Jacksonville's Waterfront Lifestyle: Mosquito Prevention Tips
Whether you like to fish, paddle or surf, Jacksonville offers residents and visitors over 22 miles of beaches to enjoy. With an average temperature of 70* Fahrenheit and around 220 sunny days a year, there are plenty of reasons to stay outside. But basking in the sunny weather could also mean battling the bugs. The warm, humid conditions create a mosquito playground that leaves humans and flying insects having to share. To keep your yard a safe haven from these flying pests, here is how Jacksonville residents can prevent mosquitoes from taking over their outdoor space.
Mosquito Season
The city of Jacksonville states mosquito season is June through October, so that is when routine spraying will be done. When there is extreme weather, like a hurricane or other storm that increases the humidity levels, the city will dole out additional sprays, but residents can request additional spraying in their area if they feel things are getting a little out of control. These sprayings are an effort to control the mosquito population and give residents a respite, but everyone should still take additional measures on their own property to battle mosquitoes.
Mosquito Prevention
Effective mosquito prevention is a multi-layer process. To have the most effective and efficient plan to banish mosquitoes from your yard and home, you need to do more than spritz a little bug spray on you before you go outside.
Check for Standing Water
Standing water is one of the biggest draws for mosquitoes. It is where they breed and lay their eggs, so mosquitoes seek it out immediately. Your yard has so many spots where even a few teaspoons of water can collect, which is enough for mosquitoes.
Look for anything that could hold water, from yard tools to toys to furniture and dump and empty everything after every storm and humid day. Don't forget about cleaning and maintaining pet bowls and bird baths.
Take Care of Your Yard
Your yard can be your safe haven, but it can also be one for mosquitoes and other bugs. You don't have to have the neighborhood's best yard, but a little care will go a long way. Mow your grass as short as you can and take care of any overgrown greenery, including tree branches, making sure nothing hangs over your home.
Let Plants Help Repel Mosquitoes
We all have that scent that makes us gag and turn our head away, and so do mosquitoes. Plants like basil, rosemary, lavender, citronella grass, scented geraniums and marigolds are some that would keep the mosquitoes away. Put them in your home to pull double duty of keeping bugs away and cleaning your air. Rub the leaves with your hand to keep the plant oil on you for additional pest protection, which also releases the oils into the air, keeping the mosquito barrier strong.
Protect Your Home
To keep the mosquitoes out of your home, you can do a few quick checks that would only require a low-cost fix if needed. Look around your door and window frames for any cracks or holes, and get those patched up. Bugs and insects can get in through the tiniest spaces, so you want to eliminate as many as possible.
If you haven't checked the screens in your home lately, it's time to do a patrol around your house. Whenever you open your windows when one has a tear or hole, you invite flying insects to come in. If you can't repair the screen, replacement ones from the hardware store are a budget-friendly way to stop insects from getting into your home.
Other Outdoor Mosquito Prevention Tips
To take away other breeding grounds for mosquitoes, clean out your gutters regularly. Not only will this extend the life of your gutters and better protect your foundation, but the dark, moist buildup of leaves is a mosquito's playground.
If you have plants and other greenery in your yard, give them space. Not only will this fill out your yard, but giving your plants space allows for better airflow, keeping the topsoil from retaining too much moisture, which mosquitoes and other insects love.
Keep Up With the Cleaning
Most bugs and insects want to enter your home to find a food source, like crumbs, food you leave out on the counter or items that aren't properly sealed in your pantry. By taking a few minutes a day to sweep, dust, vacuum and check to make sure all food is put away in containers with lids, you will reduce the draw of your home for bugs.
Protect Yourself When You Go Outside
When you leave the house, there are a couple of things to do to keep the mosquitoes away from you while you are on the go. If you plan on taking a walk near any woods, trees or tall and wild grass, wear long pants and long sleeves and a hat if you have one. Besides sunscreen, wear bug spray with DEET to keep the bugs away.
Routine Yard Treatments
If you want an easy way to keep mosquitoes and other flying insects and bugs away from your yard and home, call a professional pest control company like MosquitoNix®. A misting system that generates a constant barrier with a non-toxic solution your family and pets can be around is a no-brainer. For residents in places like Jacksonville, where the mosquito season is longer and conditions more in the mosquito's favor than yours, preventative measures that a caring and knowledgeable pest control service can provide.
Being an adult and having to take care of a home and yard is hard work. But you know the calm and relaxing feeling that takes over when you sit on your porch or favorite spot in your home to drink your coffee or read a book? That feeling is even better when it's not interrupted by you swatting at bugs or scratching a bunch of bites. Take these mosquito prevention tips to heart to keep yourself, your family and your pets safe from pests.
Leave a comment
Comments will be approved before showing up.
