How to Get Rid of Mosquitoes
Use these home remedies to get rid of mosquitoes or call an exterminator to treat your yard.
Written by Bee Davis
Reviewed by Melanie Reiff
From natural repellents to chemical treatments, there are many ways to get rid of mosquitoes in your yard.
A common household nuisance and a vector of disease, mosquitoes are probably the most hated bug on earth. Long summer nights on the porch or in the yard leave many people itching to keep these suckers away.
Mosquitoes may be nothing but a pest to us, but for many birds, bats, frogs, and other insects, mosquitoes are a vital source of food and an important part of the ecosystem.
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Why are mosquitoes an issue?
The biggest issue with mosquitoes is that they’re incredibly annoying. Sometimes it feels like they’re the only reason to stay inside on a warm summer evening— they bite you while you try to relax and leave you itching for days.
Besides being a nuisance, mosquitoes can also carry diseases like Zika virus, West Nile virus, malaria, dengue fever, and more.
They’re also very hard to kill. Mosquitoes are very good at infecting standing water with larvae and spreading to different bodies of water. If you’re looking to eliminate them, you have to kill them at every stage of their life cycle, which can be a difficult and extensive task.
What attracts mosquitoes to your home?
With over 200 species of mosquito in the U.S. alone, you’ll find them in pretty much every climate once summer rolls around. While they may seem like an inevitability, there are things you can do to get rid of mosquitoes around your home by removing things they’re attracted to.
The most effective way to make sure mosquitoes aren't attracted to your space is to eliminate standing water. That means cleaning bird baths regularly, getting rid of open containers that can collect water, and avoiding overwatering your lawn.
Clogged gutters and tree stumps can also collect water and become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, so clean your gutters and remove any stumps that hold water after a rain.
The difference between killing and repelling mosquitoes
Many people find that a combination of repellants and chemical treatments is best for killing mosquitoes and keeping them away, but it depends on your space and preference.
Methods for mosquito control that focus on eliminating attractors and creating an unappealing environment for mosquitoes are called repellents—they’re ways to keep mosquitoes away without killing them.
Common repellants include burning candles that release an odor mosquitoes don’t like, using oscillating fans that make it harder for them to fly, and eliminating standing water that attracts them to your yard in the first place.
Methods that kill mosquitoes are usually chemical treatments or traps that target mosquitoes at all points in their life cycle. Treating ponds or water features for larvae with larvicides is a good way to ensure no more mosquitoes will hatch in your yard.
You can also treat your grass, use chemical foggers, and highly effective mosquito traps and zappers to eliminate the pests.
The problem with focusing on killing mosquitoes is that you can only treat your own yard. While chemical treatments are effective, you may still get the mosquitoes your neighbor’s yard is attracting if they haven’t gone through a similar process.
When to call an exterminator
If you’re looking to treat your yard for mosquitoes but don't have the time or energy to do so, you can always call an exterminator. An exterminator will treat your lawn and standing water with larvicides that will eliminate mosquitoes in the larvae stage. It’s a good idea to call an exterminator in advance of mosquito season, as soon as it starts to get warmer.
Getting rid of mosquitoes indoors
While mosquitoes are usually an outdoor problem, you may have issues with indoor mosquitoes as well. Attracted to the body heat of you and your pets, mosquitoes get in your house when you leave your doors and windows open,.
If you’re having an issue with mosquitoes indoors, the best remedy is to place fine-mesh screens on windows and doors that you regularly leave open. There are, however, plenty of other remedies and repellents that you can use on Mosquitoes inside.
Natural repellants
Mosquitoes are naturally repelled by certain smells and chemicals. For indoor mosquitoes, try:
- Burning lavender and rosemary candles: Mosquitoes hate these scents and are more likely to stay away.
- Burning coffee grounds: Mosquitoes also hate the smell of burning coffee grounds. Burn some in a pan on the stove or in your oven.
- Misting essential oils: Get an essential oil diffuser and choose a lavender, rosemary, or citrus scent to help keep mosquitoes away.
Other methods
You can also use traps or other mechanisms indoors to repel or kill mosquitoes, such as:
- Oscillating fans
- Bug zappers
- Mosquito traps
- Small-mesh screens in front of windows and doors
How to get rid of mosquitoes in your yard
Mosquitoes like standing water and damp dirt and grass. There are several natural and chemical remedies you can use to repel or kill mosquitoes in your yard.
Natural repellants
While EPA certified chemicals are the best way to kill mosquitoes altogether, natural repellents are a great way to keep mosquitoes away from your yard without eliminating a vital food source for other creatures. Natural repellants include:
- Burning citronella candles and torches in your yard: These specially made candles and torches are a great way to keep mosquitoes away without killing them.
- Planting natural repellants in your garden: Certain plants like catnip, rosemary, and thyme are natural repellents that also brighten up your herb garden.
- Attracting natural predators: Other insects and animals like dragonflies, mosquito hawks, frogs, bats, and spiders all eat mosquitoes and will gladly take them off your hands
Other methods
Other chemical methods and traps include:
- EPA Certified chemical treatments, sprays, and foggers that eliminate mosquitoes
- Larvicides in any standing water like ponds or water features
- Electrocutors or mosquito zappers that attract and kill mosquitoes
- High-tech mosquito traps
How to get affordable home insurance
Your home insurance won’t cover the cost of getting rid of mosquitoes from your house and yard, but it’s well worth your time to make sure you have the right coverage. But who has the time and energy to sit and review individual insurance quotes?
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FAQs
What attracts mosquitoes?
Mosquitoes are generally attracted to anything that collects water, whether that’s a bird bath or water feature, a clogged drain, an old tree stump, etc. Damp dirt and grass are also breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
The most important step in getting mosquitoes off your property is to eliminate standing water.
Should I call an exterminator for mosquitoes?
Sure! There are plenty of natural or home remedies you can do yourself for cheaper, but if you’re looking to get professional services for your mosquito job, an exterminator will happily treat your lawn and water features for mosquitoes.
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