Everything Jacksonville Homeowners Should Know About Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes in Jacksonville are common pests—but not commonly understood. For example, do you know that mosquitoes survive on nectar and plant sap, not blood? Most people don't know this. It is easy to think that mosquitoes are like all those other pests that draw blood for food. But simple misunderstandings like this can make it harder to get rid of mosquitoes in your yard or find the best way to repel mosquitoes. Today, we will share a few common misconceptions regarding mosquitoes and mosquito reproduction. We'll share why mosquitoes are essential to control—but why you don't need to fear them. We'll end by offering up our best tips to keep mosquitoes away from your yard and arrest all mosquito activity on your property. If you'd like to speak with someone about mosquito pest control in Jacksonville and quickly get answers, we can assist you. Give us a call or drop us a line on our contact page. We know all about Jacksonville mosquitoes. We can help you find answers to your questions. With that said, let's look at everything you need to know about mosquitoes in Jacksonville.

How To Identify A Mosquito Problem On Your Property

Okay. Let's be clear. You don't need anyone to tell you that you have mosquitoes on your property. These irritating pests will let you know that you have a problem! What we are referring to is the source of your problem. These tips will help you zero in on the reasons why you have mosquitoes biting you in your yard and will help you remove the conditions that allow mosquitoes to reproduce.

Mosquitoes breed in stagnant water. If you have mosquitoes breeding in stagnant water on your property, you may have the ability to see them. The secret is knowing what they look like. Mosquitoes don't hatch from their eggs and take to the air. They begin life as wiggly worms. In fact, scientists refer to mosquito larvae as wigglers. If you see lots of wiggly worms in a bucket of water in your yard, you're looking at a mosquito infestation. You can stop that infestation quickly by pouring the water out onto the ground. Mosquito larvae won't survive long baking in the hot Jacksonville sun.

Keeping in mind that mosquitoes breed in stagnant water, you can use this knowledge to locate and identify the sources of a mosquito problem in your yard. You can remove containers that capture rainwater or take steps to address stagnant water resources, such as a bird bath.

When mosquitoes develop into flying adults, those adult mosquitoes will want to hide from the Jacksonville sun. They'll gravitate to landscaping on your property. If you have dense or damp vegetation, you are providing perfect hiding places for these pests.

Do you see how it works? When you address breeding sites, you make it harder for mosquitoes to reproduce on your property. When you address dense and damp vegetation, you make it harder for adult mosquitoes to find suitable hiding places. Now that you know how to identify the source of a mosquito infestation, let's look at why it is best to rid your yard of mosquitoes. 

Mosquitoes Around Your Yard Are Both Annoying And Dangerous

We won't spend too much time on this one because we don't want you to fear mosquitoes; we just believe it is essential to understand the risks. At the end of this short section, we'll tell you a few reasons why you don't need to fear mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes spread West Nile virus and other viruses that cause encephalitis. These are the mosquito-borne diseases that are spread every year in Jacksonville. Every once in a while, we have an outbreak of Zika virus, malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, or another mosquito-borne disease. These viruses are not endemic to the continental United States. The diseases you can get from mosquitoes have deadly potential, and it is not wise to put mosquito control on the back shelf.

There is much good news regarding mosquito-related illness, facts that are not commonly understood. Do you know these facts?

• Not every mosquito that bites you has a virus.
• Contraction of deadly mosquito viruses is extremely rare in the United States. Only a fraction of the population is exposed annually.
• Some mosquitoes do not have the ability to spread viruses to humans.
• Mosquito viruses, even potentially deadly pathogens, can produce no symptoms. When you get a virus and don't demonstrate symptoms, you are asymptomatic.
• Many mosquito viruses will cause you to have flu-like symptoms but not result in hospital care.

It is smart to weigh all of the facts regarding the spread of mosquito-borne pathogens. While certainly not a threat that you should shrug off, you don't need to fear mosquitoes.  

Mosquito Prevention Tips Everyone Ought To Know

You can prevent mosquito bites in many ways. Let's break mosquito prevention down into a few simple categories that are easy to understand.

Personal Mosquito Bite Prevention: You can directly prevent bites by using personal mosquito bite prevention strategies. Some of these are all-natural.

• Apply mosquito repellent. Synthetic materials work best as they are designed for efficacy and they last much longer than naturally-derived products or plant oils.
• Wear bright-colored clothing to make it harder for mosquitoes to locate you and land on you.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants to reduce skin real estate.
• Avoid spending time in your yard at dawn or dusk when mosquitoes are most active.

These tips can protect you in your yard or when you are away from your property.   

Habitat Modification: We touched on this already. Mosquitoes breed in stagnant water and hide in moist habitation. Alter the habitat around your home to deter breeding and reduce hiding places.

• Remove any objects in your yard that can act as a container for rainwater.
• Turn kiddie pools over when not in use.
• Clear gutter clogs and repair gutters.
• Trim landscape vegetation and water your plants in the early morning to reduce moisture.

Along with moisture control, address flowering weeds in your yard. Weeds provide a source of nectar for mosquitoes. As mentioned, mosquitoes eat nectar, they don't survive by feeding on blood. This is one additional way to deter mosquitoes through habitat modification.

Mosquito Control: The best way to avoid mosquito bites in your yard is to eliminate mosquitoes in your yard. The solution for this is a routine application of control materials. We recommend having a professional apply these materials as you may cause dogs, cats, children, friends, family, and untargeted wildlife to get sick. 

Let's look at how professional mosquito control works to address mosquitoes in your yard and some of the benefits that come with hiring a professional rather than doing it yourself. 

The Benefits Of A Quality Mosquito Control Program For Your Yard

There are benefits to hiring a licensed pest professional to address any pest control issues in your home or on your property. Mosquitoes are no exception. Your professional has specialized knowledge and experience dealing with common pests. While you can throw money away on mosquito control products that don't work or control strategies that fall short, money spent with a professional is well spent. Professionals get results. So, what can you expect when a pest management professional applies mosquito control in your yard?

• Expert advice regarding conducive conditions and potential breeding sites. Every yard is somewhat different. There are conditions on your property that are unique. A professional will shine a light on potential vulnerabilities.
• Targeted control of breeding sites as needed. It is sometimes difficult or impossible to remove breeding sites. Your professional can apply larvicides to arrest mosquito activity in these places.
• Application of a knockdown agent to arrest mosquito activity in your yard. Routine mist treatments reset the mosquito population in your yard. It takes time for new mosquitoes to move in and replace the mosquitoes that have been eliminated. The reason for this is that mosquitoes are simple organisms. It takes energy to fly from yard to yard in search of a blood meal. Most mosquitoes aren't willing to expend that energy. They'll stay within a few hundred feet of where they hatch. That means that most of the mosquitoes that bite you in your yard are mosquitoes that hatched in your yard. 
• Re-applications every six weeks. It takes ongoing and persistent applications to keep your yard free of mosquito activity. 

It may sound simple, but it is actually a complicated, scientific process. Professionals know what products to use, how much to apply, where to apply them, and how frequently applications are needed. They know when to use extra control, such as larvacides. They know how mosquitoes behave and can provide you with insights to increase natural deterrents. It pays to hire someone with knowledge and experience. 

Are you in Jacksonville? We have some knowledgeable and experienced problem solvers on staff. They're also super friendly. Connect with us to learn more about control solutions for mosquitoes in Jacksonville or to request a service visit. The service team at Lindsey Pest Services is here to help.