July. Which one you end up doing mostly comes down to how you manage your yard throughout the season.
Start by eliminating standing water wherever possible. Every mosquito in your yard began as an egg in standing water, and the amount required is absurdly small. A bottle cap will do it. So the weekly walk matters: tip the plant saucers, flip the wheelbarrow, shake out the tarp, check the trash can lids and the folds of the pool cover, and give the birdbath fresh water while you're there. Gutters deserve extra attention, since they can become mosquito nurseries when they clog. This happens a lot on Long Island where summer storms are common.
Mosquitoes dry out in the sun. They need places to hide in the day or else they won’t survive. You can deny them that shelter. Any mosquito that hatches on your property, or rides the breeze in from down the block, needs somewhere shaded and humid to survive the daytime. If you thin out overgrown beds and ivy, and keep grass and shrubs trimmed, you won’t give them as many places to hide.
Mosquito season doesn't begin with your first bite in June. It begins quietly in spring, when overwintering females wake and lay the eggs that become the summer's founding generation. Barrier treatment started early catches each generation before it produces the next. When applied to the resting foliage, it works for about three weeks before it fades. If you start this early in the season, the generations of mosquitoes stay small and never have a chance to multiply over the course of the year.
If you'd rather head the season off than fight it, Mosquito Squad of Nassau County and Queens can help. Mosquito Squad starts seasonal service in spring and keeps it running through fall, helping protect your yard with up to 90% reduction in mosquito activity on a recurring 21-day cycle.
