Keep Mosquitoes Out Of Your Katy Yard

If you have ever been overwhelmed by mosquitoes in your yard and wondered why we couldn’t just get rid of these terrible pests, you aren’t alone. As lovely as it would be to eliminate all mosquitoes, we need them to stick around to maintain a healthy and balanced ecosystem. Animals such as frogs, birds, spiders, turtles, and bats consume mosquitoes. So if we were to eradicate them, there would be a gap in the food web. Unfortunately, this means we have to continue dealing with them, and because of the climate in Texas, we have them worse than other places.

Mosquitoes are tiny flying insects. They have slender bodies, six long legs, and two pairs of wings. Mosquito’s mouthparts are called proboscis. Females have a strong proboscis, which allows them to pierce the skin and take blood meals. However, males don’t have strong mouthparts, so they only consume flower nectar, honeydew, and other sweet liquids. The size and color of a mosquito will vary depending on the species.

Many don’t realize that mosquitoes are more attracted to some people. This is for a few reasons, which include:

Mosquitoes can detect carbon dioxide to find a host. Some people exhale more carbon dioxide than others, which can also increase when pregnant and after consuming alcohol.
Sweating and a high body temperature can be naturally high for some people or increase by activity or pregnancy.
Consuming alcohol can also increase body temperature and make you sweat more.
Blood type-o is a favorite of mosquitoes.
Natural bacteria on your skin differ from person to person.
Wearing dark clothing tends to attract mosquitoes more.

Even though we can’t eliminate mosquitoes, we can help control the populations living on your property. This will let you get back outside enjoying the spring and summer months. Please keep reading to learn about our Modern Pest Control mosquito solutions and the Katy pest control services we offer.

Why Mosquitoes Are Considered Dangerous

Mosquitoes are annoying and frustrating. You’ve likely had many experiences where you spend time outside just for this pest to ruin it. You can probably even picture what that looks like right now. Not only do mosquitoes buzz past us, but they also bite, leaving behind an itchy bite. While excessive scratching of mosquitoes bites can lead to secondary infections, this is not the most cause for concern for this pest.

These delicate flying insects are vectors of dangerous diseases. Diseases spread by mosquitoes worldwide, such as yellow fever, malaria, and many more. Although mosquitoes are much more deadly in other parts of the world, they still pose the following threats in the United States:

Chikungunya- most people will develop symptoms three to seven days after being bitten by a mosquito. While most people who show symptoms recover in a week, some can have prolonged pain. Symptoms of this virus include rash, swelling, joint swelling, and muscle pain.
West Nile Virus- this is the most common mosquito-borne illness in North America, but most people infected with this virus don’t always develop symptoms. Severe symptoms can include muscle weakness, fever, headache, neck stiffness, tremors, numbness, and vision loss.
Dengue- can be life-threatening and usually requires medical treatment. Symptoms can include rash, fever, aches, nausea, vomiting, and pain behind the eyes, and dengue can become a severe medical emergency.
Dog Heartworm- dogs infected with heartworm don’t always show symptoms but may display weight loss, difficulty breathing, lethargy, and persistent cough. Heartworms are a serious threat to dogs and can be deadly if left untreated. It would be best to have your pet on a preventative prescribed by a veterinarian.

These diseases spread by mosquitoes may not be the most common in the United States, but it is impossible to tell which mosquitoes are carrying them, so it is best to protect yourself as much as you can.

As we mentioned, mosquitoes are attracted to some people more than others, so you can try your best to reduce these attractive factors by doing the following:

Shower and change your clothes before going outside.
Don’t drink alcohol before or while outside.
Wear light-colored, tightly woven fabrics.

You can use store-bought products, but you should not rely on them entirely as they are not always effective and don’t provide adequate protection.

What Mosquitoes Are Attracted To

We have already discussed the things that can make individuals attractive to mosquitoes and how you can try and reduce those factors, but even more prevalent are things that make your yard a popular place for this pest. Like all pests, mosquitoes find properties that provide what they need to survive, usually food, shelter, and water.

Here are all the ways you could be inviting this pest to your yard:

Food- while female mosquitoes need to consume a blood meal to reproduce, they also eat sweet liquids as males do. Because of this, gardens and flowering plants can make your yard susceptible to this pest. Not only do the flowers attract mosquitoes, but the pests that eat plants, do as well. These plant-destroying pests are called aphids, and they secrete a sweet liquid called honeydew, which mosquitoes will feed on. Mosquitoes can also find nutrition in rotting fruit, compost piles, and uncovered garbage cans.
Water- like other critters, mosquitoes need to consume water to stay hydrated, but they also need it to reproduce. They only require a small about of stagnant water, about an inch, to lay their eggs. Standing water sources on your property can appear in many different forms, which we will tell you more about below in how to eliminate breeding sites.
Shelter- while mosquitoes need warm weather to thrive, they can’t survive long in direct sunlight. If you have noticed, mosquitoes are most active in the early morning and at night; because the afternoon is too hot for them. During this time, they will find shady places to hide, including compost piles, tall grass, foliage, trees, and more.

Store-bought products can offer some protection, but they won’t keep mosquitoes away completely. This is especially true when your property has multiple breedings sights for this pest to continue repopulating. When this is the case, it can be nearly impossible to be outside any time of day. If you are reading this, you may already be experiencing this kind of mosquito activity and are desperate for a solution. Below we will tell you how to eliminate breeding sites and what attracts mosquitoes to keep their populations under control.

Eliminate Mosquito Breeding Sites

In only an inch of water, mosquitoes can lay about 100 eggs. The mosquito lifecycle is made up of four separate stages:

Once the female mosquito takes a blood meal, she will lay her eggs in some form of standing water. Eggs take between 24 to 72 hours to hatch. A fun fact about mosquito eggs is that they are very strong and can lay dormant a long time before hatching.
The larvae emerge from their eggs and feed on bacteria and other microorganisms in the water. Larvae are also referred to as "wrigglers" due to how they move their bodies. In seven to 10 days, larvae will molt three times and develop into pupae.
They don't feed during the pupal stage but instead take in air as they develop into adult mosquitoes in one to three days.
After adult mosquitoes emerge, they will breed after a little over a day. While female mosquitoes usually live for a little over a month, they can survive several months in the right conditions. Male mosquitoes typically live about a week but survive up to two weeks. Females can lay eggs multiple times, depending on the species.

This means that in only a few days, you could have thousands of mosquitoes in your yard. Because of this, it is essential to eliminate as many potential breeding sites as you can in your yard.

Here is a comprehensive list of common mosquito breeding sites on residential properties:

Birdbaths
Clogged gutters
Ponds and other landscaping water features
Over-watered plants and potted plants
Kayaks, boats, and other recreational equipment
Wheelbarrows
Grill covers
Swimming pools, hot tubs, and kid's paddle pools
Ground holes and areas of the lawn with poor drainage
Open garbage cans
Tires and tire swings
Water bowls for pets
Rain catchment systems that are not adequately sealed

This by no means is an exhaustive list, so you should consider any other places that can catch rain or hold standing water. It would be best if you regularly kept up with yard maintenance, such as clearing out your gutters and dumping out water after it rains. Storing some of these objects, such as wheelbarrows and kayaks, can help to reduce the water they hold. It is also beneficial to change your pet's water regularly, if not daily, even if it is inside, as mosquitoes can get inside through open windows and doors. If you have pools or ponds, ensure they have filters or are appropriately treated so mosquitoes can not breed in them.

Along with eliminating breeding sites, you should also reduce shaded areas on your property to make it less attractive to mosquitoes.

You can do this by:

Keeping your lawn cut short and removing the grass clippings
Trimming excess foliage
Cleaning up leaf piles
Removing open-air compost piles

Other natural methods of deterring mosquitoes are:

Using outdoor fans as mosquitoes aren't strong flyers
Planting naturally repelling herbs and flowers such as basil, thyme, rosemary, lavender, citronella, catnip, lemongrass, and marigolds
Enjoy a bonfire as the smoke will help keep mosquitoes away

While natural preventatives are a great help, they may not always give you the results you are looking for. Unfortunately, you could live in an area that is prone to high mosquito populations. To combat this, rely on professional mosquito control services. Experts can drastically reduce the amount of these annoying and dangerous pests on your property.

Invest In Professional Mosquito Control

So, if store-bought products are ineffective against mosquitoes, then what can you do to keep them away? Well, the best way to reduce mosquitoes in your yard is by investing in a professional mosquito control plan. Katy residents can call us at Modern Pest Control for year-round mosquito protection.

We provide specialized services to get rid of mosquitoes in your yard by reducing their populations. Our season mosquito protection includes monthly services from April through October when these pests are most active. We use the reliable Mistaway System, which provides long-term mosquito management. This system is a state-of-the-art, tankless misting system that is effective against mosquitoes and other insects. Compared to other systems, this one is compact and is inconspicuous. It is controllable using a smartphone and is easy to program the dilution rates and misting times. This feature helps to adjust the system based on seasonal needs.

Our mosquito control treatments are also available with our Signature Plus Services, a quarterly service. With this plan, you get termite control and year-round protection from ants, roaches, silverfish, crickets, millipedes, pillbugs, and earwigs, as well as yard control for fleas fire ants, and spiders.

Pest control is never a one-size-fits-all solution. This is why we start with a thorough inspection by one of our pest management experts; we will help determine what kind of pest pressures you are experiencing to provide the services you need for your home.