How to Control Mosquitos in Your Backyard

We all love our backyards, but it’s terrible when we are forced to leave because of those pesky mosquitos. When it begins to get dark, you can see and hear them coming like a tiny insect army.

In this article, I’m going to give you ways to fight back against mosquitos and take back your backyard so that you can enjoy it with your family.

There are several ways to control mosquitos in your backyard, and we’ll list the most popular options in this article.

Eliminate Breeding Opportunities

This is where you must begin.

Female mosquitos lay their eggs in stagnant water. Eliminating places where female mosquitos can lay their eggs will go a long way to control them in your backyard. You may need to enlist your neighbors in this battle as well because adult mosquitos can fly two miles from their breeding site.

Walk around your backyard and find places where female mosquitos could potentially lay eggs and get rid of them.

In my backyard, it was a birdbath. I absolutely love birdbaths and didn’t want to get rid of them, so I decided to deal with the issue instead of eliminating it altogether.

Here are some simple ways of ensuring your birdbath isn’t a mosquito problem.

• Change the water on a regular basis. Everytime your in the back yard, just pour the water out and refill it. It take about 7-10 days for a mosquito to complete their life cycle. Change your water every 5 days and you’ll be good.
• You can treat the water. Using mosquito bits in still water will help control your mosquito issue. You can check out this product on Amazon. You can also use Mosquito Dunks or Bits, and place them in the water around your backyard to kill mosquitos.
• You can ad an agitator so that the is no longer stanagant. I read that a lot of people decided to use a solar fountain pump (link will take to Amazon), that can be placed in your birdbath and will keep the water moving. These are a really inexpensive way of dealing with the issue.

Walkthrough your backyard and find other areas that might be a potential issue with mosquitos. This would include removing algae from ponds, making sure rain barrels are sealed, and buckets and bins with water are emptied.

Use a Mosquito Repellent in Your Backyard

Another great option, especially where you entertain in your backyard, is to use a mosquito repellent.

There are several different types available on the market today. You could use a simple bug spray, but it can smell really bad, and it’s not good for those who have a hard time with harsh smells. There are some good substitutes to the most common on the market, like Coleman Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent. You could purchase some lemon and eucalyptus essential oil and make your own. Yet, according to the Wirecutter, they claim that essential oils make terrible bug sprays.

You could also use Deet wipes, such as Ben’s Deep Wipes, which would be really easy to apply and is super convenient.

There are a lot of people that light citronella candles around their backyard. This has mixed reviews and there are some people that are not big fans of the smell of citronella oil.

My top choice is the Thermacell Patio Shield. You can check out the link and it will take you to Amazon to see the best prices available on the market. I find that the Thermacell Patio Shield is the best option because there are no flames, no smoke, no setting up candles, no spraying down the kids, and it’s totally scent-free.

You just turn it on and that’s all. It’s battery-operated, so you don’t have to plug it in and the cartridge will last for 12 hours.

You can find other types and makes available online, but for me, the Thermacell Patio Shield worked the best.

Keep Mosquitos Out of Your Home

This is a continual battle. I’m always telling my kids to close the screen door or you’ll let all the bugs inside the house. It’s one thing to battle them outside, we don’t want to bring that battle inside as well.

There are some helpful tools that you can use to keep bugs outside.

I really recommend a Magnetic Screen Door. These work well, and they ensure that you’re home is protected from insects such as mosquitos or hornets. You don’t even need to use your hands to open it, you just walk through and it will automatically connect together once you pass through. Best of all, your kids can’t leave the screen open for the bugs to get into the house.

Plant Natural Repellents

This option is perfect if you like gardening, and even if you don’t, you may want to do it anyway. Flowers and herbs not only help with fighting against insects, but they smell and look fabulous.

There are several natural plants that help discourage mosquitos and other insects from hanging around your backyard. Plus, they look great. These plants and herbs are:

• Basil
• Lavender
• Lemongrass
• Peppermint
• Rosemary
• Dill
• Marigolds
• Lantanas

When you’re planning your outdoor garden this year, use a few of the plants or herbs above which will give you the edge in battle mosquitos in your backyard.

Use a Fan and Create Your Own Breeze

You’ll notice that mosquitos are not an issue when there is a breeze. It’s because mosquitos have a difficult time flying when there is even a slight breeze.

There is no magic formula to how many fans you’ll need, this depends on the size of your backyard and the size of the fan that you’re using. I would experiment until you find that perfect balance.

The Lasko 20″ High-Velocity Fan is probably a really good place to begin. It’s got the power and you can set it further away so it’s not going to be as loud. There are several options available on the market, and you’d probably have what you need already in your home.

The only CON with using a fan is that it’s going to produce noise and for some people that will be a deal-breaker. You can give it a try and see if it’s a fit for your backyard.

Invite Some Friends

I’m not talking about your friends! I’m talking about bats.

Installing a bat house is a good way of dealing with mosquitos. When bats come out the mosquitos will be there for supper, and not as the guest but as the main course.

You can purchase and install a bat house in just a few minutes, and it’s been successful for others when dealing with their backyard mosquito problem.

Conclusion

I’ve given you a comprehensive list of the best ways to control mosquitos in your backyard. These tips and hacks are the best available and one of them will definitely work for you.

Choose one from my list above that fits into your living space and start enjoying your backyard again.