Mosquitos breed very quickly. A female mosquito will lay her eggs in a stagnant pool of water and in 2-3 days those eggs will hatch. Once the larvae hatch, they will become mature mosquitos within 7-10 days and fly off in search for more blood to lay even more mosquito eggs according to Purdue University.
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Mosquito Bait Trap
My favorite way to get rid of mosquitos is by far the most effective method I have ever found.
We simply set up a mosquito bait trap (a small pool of water in a bucket or pot) and insert a Mosquito Dunk.
You can throw some grass or weed clippings into the water to make your stagnant pool of water even more attractive to female mosquitos.
You should set up one mosquito bait trap for every 1/4 acre of your property where you want to control mosquitos. If you have any stagnant pools of water already existing on your property that you can’t get rid of, make sure to add a mosquito dunk to those as well.
How do Mosquito Dunks work?
They contain bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) is a naturally occurring soil bacterium that can kill mosquito larvae before they become adults. Bti is a microbial insecticide that contains spores that produce toxins that target mosquito larvae.
The Bti bacteria eat away at the larvae’s stomach and intestines, killing them before they can develop into pupae (the pupal stage is when the mosquito larva stops eating and begins transforming into an adult mosquito with wings). Bti is only effective against actively feeding larvae and does not affect mosquito pupae or adults.
Why is this the best method for killing mosquitos?
If you’re trying to kill mosquitos, you have to stop them from continuing to reproduce in your area. Because mosquitos can create a new generation every two weeks, your problem is only going to continue unless you find a way to stop this cycle.
The mosquito bait trap will trick the female mosquitos into laying their eggs in your pool of water. Those eggs will never reach maturity, thus stopping the lifecycle of the mosquitos immediately.
Why Pesticides for Killing Mosquitos Don’t Work
If you were to use some other method of killing mosquitos, like spraying insecticides, for example, this would not stop all the larvae and pupae in the area from maturing and turning into adult mosquitos.
That’s why spraying insecticides is such a terrible strategy for controlling mosquitos. Not only does it not work to stop the lifecycle of breeding mosquitos, but the insecticides also kill all kinds of native insects and wildlife and may even cause cancer in humans, children, and dogs according to The Health Effects of Pesticides Used for Mosquito Control.
Other Mosquito Control Methods
Once you set up your mosquito bait traps, you’ll still have to wait for the existing adult female mosquitos to die (usually two weeks or less).
In the meantime, what can you do?
Use a Fan
Mosquitos cannot fly with strong wind. If you’re hanging out on your deck, a simple fan will protect you from mosquitos. It may sound crazy or too simple but it works!
Use Mosquito-Repelling Plants
Another option is to use mosquito-repelling plants.
Citronella is the most well-known, but here are other great options:
Lavender
Marigold
Lemongrass
Catmint
Rosemary
Sage
Alliums (Garlic, onion, leeks, etc.)
I highly recommend researching to see which of these plants are native to your area and then plant those plants around the perimeter of where you plan to spend time outdoors. You can also plant them in containers and place the containers around your deck or outdoor living space.
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