If your home is located by a pond, lake, or simply in the vicinity of a puddle of standing water, there is a good chance you'll be fighting off buzzing mosquitoes as the temperatures start coming up into the low 70s. In our state, a number of different types of mosquitoes have found a home, and once here, their ability to make their numbers grow is second to none.
Let's learn a bit more about the role mosquitoes play in our ecosystem, the dangers a mosquito bite will expose you to, how to keep mosquitoes away from your home, and what Raleigh pest control pros recommend as the best approach to getting rid of mosquitoes inside and outside of your home if they're already infesting your property.
The Role Mosquitoes Play In Our Ecosystem
Mosquitoes fill a very important niche in our ecosystem when not ruining perfectly good summer evenings and buzzing around your ears. While best known for their attraction to our blood, only female mosquitoes rely on it for sustenance and to capture nutrients needed to reproduce.
In general, mosquitoes in Raleigh feed on nectar and honeydew, pollinating a number of plants around as us they do so. Mosquitoes also serve as an essential food source for many smaller predators, from birds and bats to fish and other insects.
The Potential Dangers Of A Mosquito Bite
Like most other insects that feed on human and animal blood, mosquitoes can easily transfer bacteria and diseases infecting their previous victim to the next blood donor they choose to siphon off plasma from. Being bitten by a mosquito exposes you to a number of diseases, among them:
- West Nile virus
- Dengue
- Chikungunya
- Encephalitis
- Tularemia
A bite can also spark a serious allergic reaction in people predisposed to mosquito bite allergies.
Five Simple Yet Effective Mosquito Prevention Tips
While ridding your property of these buzzing invaders is not an easy task, taking a few simple mosquito prevention steps will go a long way to keep the problem off your doorstep in the first place:
- Keep vegetation on your property trimmed to remove places mosquitoes will use to hide during midday.
- Get rid of puddles and other areas of wet ground or standing water.
- Wear long sleeves and pants when going out in the evening and morning.
- Avoid wearing strongly smelling perfumes, as they attract mosquitoes.
- Attract mosquito's natural predators, such as bats and sparrows, to your property to keep mosquito numbers down.
Unfortunately, even the most diligent prevention tactics might not be enough if the weather is conducive to the increasing mosquito population. A wet spring or a cool, rainy summer can explode the numbers of these annoying pests.
The Best Way To Find Relief From Mosquitoes This Summer
Clearing mosquitos off your property, once they've started to multiply, can be a difficult task. A female mosquito can lay up to 500 eggs per brood, and each of those eggs will be fully grown, capable of biting and reproducing mosquito in less than two weeks.
To rid your property of mosquitoes, it's important to not only take care of the adult insects but also identify the breeding grounds and ensure they're no longer suitable for mosquito reproduction.
At Go-Forth Home Services, we've been helping North Carolina homeowners keep their backyards free of mosquitos for over 60 years, offering the best pest control and lawn service. If you're struggling to control mosquitoes in your Raleigh backyard, give us a call for a free quote today.