Mosquitoes need standing water to breed and shaded areas to rest. Remove water sources, thin overgrown vegetation, and consider scheduling a professional treatment before the population has a chance to build.
With mosquitoes, it’s always a temptation to wait until they’re noticeable to do something about that. But by the time you do so, you’re already behind. In Northwest Indiana, the first mosquitoes start showing up in May, and by the time it’s the middle of June, the population can feel like it appeared overnight. But if you prepare your yard ahead of time, you can keep the worst surges of mosquitoes at bay.
If there’s one and only one thing you do: remove standing water. Mosquitoes need it to breed. When eggs are laid in standing water, they become adults within 7–14 days, and those adults go on to bite you and give rise to yet more mosquitoes. So it’s always a good idea to walk your property and look for anything holding water, including gutters that don’t drain, saucers under flower pots, old tires, kids’ toys, buckets, and even the folds of a grill cover. This is the single most effective lever you have against the mosquito population.
When it comes to standing water, Northwest Indiana has a disadvantage. Namely, the lots tend to be flat, so even the smallest low spots can hold water. The same goes for poorly graded areas around home foundations. If you have areas that consistently puddle, filling or regrading them before mosquito season starts is worth the time.
Beyond water, it also helps to address shade and shelter. Mosquitoes dry out in the hot sun, and they spend their time resting in cool, humid vegetation to avoid desiccation. Trimming back thick shrubs and mowing grass regularly takes away the places they would otherwise hide.
If you’ve done what you can on your property, and you'd like even more help getting your Northwest Indiana property ready for mosquito season, Mosquito Squad of NW Indiana can provide it. Mosquito Squad treats the areas where mosquitoes breed and rest, then maintains that protection with visits every 21 days to keep mosquito populations suppressed all season long.
