How To Get Rid Of Mosquitoes In Garden?

Mosquitoes are probably the most hated insect of them all. Not only are they loud, annoying and leave you with awful itchy bites, but they also carry a bunch of diseases, which makes them a real threat to your mental state and the health of your family. Backyards are supposed to be a place to relax, spend time with your family, have a barbeque, and overall, enjoy the season properly. It shouldn’t turn into a bloody battlefield every time you try to go out and have a cool drink at your porch at night. Know how to get rid of mosquitoes in garden and outdoors with these most effective methods.

Ways To Get Rid Of Mosquitoes In Garden

So if you’ve been the victim of an outdoor mosquito invasion, we’ve prepared a couple of easy techniques for you to try out to lower the buzz volume and actually enjoy your time in the garden. It’s normal to see a mosquito or two buzzing in your garden, especially in the summer. However, if you see their numbers inflating, then it’s time to take measures and get rid of those little vampires.

#1 Grow Mosquito Repellent Plants In Your Garden

Prevention is always the way to go and one of the best ways to do it is planting some flora that will keep the little bloodsuckers and other nasty pests away from your property. Not only will you be protected from them, but you will have a lovely garden, as well.

• Lavender
• Basil
• Lemon Weed
• Peppermint
• Lemon Eucalyptus
• Catnip
• Garlic
• Citronella
• Cedar
• Rosemary
• Floss Flower
• Lemon Thyme
• Nodding Onion
• Tea Tree

#2 Attack them with essential oils

Essential oils are basically the stronger and faster-acting version of mosquito repellent plants. The smell is concentrated and it really keeps the mosquitoes away because they just can’t stand it. Find oils with the odour of the above-mentioned plants and prepare a quick mixture that you will apply to the most affected areas. The smells that affect them the most in their essential oil form are the peppermint, lavender, lemon, eucalyptus and lemongrass.

The solution is quite simple, you just put a couple of essential oil drops in a cup of lukewarm water, pour it in a spray bottle and apply to where you think it’s needed. It can be used on the skin, as a repellent that will keep the mosquitoes from biting you or your family. You can also spray it on your clothes, table cloths, if you have a swing with fabric on it, basically any place that would probably be attacked by the little vampires.

Another mixture that is quite successful at keeping mosquitoes away is the combination of neem and coconut oil. Mix them together with water, spray the solution on your skin and you will be protected for more than half a day.

#3 Eliminate standing water

This is the place where mosquitoes breed so naturally they are attracted to all types of standing water. This includes rain gutters, pet bowls, artificial lakes, pools, buckets. Water can also gather in the saucers for your plants, old tires, the pool covers, trash cans, uncovered barbeques, as well as discarded lids, toys and Frisbees. In order to keep the mosquitoes from breeding and laying their eggs, you have to take their needed environment and here is what you have to do exactly.

• Empty the plant saucers, rain gutters and any other object in your garden that you cannot relocate but it’s frequently filled with water;
• Clean up the yard from all the toys and rubbish, haul off old tires;
• Don’t leave pet bowls outside when your pets are indoors. Even if they are empty, just put them inside;
• Change the water in birdbaths often, if you have any;
• Regularly check trash cans, pool cover and buckets in case they fill up with water;
• Ruin puddles as often as you can;
• If you have a pond with actual fish inside, you can purchase a species that eat mosquito larvae;
• Treat the water in your ponds with larvicide mosquito rings, found at the garden and home stores.

#4 Apply short or long term foggers and insecticides

When standard pest prevention doesn’t help, you have to take more serious action against the annoying flying suckers and one of those courses of action include foggers and insecticides. The amount you will be using and the type of pesticide depends on the size of the infestation. If the problem is not that serious, you can use a lighter, short term insecticide that will help with a small invasion. They are a mixture of actual pesticides and extracts of natural ingredients such as citronella.

Long-term insecticides and foggers work mostly the same, it’s just that the chemicals are a bit stronger and for example, when you apply them to your garden and deck areas, you have to make sure none of it goes inside your house.

Keep in mind that these methods are not very useful on windy days.

#5 Install deadly misters

A more critical option is to instal a device that will spread a fine mist over an area of your choice that will not just repel the mosquitoes, but it will actually kill them instantly. Of course, we recommend that you use this when you are not actively using the garden, especially if you have kids and pets. It’s an effective method but not very suitable for people who are not keen on the idea of filling their backyard with deadly chemicals.

#6 Use mosquito traps

Usually, when you make a trap, you have to use the primary food source of the creature. For example, termite traps are actually wet cardboard boxes, which are extremely tasty to them. So what would the trap for a mosquito be? A bowl of blood and a tiny straw to go with it? Thankfully not.

Mosquitos actually find their prey thanks to their breathing and the fact that they release and spread CO2. So the traps used to catch the tiny vampires actually mimic breathing creatures by spreading CO2. Mosquitos will be drawn to it and quickly fall in the trap. However, this technique is not at all effective when there are other living, breathing creatures in close proximity.

If you stand next to such a trap, the mosquito will always go to you. That’s why we recommend that you use them only when you or any other human/pet are not present outside.

#7 Place insect-repelling lights in your garden

These will not kill the insects or keep them from coming back but they can basically act as a small light forcefield around your garden that will make the environment a lot more unpleasant for the mosquitoes. It’s been proven by scientists that certain light waves that are between 530-590 can effectively repel not only mosquitoes but other insects, as well. The most effective option would be a yellow CFL (compact fluorescent light) because yellow is the point where all the wavelengths of light become longer and really bug the whole existence of mosquitoes.

Other types of lights you can use are the halogen bulbs, sodium vapour lamps or LED lights. The good thing about those is that they are also very energy efficient and emit a lot less heat than other lights. You can purchase those at any home, garden and lighting store.

#8 Invite bats into your home

Sounds weird but hear us out. Bats are natural predators to insects and can actually eat up to 1,000 of them the size of a mosquito every night. So, why not attract those hunters to help you out in your quest of freeing your lovely garden from annoying mosquitoes?

Okay, but how do you actually do it? It’s simple! Install a bat house and they will come in no time. The construction should be made of wood and it needs to be placed facing either south, east or southeast so that it will get at least 6 hours of sunlight each day. The model of the house itself depends entirely on you. You can make it a small, backyard box for a single bachelor bat to live alone, or create a whole freestanding tower that will host a whole colony. You decide. We also recommend that you paint the bat hotel a dark colour, for example, black, so that it will absorb all the heat it needs.

#9 Call a professional pest control company

Of course, home-made remedies and repellents can only do so much. When everything else fails and you’re still suffering under the oppression of those awful, annoying insects, call for a pest control expert. He will be able to determine the level of the infestation as well as the best possible method for extermination that will not be harmful to you or your family.

Final Words

Hope, you will find these ideas helpful to get rid of mosquitoes in garden. Keep your garden area fresh, don’t let mosquitoes to spoil its value.

In general, it is a good idea to buy some garden netting once you have determined the size of your garden, the plants you want to grow, and the climate in which you want to plant them. Garden netting can be used to protect your new plantings from animals and pests. The pests won’t be able to escape once the perimeter of the area where your chosen plants will grow is covered with netting, leaving your new plants free to flourish in their new, secure environment. Animals, pests, and diseases that are harmful to your new garden and could cause you a lot of trouble will be kept at bay. This will also enhance your garden’s aesthetic appeal.

Author bio: This is a guest post contribution by Alexander Crawley, an entomology consultant for Fantastic Pest Control. As a psychology graduate, I got bored after years of studying humans and found my true fascination – bugs. In my spare time, I like to read and write about insects, help people solve their pest problems.