Mosquitoes In Longview: An All-Inclusive Prevention And Control Guide

Mosquitoes are common pests in Longview. There is a strong chance that you've encountered these insects. If you haven't, you're one of the lucky ones. But, as common as they are, there are many things residents don't understand about these pests. For instance, are you aware that only female mosquitoes bite? It's true. Male mosquitoes have no interest in biting you. A small misconception like this can have big implications when you attempt to prevent mosquito bites. Why? Think about the motivation of that female mosquito. She's not just looking for one of several meals. If that were the case, you could convince her to skip a meal and go somewhere else. Or to find a meal that doesn't have bug repellent all over it. But female mosquitoes need blood for reproduction, and their biological clock is ticking, so to speak. She is not easily deterred from getting the blood meal she needs. Therefore, repellents aren't a great method for preventing mosquito bites. What is? We're glad you asked. We're going to look at mosquito behavior and explain what works to prevent mosquitoes around your Longview home and why. We'll touch on some misconceptions, share some specific tips, and discuss how professionals manage to get long-lasting results. If you've been wondering how to prevent mosquitoes in your yard, you're going to enjoy this short article. If you're looking for even faster answers than this article can provide, you can contact us directly. Gecko Pest Control is your source for Longview pest control services. One of our technicians can walk you through the process of making your yard a more comfortable environment to relax in.

Understanding Mosquito Behavior: Essential For Effective Control

The list of misconceptions regarding mosquitoes in Longview and mosquito bites is surprisingly long. We could write pages on this topic alone. But, for the sake of brevity, we're going to zero in on a few that have a strong connection to how you might attempt to prevent mosquitoes from biting you in your yard.

"Does light attract mosquitoes?"

There are two factors to consider with this question. First, light is an attractant for many insects, and keeping lights off can reduce insect populations. Can you keep mosquitoes away by keeping the lights off? Not really. They aren't especially drawn to light. While they have some attraction to certain frequencies of light, they also have terrible eyesight. So, lights don't play a big role in bringing mosquitoes onto your property. The second factor to consider is the use of light for mosquito traps. There is a lot of science behind insect light traps. The devices used to catch insects are fine-tuned frequencies that are most effective, such as 395 nm UV LED light. It is energy efficient and highly attractive to insects – but, again, mosquitoes have poor eyesight. On top of this, studies reveal that bug zappers are only effective at capturing male mosquitoes, which isn't overly beneficial if you think about it.

"Do mosquitoes eat blood?"

It might seem like a silly question, but there is more here than meets the eye. We touched on it in our introduction. Only female mosquitoes draw a blood meal. And, yes, they do consume it. But neither male nor female mosquitoes consider blood as their primary food source. Do you know what mosquitoes eat? Take a guess. If your answer was nectar and plant sap, you’re absolutely right. Why is this important? Because nectar and plant sap are often the reason mosquitoes enter our yards. They notice a weed or, better yet, a weed with a flower on top, and they enter the yard. Did you know that lawn weed control can reduce mosquito activity in your yard?

"How far does a mosquito fly in its lifetime?"

What would you guess? Fifty miles? Eighty miles? What if we told you that many mosquitoes don't travel more than 200 hundred yards? While there are mosquitoes that will travel a few miles, they are rare. And it is important to know that the mosquitoes that travel longer distances are not the mosquitoes that spread the worst diseases. So, what does this have to do with mosquito prevention? When you eliminate the mosquitoes in your yard with a control material, it takes time for mosquitoes to move in again. All those mosquitoes that drive you crazy in your yard are not mosquitoes moving about in your neighborhood. The majority of mosquitoes in your yard belong to you.

Now that you have a basic understanding of key behavior patterns and inclinations regarding mosquitoes let's look at some misconceptions about the dangers of mosquito bites.

Mosquito-Borne Diseases: How These Insects Pose A Serious Danger

You've likely heard mosquitoes can infect you with diseases like malaria, West Nile virus, or dengue fever. But, you're also likely aware that you can get a lot of mosquito bites and not get sick. Why? Do mosquitoes carry diseases, or don't they? Here are a few facts about how mosquitoes spread disease and why you may not get sick.

• Some mosquitoes don't spread diseases at all. They are simply unable to hold the diseases inside their bodies.
• Many of the diseases spread by mosquitoes, such as malaria and yellow fever, are not endemic to the United States.
• Many dangerous mosquito-borne viruses are not localized. You can only get one of these diseases when an infected traveler brings the disease into the country and the right species of mosquitoes picks it up.
• Mosquito diseases in the United States are found in local wildlife populations. A higher incidence of these diseases in animals makes the chance of sickness higher for humans. And the converse is true.
• It is possible to get the most dangerous mosquito disease and have no symptoms. If you are asymptomatic, you present no symptoms but are a carrier of the disease. Diseases with a higher rate of asymptomatic response, like the Zika virus, are harder to track when they spread.
• Often, people get sick from a mosquito-borne disease and mistake the sickness for influenza or the common cold.

Do you see the issue? It can feel like no one is getting sick from mosquitoes when it is actually not the case, and the danger of serious illness is ever-present and hard to track. While the risk is low when you consider the chance of infection compared to the population of the United States, you have to ask yourself, is it worth it to take a risk at all? So we ask, "Why not take steps to prevent mosquitoes if you can?" Learn how we can help keep mosquitoes away from your Longview home.

The Key To Mosquito Control: Proactive Measures For Prevention

It is time for a quick recap. Mosquito prevention must take into consideration what actually attracts mosquitoes to your yard, what truly works to repel them, natural food sources, preferred habitats, and population control.

Here are steps you can take to prevent mosquito bites:

• Step 1: Remove weeds in your lawn and landscaping to reduce nectar and sap (and mosquitoes).
• Step 2: Trim your landscaping to reduce moisture and shade, both of which are desirable to mosquitoes.
• Step 3: Remove containers of water on your property as female mosquitoes will lay hundreds of eggs in stagnant water, and those eggs are what turn into a swarm in your yard.
• Step 4: Clean your gutters and repair damaged points in your drainage system to reduce puddles and ground saturation.
• Step 5: Remove leaf litter because leaves can compress and create a surface that traps rainwater for mosquitoes to lay eggs in.

These methods target the source of the issue. When mosquitoes have a hard time finding food, resting areas, and breeding sites on your property, they can't thrive and grow into a large group of mosquitoes. These methods work much better than smoke from a fire, candles, torches, essential oils, plants, bug repellent, etc.

Total Mosquito Control: How Professionals Ensure Long-Lasting Results

You can get a lot of protection by applying the all-natural tips provided in our prevention section, but if you want long-lasting results, it pays to hire a professional. When you get professional mosquito control in Longview, there are a few things your service provider can do to increase your protection.

• We offer routine treatments applied during mosquito season to knock down adult mosquitoes on your property. You'll feel the relief between visits, as it takes time for mosquitoes to wander (nearly blindly) into your yard and create another swarm from the eggs they lay. If they have a hard time finding viable breeding sites, you'll have even greater protection. 
• We can install professional-grade, environmentally friendly In2Care traps to provide a breeding site for female mosquitoes that eliminates the females and their eggs using fungal spores.
• We can apply larvicides to breeding sites that are difficult to remove from your property. However, in most cases, In2Care addresses these as the female mosquitoes pick up the fungal spores and spread them around your yard.

Would you like to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Longview? We'd love to help you find the right solution for you. Contact us and speak with one of our friendly service professionals today.