When it comes to landscaping your property you probably want to make it as appealing as possible. While that is the case for humans, you will want to make it as unappealing to mosquitoes as possible. When you know exactly what mosquitoes are drawn to it can be an easy and simple way to deter them from your property. By using these tips, you can keep your yard beautiful and free of these insects.
Eliminate Wet Spots
One of the main things you can do is landscape your lawn to ensure no puddles remain for days on end, giving mosquitoes a chance to breed. Turn over or dispose of any container that could hold any amount of water. If this is not possible, you should at least regularly empty stagnant water. Eliminate standing water or puddles by adding a layer of stone, while covering it with topsoil, reseeding if needed. These will not only help to reduce mosquito breeding grounds but will make your yard much more visually pleasing.
Enhance Your Water Features
If you have a pond decoration or any other water feature on your property, try adding a fountain, pump, or another device that moves water. This will prevent mosquitoes from laying their eggs. If the water is moving or flowing, the mosquitoes won’t lay eggs in it because the larvae won’t be able to swim.
Add Some Wind
Mosquitoes aren’t skillful fliers. They are delicate insects that have little wings and can be tossed around by wind easily. To make your yard less attractive to mosquitoes, you can remove shrubbery, trees with heavy foliage, fences, or anything else that might be blocking wind. The more that the wind can blow across your property without being blocked, the more trouble mosquitoes will have flying in your yard.
If you have a porch, you can implement a fan near high traffics areas with human activity. This will act in the same way as wind, making it hard for mosquitoes to fly near this area. Not to mention, this can add a bonus of potentially cooling you off on those hot summer nights.
Attract Mosquito Predators
Another way that you can add to your backyard while keeping mosquitoes out, is by attracting their predators. Entice bats with bat boxes, as these animals feed on mosquitoes during the nighttime. Spiders are also predators that hunt mosquitoes, so be careful not to completely remove too many of their webs. Certain birds, like purple martins, also go after these bugs, so building them a special house can add another charming aspect to your yard that draws in beautiful visitors – all while eliminating the unwanted pests.
Maintain Your Lawn
Mowing the lawn is another way to counter the mosquitoes. During the day, mosquitoes will go into tall grass or weeds to avoid dehydration from the sun. Remember that these insects are tiny, so it’s they can hide in grass that’s 2 inches or higher.
