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.