DIY tools work well on a handful of mosquitoes at a time. But homes on the shoreline produce mosquitoes faster than DIY mosquito prevention is able to keep up.
Plenty of people start with DIY mosquito control, and that is a reasonable first place to begin. You buy the citronella and the clip-on repellents, perhaps a fogger, and you give it your best honest try. But near Lake Michigan, you’ll find that kind of effort tends to hit a wall early, and it’s worth knowing why this is the case.
Blame the lake if you must. Floodwater species hatch by the thousands when rain and shifting lake levels flood the low, sandy ground. Meanwhile, lake-effect humidity keeps the whole area damp enough to sustain them. So you’re never dealing with a few stragglers. You’re instead facing a population that refills constantly from the surrounding habitat.
You may be tempted to turn to consumer products for help, but you’ll run into hard limits fast. Citronella candles can buy you a foot or two of protection in the evening, but that is quickly lost once a breeze comes off the water. Bug zappers look like they’re effective and that makes them satisfying to use, but they mostly knock out moths and beetles, which are largely harmless. Skin repellent guards the person wearing it and no one else, and applying it regularly enough to work is a hassle.
Serious pest problems require population-level control. Treating mosquitoes as they fly around is a losing game. It’s better to go after the places where they breed and hide, which is how professional barrier treatments work. Vegetation and shaded areas are treated because those are the places the mosquitoes rest during the hot, dry parts of the day. They touch the treated surfaces and are knocked down, unable to further trouble you or breed the next generation.
DIY habits still have a place. Dumping standing water and keeping the grass short will reduce what breeds on your property. It just can’t carry the whole load when the lake is producing mosquitoes on an industrial scale next to you.
If you feel like you can’t keep up with the lakeshore pests, Mosquito Squad of West Michigan Lakeshore is here to help. Mosquito Squad can apply a professional barrier treatment that helps protect your yard. You can expect an up to 90% reduction in mosquito activity for 21 days at a time, with regular re-treatment all season long.
