From egg to larvae, the mosquito needs stagnated water for 75% of its life cycle to thrive. Once in its adult stage, the mosquito seeks blood to survive, passing on diseases such as the Zika and West Nile Virus to human hosts.
This is why it is so important to address areas of standing water in your yard. If you eliminate sources of standing water around your yard, then you will cut down significantly on mosquitoes.
Note: If you live next to a large pond or lake, then you will need to consider professional mosquito control services since drying up the bodies of water isn’t an option!
Where Might You Have Standing Water?
Water can collect in a number of items in the average yard including planters and pots, tarps, buckets and equipment, children’s toys, outdoor furniture, gutters, and other objects around your home.
Although water features such as bird baths, koi ponds, swimming pools intentionally collect water, they can also serve as a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Small streams, culverts, and nearby storm drainage areas are sources of standing water that serve as prime spaces for mosquitoes to breed.
If your yard seems to constantly have puddles of water on the ground, then you might have one of the following issues:
- The ground is not positively sloped away from the foundation of the house, walkways or driveway (there should be at least a 6” drop in elevation within the first 10 feet).
- A landscape border is trapping water close to the house or you have a large paved area preventing drainage.
- The yard has a high water table where there is more incoming water than outgoing due to heavy rains, draining from a higher elevation, a body of water or swamp nearby or soil type.
- The yard has underground springs.
- The yard is composed of compacted/hardpan soil from machinery or heavy foot traffic.
- The yard has poor soil.
- The yard has a subsoil such as clay which prevents water from being absorbed into the ground.
If you do have one of these landscape issues, then you should seek professional help from a landscaper as these problems will not only lead to increased mosquito levels but also damage to your home!
How to Eliminate Standing Water
Once you’ve identified sources of standing water around your yard and home, you can begin to address them. Here are some ways you can eliminate sources of standing water and prevent them from forming again.
Address Items Around Your Yard
Store and empty out items that tend to collect rainwater, including toys, buckets, tools, pet bowls, trash bins, garden decor and planters. To prevent further issues, consider moving planters and other items inside or under a roof cover.
If you have a bird bath or outdoor watering bowls for pets, empty them out frequently (weekly for bird baths and daily for pet bowls).
Clean and Maintain Gutters
Inspect your gutters and drain pipes coming off your roof to be sure they are clear of leaves, sticks, dirt and other debris.
Install pipe extensions that you can purchase at a home improvement store or hardware so drain pipes are not emptying out near the foundation. Also inspect around fountains, pools or any water feature drains.
Install a Water Collection System
Consider installing an enclosed rain collection system to your house. Rain collection systems store rainwater runoff from your roof so you can use it to water your garden or your lawn.
Storing water is a great way to prevent water from puddling up after it flows to the ground from your roof drain.
Address Water Features
Cover garden or koi ponds before it rains or if not in use. You can do the same for swimming pools when it isn’t the summertime.
You can also add gravel or rock around ponds and pool edges to create better drainage of typically muddy areas.
If your garden pond is in use, consider stocking it with goldfish, bluegills or minnows which love to eat mosquito larvae.
Sprinkle Coffee Grounds in Puddles
If you find just a tiny area of pooling water in your yard, then you can dump coffee grounds into the standing water. This deprives the mosquito eggs of oxygen and causes them to rise to the surface – effectively stopping them from hatching.
Work with Your Local Government
Sometimes your property adjoins a culvert or large municipal storm drain flowing into a stream or creek near your yard. Although you cannot manage the standing water, you may be able to call and request that the health department or other municipal agency spray the area of standing water with a pesticide to kill mosquitoes.
About Simply Green’s Mosquito Control Service
We offer different outdoor mosquito control treatments to help rid your yard of these pests and keep them from coming back. Our backyard mosquito control products are safe for use around pets and children, and they work quickly to get rid of mosquitoes.
To control adult mosquitoes, our product is a synthetic version of the Pyrethrum extract found in Chrysanthemum flowers. In areas of standing water in your yard, we use Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti). Bti is a naturally occurring bacterium found in soils that specifically targets and only affects mosquito larvae. Bti interrupts the mosquito lifecycle by eliminating larvae before they mature into adults. It does not affect other insects, including honeybees. All of our EPA registered products are safe for kids and pets and do not pose a risk to your family.
If you're looking for an easy way to keep mosquitoes out of your yard, our outdoor mosquito control treatments are a great option. Contact us today to learn more about our products and how we can help you get rid of mosquitoes for good!
