How versed are you with mosquito knowledge? You probably know from experience how painful their bites can be. You’ve probably heard in the media that they can transmit diseases like West Nile virus. I’m sure you’ve read last week’s story about how quickly mosquitoes can multiply. Did you know that you could be hanging out with mosquitoes in your own backyard and actually creating breeding places without even knowing it? If you have water and plants in your yard, you have all mosquitoes need to survive.
Water is essential for breeding since female mosquitoes must have standing water to lay their eggs and plant juices are the necessary food for mosquitoes. Some think mosquitoes feed on a blood meal for survival but only female mosquitoes feed on blood for its protein, in preparation to lay eggs. At all other times, they eat plant juices like their male counterparts. That’s why its so easy to be attracting mosquitoes without being aware of it. Take a look at this photo and see if you can identify some of these sources in your own backyard.
Here are some of the most common breeding areas around your yard:
- Potted plants with saucers holding water.
- Pet Bowls
- Toys
- Bird Baths
- Ponds
- Neglected Pool
- Piles of Grass Clippings or leaves
- Leaky Hoses that saturates the ground
- Holes in Trees
- Clogged Gutters
- Uncovered Boats
- Tire piles or tire swing
- Open Trash Can
- Discarded small items
Did some of these items surprise you? You wouldn’t think a discarded water bottle top would be enough water to lay a hundred mosquito eggs but a teaspoon is all that is needed. Now that you are aware of some of these potential breeding grounds, take a walk around your yard and tip over any items that can collect rainwater or even water from your sprinkler system. Change the water in your birdbaths and dog bowls daily to eliminate stagnant water. Take care of your pond or pool to be sure the water is circulating and clean up any piles of yard waste. Most importantly, call Mosquito Squad of Wilmington or Mosquito Squad of Myrtle Beach for season long mosquito elimination. Our barrier treatment works continuously to eliminate mosquitoes on contact when they land to feed on the plant juices and creates a barrier around your property to keep additional mosquitoes out. Give us a call today to get started on your proactive protection throughout the system and start enjoying your yard again.