Whether they’re swarming around your backyard looking for their next meal or laying eggs in your pool, mosquitoes pose a constant threat to Florida homeowners. Even if you only spend a few minutes outside, you may find your arms, legs, and even the backs of your knees or neck peppered with these pests’ large, itchy bites.
In addition to being itchy, mosquito bites may be your first warning sign of more serious, impending health issues. Mosquitoes can transmit Zika, West Nile virus, and other harmful or fatal diseases. All the more reason to prevent being bitten by them.
Avoiding mosquitoes in Florida may feel like a losing battle. However, there are steps you can take to minimize your chances of receiving itchy bites (or worse, a serious illness). Discover McCall Service’s preventive tips for keeping mosquitoes at bay in Florida.
Get Rid of Standing Water
Mosquitoes need water in order to breed. With just half an inch of water, female mosquitoes can lay between 100 and 200 eggs. It can take anywhere between a week and a few months for the eggs to hatch.
After they’ve hatched, the larvae will mature into adults in a little over a week, leaving you with a massive swarm of mosquitoes around your yard.
How do you avoid this situation? Look for standing water on your property, including in old tires, buckets, toys, and birdbaths. Emptying them of water will prevent mosquitoes from having a place to breed around your home.
If you or your family enjoy spending time in an inflatable swimming pool, flip it over and dump it out once playtime is over. For an in-ground or above-ground pool, keep it covered and regularly clean.
Clean Up Any Clutter in Your Yard
Mosquitoes use shrubs, tall grass, and various pieces of debris as places to rest when they’re not hunting for food. To make your yard as inhospitable as possible, start by mowing your lawn.
Your grass’s height should be between 3.5 and 4 inches to keep it healthy and protected against mosquitoes and other pests. Additionally, trim back any overgrown shrubs and throw out the leftover limbs to avoid clutter.
Picking up the clutter in your yard will also get rid of mosquitoes’ nesting spots. From toys to yard games, be sure to keep any outdoor items tucked away in dry, cool places until you’re ready to use them again. In addition to minimizing mosquitoes’ hiding spots, you can also keep your yard looking tidier, and avoid potential tripping hazards.
Use Insect Repellents with DEET
Not all insect repellents are created equal. To give yourself the most effective protection from mosquitoes in Florida, you should always choose an insect repellent that has DEET.
When you head to the store for bug spray, you’ll probably see variations of DEET percentages listed on insect repellents’ bottles. Contrary to popular belief, the amount of DEET in a repellent doesn’t indicate its strength. It indicates how long its effectiveness will last.
A repellent with 10% DEET is just as powerful as one with 30% DEET. However, a 10% DEET repellent will only last two hours, while one with 20% or 30% can last five hours or more. The higher your repellent’s DEET percentage, the longer it will be effective against mosquitoes.
DEET is also safe to use—even for children. Be sure to avoid spraying it on younger children’s hands, however, as it is still toxic if ingested.
Wear the Right Clothes
In addition to using repellent, it’s critical to wear the right gear before heading out the door. Long, light-colored clothing is best suited for keeping away mosquitoes. You should also consider wearing a hat or sunglasses to protect yourself even further.
If you’re preparing to spend a lot of time outdoors for a concert or camping trip, you may even want to invest in repellent-infused clothes. They may be a bit pricier, but insect-repelling clothes can help you avoid itchy (and potentially dangerous) mosquito bites.
Bring in McCall Service’s Mosquito Control Professionals
While wearing light-colored clothing, spraying yourself with insect repellent, or lighting a citronella candle can help minimize your chances of being bitten by mosquitoes, there’s an even more effective solution: mosquito control and prevention from McCall Service.
When you request a free quote from McCall, our pest professionals will inspect your property for existing or potential mosquito issues. Following an inspection, we’ll create an effective, customized mosquito control plan for your peace of mind.
How does McCall Service control and prevent mosquitoes?
At McCall Service, we offer monthly mosquito treatments from March to November during prime mosquito season. Each month, our team will inspect your property for potential breeding areas or hiding spots for mosquitoes, and make recommendations accordingly. We will spray granular larvicide on standing water, and treat shrubs with a power micro-sprayer.
Does McCall Service offer other mosquito control services?
Yes! For additional protection and peace of mind, we offer our Mosquito Plus service. When you choose Mosquito Plus, our pest technicians will strategically place eco-friendly In2Care stations around your property. These stations take the effectiveness of granular larvicide and powerful micro-sprayers and combine them to take out both larval and adult Aedes mosquitoes.
How does Mosquito Plus work?
Mosquito Plus’s In2Care stations, when serviced monthly, attract and contaminate adult mosquitoes with a slow-killing larvicide. Once contaminated, the adults fly to breeding grounds, spreading the larvicide and killing eggs in the process.
Interested in learning more about Mosquito Plus? Contact our team today.
Enjoy Total Peace of Mind from Mosquitoes with McCall Service
Even the best do-it-yourself mosquito remedies can’t top the treatments from pest control professionals. Are mosquitoes dangerous? Yes. Should you have to stay indoors all the time to avoid them? Absolutely not. Let the mosquito prevention experts at McCall Service inspect your property for breeding sites. We’ll tailor our control and prevention treatments to your exact needs and stop bothersome mosquito infestations.
Take your first step toward preventing mosquitoes from taking a bite out of you or your family and Call McCall…We Do It All!®
