Everyone understands how frustrating a mosquito problem in the backyard can be. It takes all of the fun out of any outdoor activity and can waste money if you’ve invested in an enjoyable outdoor space on your property. Unfortunately, having your barbecue or outdoor playtime interrupted is the least of your worries when it comes to mosquito problems. If you knew how dangerous mosquitoes actually are, you’d pay a lot more attention to what could be attracting them to your property.
Simple Nuisance Or Severe Danger?
Even though they can be a huge pain, mosquitoes can’t be relegated to the simple nuisance category since they’re actually one of the most dangerous animals on earth. Because they feed on the blood of any warm-blooded animal, including livestock and humans, they can transfer diseases from victim to victim.
Next time you’re bitten by a mosquito, think about the fact that one in every three-hundred mosquito bites results in a dangerous disease. While malaria cases have gone down in the United States, other dangerous mosquito-borne diseases are still prevalent, including West Nile virus, Zika virus, dengue fever, and yellow fever.
To make matters worse, mosquitoes don’t simply feed on their victims. Equipped with a feeding tube that includes a special toxin, mosquitoes have the ability to numb the skin of their victims in order to allow for longer feeding. The longer mosquitoes feed, the more likely they are to transfer diseases. The only reprieve is that female mosquitoes are the only ones who feed on humans, but this doesn’t stop mosquitoes from being responsible for one million deaths per year worldwide.
Avoiding The Dangers
Now that you understand how dangerous mosquitoes can be, you’ll want to shift your focus to prevention. We’ll start with the common things that attract mosquitos to humans. These include:
- Type-O blood
- Pregnancy
- Dark-colored clothing
- Alcohol
- Heavily scented shampoos/colognes
Along with avoiding as many of these as you can (admittedly, some are uncontrollable), you should also avoid doing outdoor activities at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
As your focus shifts to preventing mosquito activity on your own property, you have to start by getting rid of every standing water source that you can. Since mosquitoes can breed in just over a half-inch of standing water, anything from a pond, birdbath, or a wheelbarrow after a rainstorm can attract mosquitoes.
If you pour these items out or monitor them closely, you might be able to avoid an infestation. However, just one opportunity for mosquitoes to breed can create a permanent issue on your property. Once the larvae are born, pouring the water out will still leave you with a mosquito infestation, so the only way to get rid of the issue is with professional assistance.
Guaranteed PreventioAt Evolve Pest Control, we have years of experience and innovative mosquito solutions to treat every possible mosquito breeding ground on your property. Our highly trained pest technicians will identify the areas of your property that are attracting mosquito activity and treat the areas with our kid-safe and pet-friendly solutions. With periodic visits and treatments, we can guarantee a mosquito-free property. We also offer one-time mosquito treatments if you want to drastically reduce the number of mosquitoes on your property for an outdoor event.
So next time you’re dealing with mosquitoes in the yard, don’t try and handle the problem yourself. You’ll only increase your chances of incurring a dangerous disease because of a bite. For more advice or mosquito control assistance, contact the professionals at Evolve Pest Control to take back your outdoor space for good. We are here to help.
