There are many smart ways to reduce the number of mosquitoes on your land including natural options, such as removing standing and stagnant water and conventional options, such as propane foggers or mosquito traps.
In this article we’re going to talk about why mosquitoes are dangerous, what you should know about mosquito habits, and some great tips on how to reduce the number of mosquitoes on your homestead.
Why Mosquitoes Are Bad
Before we dive into exactly how to get rid of these pesky mosquitos, let’s understand why they are dangerous to have whizzing around.
Viruses: They can carry viruses such as Zika, yellow fever, dengue, West Nile, and other harmful and deadly viruses. Unfortunately, everyone is susceptible to the diseases spread by these awful pests even your animals. Children, the elderly and sick are most susceptible. Mosquitoes exist across the world, with the exception of Antarctica. The four most common types of mosquitoes in the United States are the house mosquito, the southern house mosquito, the Asian tiger mosquito and the yellow fever mosquito.
Mosquitoes have obviously been much more problematic in other parts of the world, but the CDC reports that the number of reported cases of Americans sickened by bites from infected mosquitoes is increasing. Much of this increase is due to the transmission of the Zika virus.
Our modern ability to travel across the seas in a number of hours has increased the spread of these viruses. For example, in 2003 we traveled to Indonesia for 4 weeks and after returning home we learned that my husband was infected with malaria.
Mosquitoes thrive in warm temperatures, so shorter winters also factor in to the potential increase of infected cases.
Nuisances: Mosquitoes are a nuisance and can keep you and your family from enjoying being outdoors. A mosquito bite can be painful; for some people, these bites itch like crazy and can even turn into a large red and swollen lump. I am one of those people! I get bit and immediately start itching. This makes me highly motivated to minimize the amount of mosquitoes on our homestead.
If you’re not careful the inside of your home can turn into a breeding ground. You will be trying to sleep while they whizz and whirl around your ears. This is so very annoying and will cost you precious hours of sleep.
What You Should Know About Mosquitoes
Breeding: The mating pattern of mosquitoes is interesting since females only need to encounter a male mosquito once to mate and can produce eggs up to five times in a summer from that single encounter.
Once the female has mated with a male mosquito, she will rest for a few days before she finds the ideal location to lay her eggs. Female mosquitoes lay their eggs in water, marshes, swamps or anywhere that has sufficient moisture for their eggs. Where the females prefer to lay their eggs varies by species.
Range: Mosquitoes are mostly quiet during the day, preferring to concentrate on the edge of a body of water. An exception to this is the Asian tiger mosquito which is an aggressive daytime biter. When females hunt for blood — necessary for reproduction — they are on move for about an hour at dusk or at dawn, staying close to the ground.
A mosquito’s flight range can stretch pretty far from its breeding spot, but it typically prefers to stay around 300 feet from it’s “home.” Most species have flight ranges of 1-3 miles, but this doesn’t provide comfort to us homesteaders. Some species have been known to breed up to 7 miles in the Midwest. And the saltmarsh breeders have been known to migrate up to 100 miles! That is just crazy! Wind can also be a factor when talking about mosquito breeding.
The female mosquito has been known to fly about 150 yards from its breeding spot searching for food. Male mosquitoes don’t bite, so you don’t have any worry from them.
How To Reduce The Number Of Mosquitoes On Your Homestead
If you’re reading this article you already know that having millions of mosquitoes on your homestead is not ideal. Mosquitoes are dangerous and just plain annoying as we talked about above. So, let’s talk about some options for reducing the number of mosquitoes and protecting yourself against their bites.
Natural Options
Consider all the flower pots, old tires, pet dishes, bird baths, and storm drains on your property. There are all popular breeding sites for mosquitoes. Take a good look around your property and dump out unneeded water or cover buckets with lids to close those options for breeding grounds.
Mosquitoes also love shady and dark places. You may consider eliminating unnecessary bushes from around your house. Also, keep your grass cut short. Not only is this good for the grass, but it can help eliminate hiding areas for mosquitoes that are out during the hotter parts of the day.
Make sure you repair window or door screens so that mosquitoes cannot get through them. Holes or tears in screens are easily accessed by mosquitoes looking to feed on your blood. Having just a couple mosquitoes in your home as you are trying to sleep can be very frustrating. If you do have mosquitoes in your house, try turning on a fan. The wind will help keep the mosquitoes off of you while you sleep.
There are many herbs and flowers that naturally repel mosquitos. Many plants offer a strong scent that mosquitoes don’t like. By planting the following herbs and flowers around your property you will not only make your homestead beautiful, but also help repel mosquitoes.
- Basil
- Catnip
- Citronella Grass
- Citronella Geranium
- Citrosum
- Floss Flower
- Lavender (Grosso variety)
- Lemon Balm
- Marigolds
- Mint
- Peppermint
- Rosemary
- Sage
Protecting yourself against mosquito bites can be as simple as wearing protective clothing. Limit your activity and wear long-sleeves and pants between dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active. Also, wearing loose fitting clothes will help limit the amount of bites you get.
Ordinary goldfish eat mosquito larvae. If you have a pond on your property you might think about buying some to help out your mosquito problem. The job of eating mosquitoes doesn’t require a certain type of goldfish, although choosing smaller goldfish might be most effective because smaller fish can swim through the water and maneuver easily to reach all areas of their environment, thus doing a more complete job of getting rid of mosquitoes.
Mosquitofish would be an obvious choice for your pond. While they might not be considered as attractive as goldfish, they can survive in relatively inhospitable environments and are resilient to low oxygen concentrations. They can consume large quantities of insect larvae and is a favorite choice among water garden enthusiasts.
Conventional Options
Propane foggers are thermal devices that use heat to vaporize an insecticide from a liquid state and spray it out as a fog. Take note of all areas around your house where mosquitoes might be living and focus on those places. Foggers are used for an assortment of insects so if you choose to use a propane fogger be sure your insecticide is for treating mosquitoes.
There are two different types of foggers – wet and dry. The difference is one how big the “drop” of fog is. Use a dry fogger on your trees and shrubs. A wet fogger will leave a greasy residue on your plants. Be sure to fog under the leaves of your plants as well as on top. Point the fog into your shrubs, mosquitoes love dark places.
Don’t use a propane fogger inside your house. Make sure you are in a well ventilated area before fogging. Read the instruction manual and follow it carefully for whichever fogger you choose to ensure effectiveness and safety to you and your family.
Foggers are not going to rid you of mosquitoes in one application, but will provide significant immediate relief. Typically the insecticides kill and repel mosquitoes for 4-8 hours. One great thing about propane foggers is that you can enter the treated area as soon as the fog disperses, typically within less than 5 minutes.
This is the fogger that I am wanting to purchase. It is a Burgess 1443 Propane Insect Fogger. It has great reviews on Amazon by home users. I also want this one because it runs on propane and not electricity. I think it will work best if I fog for a couple of days consecutively after I notice mosquito season has begun. This is usually after the weather starts to warm up. After I notice less and less mosquitoes in the evenings I will wait around 10 days before fogging again. Remember the fogger only kills the adults, so the eggs that were already laid, will have hatched by then.
I will also be buying Black Flag Mosquito Fogging Insecticide to use with the fogger. It’s easy to use because there is no mixing involved and it is almost odorless.
There are many DIY mosquito traps out there. Their basic function is to attract mosquitoes using yeast and sugar placed inside a plastic bottle. The carbon dioxide lures the mosquito into a trap where they drown in the solution.
Professional mosquito traps usually involve a light system, some type of attractant, such as carbon dioxide, some form of heat emission to help attract mosquitoes once they are close, and a catch system. This is great, but realize that mosquito traps only address the problem of adult mosquitoes.
Bug Zappers are a pretty popular device among homeowners, but when you think about how effective they are at killing off mosquitoes, you might think again before purchasing one. Studies have shown that only about 4-6% of insects caught each day in a bug zapper are actually mosquitoes. If your intention is to kill mosquitoes, I suggest you use a different method.
Of course, you can always call for Professional Mosquito Services to routinely fog your property. Be prepared to pay a few pennies, but if you don’t want the hassle of buying your own fogger and insecticides, plus the time to treat your yard, call a professional to set up a treatment option for your home. Professional Mosquito Services offer treatments for one-time services, which might be good if you’re hosting a special event. But, most likely, on your homestead, you are looking for a seasonal solution. Prices will vary depending on the size of your property.
We used Permethrin on our clothes the first time we visited Indonesia. Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that is very common in Indonesia. We wanted to protect ourselves as much as possible. Permethrin is so powerful that even the Department of Defense uses it on their uniforms. You don’t apply this directly to your skin, which is a huge bonus!
Bug sprays are a very well known solution for repelling mosquitoes. Top-performing sprays include either DEET (15-30%), Picaridin (20%), or oil of lemon eucalyptus (30%). Just be careful not to spray over cuts or open wounds. Also, avoid spraying near food.
Conclusion
Whatever method you choose, you need to realize that the best mosquito control program follows an integrated approach which means reducing mosquito breeding sites as well as using effective trapping devices.
Mosquitoes are nasty little insects that carry viruses and can be totally annoying causing you to flee to the safety of your home. I hope that this article has been helpful to you and that you have learned which option or combination of options will be best for you and your homestead.
Let me and other readers know down in the comments how you are successful at reducing mosquitoes on your property?
