Mosquitoes

Where do the mosquitoes come from?

Standing water. The ones that bother us most breed in small containers: a clogged gutter, a flower pot saucer, a bird bath, a kayak, an old tire back in the brush. In summer heat they can go from egg to adult in about a week, so dumping and rinsing anything that holds water once a week makes a real difference, and it doesn't take any pesticide.

The adults don't spend much time in the lawn. They're weak fliers that dry out in sun and wind, so during the day they rest in shady, dense spots: under the deck, along the tree line, in the bamboo. That's where we treat.

Do you spray the lawn?

No. The grass is where bare feet and paws spend their time, and it isn't where mosquitoes rest, so treating it doesn't buy much. We focus on the shady spots where the adults hide, and we skip plants that are blooming so we're not hitting pollinators.

What about small yards and in-town lots?

On a tight lot, a lot of the mosquitoes come from a neighbor's yard, and we can't treat that. So we pair the barrier treatment with mosquito bait stations (the brand is In2Care): small buckets of water where the females lay their eggs, treated so the eggs never make it to adulthood. Before a female dies, she carries the treatment to other breeding spots nearby, including ones nobody can find or reach. We check the stations regularly and map where every one sits, so none get skipped.

What should I expect?

It takes four to six weeks to really notice the difference, which is why we like to start early in the spring, before the season gets going. The season wraps up when a mid to late fall cold snap takes care of them for the year. A single treatment helps for a party or a weekend, just not as much as a full season.

What does it cost?

Mosquito service typically runs $100 to $120 a month during the season, depending on the yard and whether we add bait stations. It's billed monthly during the season, and it's month to month, so you can skip a summer you won't spend much time outside.

What's the downside?

We can cut the numbers way down, but we won't get every one, especially with standing water nearby that we can't reach. And treating the brush where mosquitoes rest also knocks back the fireflies that live there, for a while. In the meantime, a fan on the porch helps more than you'd think; mosquitoes are poor fliers.