Why South Bend Wooded Properties Have Worse Mosquito Problems

You bought your property for the trees. The shade, the privacy, the feeling of living in a forest are all part of what gives South Bend neighborhoods that charm. You don’t get that in brand-new developments, and it’s one of the best things about living here.

Of course, it’s also great for mosquitoes.

Funny enough, that trade-off never gets a mention in the real estate office when papers are being signed. But the very same things that make a wooded property feel like a retreat make it a near-perfect place for mosquitoes to set up shop, which is why your tree-lined yard near the river can get noticeably worse than open ones a few blocks over.

Shade is a mosquito's favorite amenity 

Mosquitoes don't love the sun. They dry out and die in open, hot, breezy conditions, so during the day they tuck into cool, damp, shaded places and wait for evening. Unfortunately, your beloved South Bend yard with its wooded cover is exactly what they like.

Think of all the places where mosquitoes like to rest during the day:

• Shady spots under leaves
• Leaf litter and mulch beds
• Ivy, hostas, and dense groundcover
• The cool, still air pocket between tree trunks

There’s just no simple way around this. Damp soil and slow-draining spots are common in wooded areas, and it’s even worse if you have a creek or oxbow nearby. Humidity will linger and linger for days, and mosquitoes need that.

Wooded South Bend properties have more resting spots and longer biting hours 

Open lots get plenty of sun during the day, and that’s enough to keep the mosquitoes at bay. There’s just nowhere comfortable for them to wait out the day. But that’s not so with wooded yards. Here, they have somewhere to hide every few feet, so the population that can survive there is simply larger. 

The shade does one more thing. It stretches out the biting window. Exposed yards are only really a problem at dawn and dusk when the sun is low and humidity is high. But under heavy tree cover, the light stays dim and the air stays cool enough that mosquitoes will come out to bite you in the middle of the day.

That doesn’t mean you should take an axe to the trees out back. But it does mean you might need help with pest control.

South Bend mosquito control for wooded properties, done right

You can thin out the obvious problems. Clear leaf litter, keep the gutters running, trim back the densest brush so air and light can move through. All of that helps shrink the places mosquitoes hide. 

For all the rest, our mosquito barrier treatment can help. It works because it is applied to those shaded resting spots mosquitoes love so much. Then, when mosquitoes land on treated surfaces, they’re knocked down. This works really well and can reduce the population by up to 90% for 21 days at a time before re-treatment.

Why trust Mosquito Squad of Northeast Indiana 

We treat a lot of tree-shaded properties around South Bend, and we've got the same battle in our own backyards. We know which corners of a wooded lot the mosquitoes favor because we've chased them out of ours.

Mosquito Squad of Northeast Indiana backs every visit with a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and we'll get your first treatment done within 48 hours, or it's free. Call (260) 204-8878 to get started.