With warm weather approaching in Sacramento, mosquitoes are about to start coming out in droves. The height of mosquito season typically begins in May, but above average temperatures during the spring in recent years have made it possible for mosquitoes to start breeding – and biting – earlier.
To prepare for mosquitoes this year, you’ll want to take precautions around your yard now. Addressing features that attract these biting pests can keep them from coming to your property in the first place and help you avoid swarms in the height of summer.
What Attracts Mosquitoes to an Area
Female mosquitoes lay their eggs in water. The mosquito species we have in Northern California prefer the water that collects in containers, rather than natural freshwater or salt marshes. Combined with the fact they prefer to feed on people, these mosquitoes are drawn to residential areas.
Sources of standing water provide space for mosquitoes to lay eggs and the mosquito larvae to grow. Watery areas as small as an inch across can hold 100 eggs, and larger spaces offer enormous breeding grounds. Each female mosquito will lay 300 or more eggs in her lifespan of a few weeks, making even a few mosquitoes in early summer a significant problem.
As adults, mosquitoes spend their days resting in the shade. Hot sun during Roseville summers can be deadly to the fragile insects, so they seek out cool grass, trees, and shrubbery to hide in.
Steps for Mosquito Prevention
Mosquitoes in Roseville are more than an annoyance. Local species are known carriers of diseases like West Nile Virus and the area regularly sees infections. Preventing mosquitoes reduces the possibility of getting bit and contracting an illness.
Before mosquito season begins, you want to address the places around your home where mosquitoes are likely to collect when breeding starts. These steps should be taken around March and April, and then monitored throughout the summer:
- Remove Any Containers – Buckets, empty planters, dog bowls, tires, and other objects around your yard can collect water during a rainstorm and provide a place for mosquito eggs. Throw away or bring in containers.
- Regularly Empty Containers – If you have a container you can’t remove – such as a bird bath or flower pot – empty it every few days and after a rainstorm to kill any mosquito larvae growing there.
- Mosquito-Proof Water Features – Install a fountain in any outdoor ponds or water features that offer still water. Introducing fish to your pond will also curtail mosquitoes as the fish eat the eggs and larvae.
- Cut Back Grass and Bushes – Keep grasses and shrubs around your yard as short as is healthy for them to limit places where mosquitoes can hide.
- Check Screens – Inspect your window screens at the beginning of spring to make sure there are no holes or tears that a mosquito could get through. Replace or patch any damage.
While these DIY mosquito preparedness steps are a cost-effective way to make your yard less popular with mosquitoes this summer, you may still face bites. This is because nearby yards and parks could attract mosquitoes that then fly over to your yard or because small areas were missed when prepping your yard.
Professional mosquito control is another option to limit the number of mosquitoes around your home. ADAPT Pest Management uses mosquito abatement treatments to kill and prevent mosquitoes. If mosquitoes are a problem year after year in your backyard, make this year different with our affordable pest solutions.
