Landscaping Tips to Minimize Mosquito Habitats in Your Yard in Northeast OH

Summer months in Northeast Ohio bring warmer days, plenty of sunshine, and more time outside. With all of that, however, also comes the whiny drone of mosquitoes buzzing around in your ear and leaving you with itchy, painful bites.

During rainier springs and summers, like those typical in Northeast Ohio, mosquito populations especially thrive.

Not only do these pesky pests leave you with surface-level marks, but their damage can seep further under the skin as they also have the ability to spread diseases like West Nile and Zika to you, your family, and your friends.

You’ve likely tried different DIY methods to keep mosquitoes at bay, only to experience short-term relief or no relief at all.

We get it. You want to kick back and relax in your outdoor space and keep mosquitoes out of your yard for good—without feeling like you’re suffocating on bug spray.  At Turf Pride, we want you to be able to enjoy your property all season long.

So how do you get rid of mosquitoes? Lucky for you, we have plenty of practice. Here are some of the ways you can minimize mosquitoes in your yard.

Top Five Backyard Mosquito Habitats

Let’s take a look at the top five places mosquitoes like to congregate in your yard and how to eliminate these mosquito hangouts.

1. Water Features

The most important thing you should know about mosquitoes is that they’re attracted to areas of stagnant water. In fact, those types of areas serve as their breeding ground and are where they lay their eggs.

Fun fact: A mosquito only needs a bottle cap full of water to lay eggs.

While ponds and swampy areas are the most obvious places mosquitoes like to hang out, your yard likely has a few mosquito zones you’ve overlooked. Do you have a rain barrel full of standing water? What about a bird bath? Do you have a fountain or other water feature that no longer works or an unmaintained pool?

How to remedy: We understand you may not want to get rid of some of these features in your yard due to their aesthetic or practical value, but it may be time to bring in a few upgrades.

• Consider adding a pump. Mosquito larvae require access to the water’s surface to breathe, so if you implement a small submersible pump or power head to consistently circulate the water, you remove their oxygen access, effectively drowning them.

Pro tip: Be sure the pump is correctly installed to create ripples or a gentle current on the surface of the water.

• Add a thin layer of vegetable oil. This method works well for rain barrels. Just as water ripples inhibit the mosquito larvae from reaching the water’s surface level, the vegetable provides a barrier that keeps the larvae from reaching air. A few tablespoons of oil added to the rain barrel should do the trick.

Pro tip: Keep an eye on the barrel and reapply the oil after heavy rains or if the oil has been disrupted.

• Incorporate screening over the object. While adding a layer of fine mesh screening over a bird bath may defeat the purpose of the bird bath or pool, this technique could work well over a rain barrel’s opening and overflow tubes to prevent mosquitoes from entering.

Pro tip: Double check that the screen is fastened tightly and doesn’t have any holes or gaps.

2. Everyday Objects

Think about all of the objects laying around your yard that may be pooling water.

Do you have any empty flowerpots collecting water every time it rains? What about old tires? Do you have a firepit lid that tends to get filled with water periodically throughout the summer?

These are all things—often overlooked—that can attract mosquitoes to your property.

How to remedy: If there’s not a reason for water to be pooling in some of these everyday objects, dump it out.

Even better, if you can, declutter your yard and remove some of these potential habitats in the first place. That way, you don’t have to worry about emptying out every object in your yard every single time it rains. 

3. Dense Foliage

While mosquitoes lay their eggs in areas of standing water, they prefer to hide in areas of dense foliage during the day, and they thrive in the cool, shady regions often found underneath trees and shrubs.

Fun fact: Mosquitoes are most active early in the morning and in the late day to evening hours.

How to remedy: Because overgrown vegetation offers the perfect conditions for mosquitoes to hide, keep your plants and trees trimmed, especially those that border your house. Having less foliage around the house will reduce the population as well.

If you do have a lot of trees on your property and can’t seem to tame the mosquito populations naturally, that’s where our mosquito control experts at Turf Pride can step in and take out these insects once and for all.

4. Gutters

Another area where mosquitoes may like to lay their eggs is one you may not even notice at ground level: your gutters.

As blockages clog your gutter system, water has the potential to pool up, providing another spot that’s ripe for mosquito breeding.

While there are many reasons you should keep your home’s gutters free of leaves and other debris, mosquito control tops the list.

How to remedy: Check that your gutters contain no blockages, especially after big summer storms roll through, and clear them out if needed.

5. Low-Lying Areas

Does your property tend to retain water after a heavy storm?

If your yard contains low-lying areas that never seem to dry out, these sections may also provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

How to remedy: It may be worthwhile to install a drain or swale to improve the drainage in and around your yard.

How to Repel Mosquitoes From Your Yard

In addition to removing their habitats, there are a few other things you can do to keep mosquitoes off your property.

• Use fans on patios or other gathering areas to disrupt mosquito flight.
• Incorporate mosquito-repelling plants, like lavender, rosemary, citronella, and marigolds. Placing these plants around a gathering area will make a natural barrier. Lemon balm, eucalyptus, garlic, and scented geraniums can also help.
• Reduce light because mosquitoes are attracted to bright lights. Use yellow or low-wattage bulbs in outdoor fixtures.
• Add features that attract natural predators, like dragonflies, bats, and birds. These types of animals and insects can help reduce the mosquito population naturally.

Fun Facts About Mosquito Control Services

While there’s a lot you can do yourself to keep mosquitoes under control in your yard, calling in a mosquito control service will help you round out your mosquito defense strategy.
Remember, even if you’ve eliminated potential breeding and resting areas for mosquitoes on your property, your neighbors may not have, and without an effective mosquito control treatment, there’s nothing to keep those mosquitoes from migrating over to your property.
Here’s what you should know about our mosquito control offerings.

1. We are proactive in our approach.

Especially if the spring season brings a lot of rain, mosquito populations are naturally going to be higher due to the increase of places to lay their eggs.

As with other pests, preventive measures are the best way to control mosquitoes.

Keep in mind that if you already see a lot of mosquitoes flying around, it may take longer for our technicians to reduce their population since they are already active. 

2. Our products are completely safe for pets and kids.

Our technicians use a gas-operated backpack mist blower to spray the same product used for perimeter pest control treatments and tree and shrub treatments.

The difference is that the product is combined with natural thyme and rosemary oils that affect mosquitoes.

By using a gas-powered backpack mist blower, technicians can spray a large surface area of plants around the property, including mulched areas, hanging baskets, and potted plants.

For larger trees, technicians spray upward, about 10 feet into the bottom branches, because that’s where the adult mosquitoes like to hang out.

Our technicians will also spray a line along wooded areas around the perimeter of the property and use larvae control products in any standing water on the property.

3. A multivisit approach is most effective.

Like with other treatments, a one-and-done approach will not do the trick.

Our full mosquito control program consists of five applications from May through September or October. Each treatment is separated by about four to six weeks. 

We price based on the square footage of the lawn, so be sure to call and get a quote for your property today. 

4. Our technicians are knowledgeable and highly trained.

Our technicians are trained in how to use mosquito control products and knowledgeable about what areas on your property need to be addressed.

We follow the label instructions for every product in order to apply them correctly and safely.

Plus, our technicians are honest about what kind of properties need control applications and which do not, so you get the best service for your buck.

Call For Mosquito Control Services in Mentor, OH & Surrounding Communities

Summer is for grilling out in the backyard, playing with your kids and pets, and hanging out with friends and family on the patio.

You deserve to spend the summer months savoring time spent with your loved ones, rather than scratching itchy bites and worrying about what diseases these insects could possibly transmit.

Don’t let mosquitoes steal away your precious moments. Call us today or fill out the form to request a quote and schedule mosquito control services in Mentor, Painesville, Willoughby, and nearby areas so you can enjoy your outdoor space with your family all season long.