The best time to start mosquito treatment is early spring, as soon as the season is opening and before the population has a chance to build. In Michigan that generally means April into May, once temperatures are consistently reaching the 50s.
Mosquito problems have a tendency to spiral. Getting that first treatment done early makes a big difference. The starting population in spring, the ones that survived the winter, are the ones that reproduce. If there is a lower starting population, your entire season will likely play out differently.
Mosquitoes don’t care about the calendar. They watch temperature instead. Mosquitoes become active once daytime highs hold consistently in the 50s Fahrenheit, and the overwintered adults emerge on the first warm stretches. In Southwest and South Central Michigan, that usually happens in April or May. But if spring comes in warm or early, mosquitoes will start earlier.
If you’re looking for a way to make that first treatment of the year work its very best, then you’ll want to also do source reduction. Basically, you want to take away the places where mosquitoes breed. As the yard thaws, walk it and clear the standing water that spring rains and snowmelt leave behind, clogged gutters, containers, low spots, and debris, so there are fewer places for that first generation to develop.
From there, recurring treatment carries you through the season. Each barrier treatment stays effective for about three weeks at a time. Ongoing applications keep the population of mosquitoes suppressed from the early start to the first frost in the fall.
If you're tired of the mosquitoes getting a head start on you every year, Mosquito Squad of Southwest and South Central Michigan can help. Mosquito Squad can begin the barrier early to get ahead of the population. This can help you to protect your yard with up to 90% reduction in mosquito activity on a recurring 21-day cycle.
