Summertime and the living is easy, for the mosquitoes, that is.

Mosquitoes have been around for more than 30 million years and it doesn’t seem likely that they will be going away anytime soon. Only the female of the species bites. She is attracted to heat, light, perspiration, body odor, lactic acid and carbon dioxide. Mosquitoes are annoying. Their bites hurt, swell and itch but that isn’t the worst of it, with the increasing concerns over the mosquito transmitted diseases like West Nile Virus, they can prove to be deadly. It is in everyone’s best interest to keep them as far away as possible. But how?

Rid Your Yard of Standing Water

Most people already know that mosquitoes breed in standing water, but did you know that even a capful of water is enough? Mosquitoes prefer to breed in water that is being held in a container, not puddles on the ground. To keep your yard free of mosquitoes, the first thing you need to do is remove anything that can hold standing water.

Things to Check Weekly

• Bird Baths (If you must keep one, change the water weekly.)
• Tire Swings (Dump the water that gathers inside after every rainfall.)
• Clogged Gutters (Keep them leaf free.)
• Outdoor Pet Bowls (Change the water daily.)
• Holes in Trees (Fill them.)
• Flower Pots (Make sure they have good drainage capabilities.)
• Toys (Keep all toys in a sealable container and check that the lid is water-free.)
• Patio Furniture and Decorations (Candles, bowls, etc.)
• Trash Cans (Keep the lids on tightly.)
• Rubbish (Make a weekly sweep of your yard to find any empty bottles, lids or cans that may have found their way into your yard.)

Fish Ponds

If you have a fish pond in your yard, be sure to keep it stocked with mosquito-eating fish such as goldfish or Koi. Where there are fish, there are no mosquitoes. If you have a water garden or something like a drainage ditch in your yard, try using a product that contains the bacteria known as Bti, or Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis. This bacterium destroys the larvae of mosquitoes. It is usually found as a floating donut-shaped object and needs to be replaced once a month. This product can be found in most hardware stores and is considered safe for the environment.

Form a Neighborhood Watch

Mosquitoes can and will travel 100 yards looking for food. To keep your own yard mosquito-free, you will need to enlist the help of your neighbors. Ask them to check their yards for any standing water; if they refuse, or are unable to do it, offer to do it for them. Remember to include sidewalks, streets and any community shared playgrounds or walkways in your watch area. Inform children of the dangers of standing water and have them inform you of any problem areas that they encounter.

DEET

There is an ongoing debate about the safety of using products that contain DEET. DEET happens to be the most effective bug repellent on the market today but is it safe to use? A study at Duke University has shown that rats suffered brain damage after being exposed to DEET for prolonged periods of time. They came up with some safety guidelines for its safe use. Children under the age of two should never be exposed to DEET, along with pregnant women and people who are taking several medications at once. DEET should never be used in concentrations higher than 30 percent and on older children, in concentrations of 10 percent. Always spray DEET containing bug repellents on the clothing, never on the body. If you have any concerns about the use of this product than it is best to stay away from it. You can always try a different product that uses another form of bug repellent as its main ingredient.

Bug Zappers and Bat Houses

Bug Zappers do kill mosquitoes. The problem with them is that they will only kill the mosquitoes that are dumb enough to fly directly into them. The same goes for bat houses and purple martin houses. Despite popular belief otherwise, neither animal will eat enough mosquitoes to make this worth your time. And to be honest, most people would actually prefer to have the mosquitoes flying around as opposed to having the bats nose diving during a patio party.

Mosquito Magnets

Mosquito magnets can cost a great deal and although they do work by attracting mosquitoes with carbon dioxide, moisture and heat, they do not work on attracting every type of mosquito. The Asian tiger mosquito, which is the one that pesters most people, is a pretty tricky fellow and happens to be very difficult to trap with this method.

Pesticides

Pesticides sprayed into the air, either professionally or the kind you find in an aerosol spray can at your local gardening center, are effective for killing mosquitoes. In fact they will kill almost all of the insects in the sprayed area. The problem with this is that it is a temporary fix and we don’t want to kill all the insects, only the annoying ones. Removing all insects from your yard can be extremely detrimental in the long run.

Cheap and Effective

Citronella candles and torches are inexpensive and quite effective at repelling mosquitoes in small areas. The more candles you use, the more mosquitoes you will repel. Be aware that citronella producing plants, the ones used in making the citronella candles, do not produce enough citronella oil to be an effective repellent against mosquitoes in your yard.

Another good, inexpensive way to repel mosquitoes temporarily is with the use of a portable fan brought outdoors. Using a fan works because the mosquitoes are unable to easily follow your scent and will go looking for their next meal elsewhere.

Clothing

Wearing lightweight, light-colored clothing that covers most of the skin in the summertime will help to keep the mosquitoes off of you and prevent them from biting. An added bonus to this is that it will also help prevent you from getting a sunburn.

Give Up Drinking

A recent study in Japan has shown that mosquitoes enjoy the taste of beer; well, the taste of a beer drinker, to be more exact. For some reason they are attracted to people who have put down a few, so in order to make yourself less attractive to the mosquitoes, don’t drink beer while outside. Personally I think by being less attractive to the mosquitoes, you may end up becoming more attractive to that certain someone of the opposite sex; so it’s not all bad news.

By following some or all of the above-mentioned ways of repelling mosquitoes you will be able to have a safe and more enjoyable summer.