If it feels like you get bit right when you’re ready to start the day or enjoying your backyard after a day at work, you know what kind of havoc comes with some insects. However, knowing how to reduce mosquito activity in South Florida doesn’t have to be complicated. You just need to know what preventive steps you can take and what help you need when things get bad.
Standing Water’s Impact on Mosquito Activity
There are so many wonderful things to be said about that tiny theme park located in Orlando, but many people may not realize that Walt Disney World has some of the largest mosquito-free areas in all of Florida. There’s a perfectly good explanation for why Disney World is largely mosquito free. Everything from the architecture to the landscape design focuses on having zero standing water. All pools have fountains, designers selected plants for their ability to soak up rainwater, and buildings are constructed to let water flow off them. While that dedication to reducing areas that appeal to female mosquitoes looking for places to lay eggs is admirable, you don’t need to be quite as extreme in your tactics. The first steps you can take to fight back are:
- Ensuring that birdbaths are cleaned and changed often,
- Making a habit of refreshing plant pots and buckets after each storm.
- Turning your attention to often overlooked areas like clogged gutters or drains.
The more standing water that you can remove from your property the better.
Minimizing Brush and Overgrown Foliage
While it may not seem like it when you’re getting bit, mosquitoes do need to rest and hide from their natural predators. They usually do so at night and during the day by hiding in tall grass or larger bushes around your property. Ensuring that your grass is kept short and your bushes pruned, especially near seating and play areas, can go a long way to keep you out of danger.
Many horticulturalists will suggest that because these insects feed on nectar, herbs such as basil and rosemary or flowers like marigolds are effective deterrents. Of course, it can’t hurt, but we would only recommend choosing these plants if you were already planning on planting them.
Helping Mother Nature Fight Back
Mosquitoes do have natural predators, and counties like Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach are just a few that use mosquitofish to try and fight back. Each of these tiny swimmers can eat up to 100 larvae per day. As a result, local governments frequently deposit them in places like abandoned swimming pools or other areas with standing water to attempt to control mosquito populations in these areas.
Aside from mosquitofish, you can stock your ponds or home water features with minnows, goldfish, and guppies to help reduce the mosquito activity in your yard. Also, frogs and dragonflies do their part to keep your yard free from these pests. Allowing mother nature to do her part is a great natural way to defend yourself and your family against these pests.
What Doesn’t Work
There are many home remedies, zappers, and chemicals sold to control mosquito activity that just aren’t effective when it comes to controlling fast growing infestations. The reason there is no one size fits all solution to eradicating mosquitoes is because there are various species of these annoying and potentially dangerous insects. Many of these treatments seem to make more sense in theory than they do in practice. Here are a few of the top ones we’re asked about:
- Bug zappers—Bug zappers will kill mosquitoes. Unfortunately, if you’re used to seeing a bevy of moths at night near your exterior lights, know that they will also get killed, and the frequency of the machine going off can be aggravating.
- Citronella candles—Citronella is a known bug deterrent, but the candles themselves are only as effective as the direction and output of the smoke. Trying to always put yourself downwind of a candle is a difficult ask for anyone.
- “Natural” pest repellents—Make sure any insect repellent you get uses ingredients that are actually certified by the Environmental Protection Agency. Otherwise, you could be slathering on a strange chemical and get bit anyway.
Get Professional Pest Control to Control Mosquito Activity
The truth of the matter is that these tiny biting beasts are a serious issue in South Florida, and across the country. A pest control service and its team of technicians has years of experience dealing with them and knows how to reduce mosquito activity in South Florida. With more than 80 species in our state alone, it involves a variety of tactics.
Nozzle Nolen uses the latest technology, like the Inzecto trap that attracts females that breed in containers of water. The device attacks both mosquitoes and their larvae, while the pesticide is completely inaccessible for humans and pets. Along with this, we also regularly offer low-impact misting services during dawn or dusk hours to cut down on the number of adult mosquitoes swarming around your property.
Call Nozzle Nolen at 1-800-226-6536 or Contact Us for more information to help manage the mosquito activity on your property. We look forward to serving you.
