How to Prepare for Mosquito Season Now
The new year is upon us. That means a new start, and the opportunity to take your annual challenges with a new approach. One such challenge you might be thinking about changing is your mosquito challenge. Mosquitos are an unavoidable part of spring and summer, hatching when the weather starts to warm and then swarming during the heat of the season. However, the fact that they’re out of season doesn’t mean you should forget about them. In fact, now may be the best time to start preparing for mosquito season in order to keep these obnoxious flying biters away.
Here are a few things you can do to help prepare your home for mosquito season even though it may still be weeks away.
Figure Out Where Standing Water Is a Problem
Standing water is a huge draw for mosquitos. They use this water not only to survive, but to build their nests and protect themselves. And standing water doesn’t have to be large or plentiful either. While ponds, pools, and other water features are definitely mosquito-draws, even a small amount of water consistently sitting on a sidewalk or in a trash can lid can be enough to host a mosquito colony. This is a particular problem during heavy spring rainfall or during periods of significant snow melting.
Do you know where puddles are found around your property? You might want to take this opportunity to address this issue and ensure that the area remains consistently dry. This might mean re-aiming sprinkler heads or moving a feature here or there. For ponds and pools, this means installing bubblers or water features that keep the surface of your water disrupted and moving at all times. However, this minimal effort could drastically cut back on your mosquito problem and give you a far more enjoyable outdoor space.
Start Planning Your Landscaping
When doing your spring gardening, choose your vegetation carefully. Certain types of plants require more water than others, while other types of plants provide shade and shelter for pests. Other types of plants require extensive maintenance, and overgrow quickly. When planning for what type of plants you’re going to be installing in your yard this year, keep in mind that overgrown plants make great living quarters for mosquitos. Therefore, be sure to choose low-maintenance, small, and simple plants that look great without adding the shelter for bugs.
Now is also the time to start maintaining your yard as well. Use this period before the start of spring to start clearing away anything that could prove to be an issue, such as dying or dead plants and other rotting debris that attracts bugs. This helps keep the bugs at bay, including others that might be drawn to it beyond mosquitos too.
Monitor Your Gutters & Drains
It is typically important to clean out your gutters and drains during the fall season in order to ensure they’re free and clear for the heavy rains and precipitation of winter. However, it’s important to check and re-clean your gutters and drains during spring as well. Over the winter months, rain, melting snow, and other problems can pull debris and mud into drains and gutters, causing them to jam up. This creates standing water that attracts mosquitos. This is particularly common with roof gutters and drains, where the issue might exist and you may never even realize it.
We recommend taking some time during early spring to check on your gutters and make sure there is no standing water or significant debris. Clean out any debris that may have built up over time and make sure all gutters and drains are flowing smoothly. You’ll be thankful you did when your spring isn’t constantly interrupted by the high-pitched buzz of a hunting mosquito.
Sign Up for Mosquito Control Services
Finally, winter is the best time to sign up and start scheduling your mosquito treatment services. Mosquito prevention is an ongoing challenge, and the best plans provide regular spot treatments and preventative sprays that target mosquitos where they live. By scheduling your appointments well in advance during the winter months, you’ll have almost entirely open availability, meaning you’ll be able to schedule your treatments on the days where you want them, and ensure maximum coverage and efficiency with every treatment we offer.
Call your local mosquito experts at Hopper Termite & Pest at (870)425-4122 today to learn more about how we can help you make your mosquito problem go away!
