If you’ve lived in a place that gets cold during the winter and warm during the summer, you’ve experienced mosquito season. While some states experience mild summers with few pest infestations, eastern Virginia is thrown into the hot and sticky season with a swarm of unwanted bloodsuckers. This year, instead of being miserable all summer long, be prepared for mosquito season by knowing how to fight back.
Once the weather gets warmer, mosquitoes emerge from hibernation. First, female mosquitoes need blood to produce eggs. Mosquitoes also require standing water to reproduce and can be found in a variety of locations, including floodwater (temporary water habitats such as runoff from heavy rainfall) or more permanent water, such as lakes and rivers.
Female mosquitoes lay their eggs directly on the surface of still water or along the edges of bodies of water that are prone to flooding. Depending on the temperature, these eggs can either hatch immediately or lay dormant for a period until it gets warmer outside. Once hatched, larvae and pupils remain in the water, leaving only when they are fully grown mosquitoes.
Because no one can accurately predict the temperature or amount of rainfall for the upcoming season, it’s best to prepare for the next mosquito season now. Mosquitoes are a tough opponent, but here are a few tricks to help you stop the cycle before it starts.
Remove Excess Water
Drain all excess water from your surroundings or treat it prior to mosquito season. Mosquitoes require water to reproduce, so the less water available means the less mosquitoes to worry about. Unfortunately, there is no way to get rid of all standing water, so this is more of a preventative method to keep in mind as it gets warmer outside.
Set Traps
Set mosquito traps in your area and use environmentally safe repellents. When put in the right location, mosquito trap brands such as Dynatrap or Flowtron are effective ways to eliminate mosquitoes. These traps mimic CO2, a common indication of human breath, and eliminate mosquitoes in a variety of ways depending on the trap. Although these are effective methods, they only extend to smaller, more intensely populated mosquito areas, and leave a lot of room for other mosquitoes to infiltrate your area.
Hire Us
Although there are many ways to treat mosquitoes by yourself, the best solution is hiring a professional exterminator to manage your yard and surrounding areas. Mosquitoes are tricky and can hide in a variety of locations. As professional mosquito exterminators, we are seasoned veterans; we have the tried-and-true tools to fight mosquitoes and know exactly where to find them. Scheduling regular treatments starting now can guarantee you and your family a better summer by stopping the infestation before it starts.
