Insider Report: Eliminating Mosquitoes for Less

Are mosquitoes keeping you from enjoying your backyard? A pest control expert shares five tips for keeping your yard mosquito-free for less.

by Mark A. Watts

You’re probably looking forward to enjoying the outdoors in your backyard as temperatures begin to warm. The last thing you need is to have mosquitoes drive you back inside.

Thankfully, there are several inexpensive ways to keep mosquitoes at bay in your yard and around areas where you spend much time outside.

As a pest control professional, I’d like to share with you five ways you can eliminate mosquitoes for less.

Remove or Properly Maintain Standing Water in Your Yard

Standing water is a mosquito’s most welcome invitation. The pesky bugs use standing water as a comfortable breeding ground to increase their unwelcome population.

To eliminate these uninvited guests from your yard, remove all unnecessary standing water pots and bowls from your yard.

If you have birdbaths or other functional standing water containers, be sure to change the water often to rid the water of mosquito eggs.

Maintain Your Lawn Well

Leaves and other organic lawn materials, old tires, and other clutter can be holding tanks for standing water that attracts mosquitoes. Be sure to keep a well-manicured lawn, keeping your yard free of clutter and organic debris, like leaves and grass clipping piles, that can retain water.

By doing so, you eliminate natural habitats with which mosquitoes use to breed.

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Use Citronella Products

Citronella candles strategically placed around your yard, especially where people like to gather, do a fine job of keeping mosquitoes at bay.

Citronella is an essential oil that repels mosquitoes by masking the scents around it that are attractive to mosquitoes, such as carbon dioxide in humans.

Studies have shown that citronella can reduce mosquito landings by as much as 42%, making this essential oil an effective outdoor mosquito repellant.

Use Soapy Water

A dish of soapy water (preferably lemon-scented) or even a few drops of dish soap placed on a paper plate will keep mosquitoes quite occupied and away from you and your outdoor guests.

The lemony smell will keep them busy for hours while you and your guests enjoy your outdoor gathering.

Adorn Your Yard with Mosquito Repelling Plants

Some plants can either repel or distract mosquitoes from pursuing their real target, namely you.

The strong scent of chives or garlic sends mosquitoes running the other way, so if you aren’t too put off by the smell, you can place chive plants or garlic plants in pots around gathering areas.

Strongly-scented plants such as lavender or lemon-scented geraniums draw mosquitoes in and keep them away from the humans in the area. Again, strategic placement of these plants in the area should help keep mosquitoes at bay and away from people.

Use Mosquito Netting

Mosquito netting is relatively inexpensive and highly effective at keeping mosquitos out of small areas. If you are gathering in an open gazebo or canopy, consider fastening mosquito netting around the piece to keep bugs out without ruining the outdoor view.

As you can see, there are many do-it-yourself ways to help control mosquitoes during the hot summer season.

When you need a more concentrated effort to control or eliminate mosquitoes, contact a reputable pest control company in your area.

Reviewed April 2024

About the Author

Mark A. Watts, Sr. is a pest control expert and operates Watts Pest Prevention in Phoenix, AZ.