Best Mosquito Repellents for Your Yard. Picture this… You’re sitting on your porch enjoying a cold beer and watching the summer sun dip beneath the trees. You take a deep breath and soak up this peaceful moment. Suddenly there’s a loud, high-pitch buzzing in your ear, and you feel a slight sting on your foot. Frantically slapping your foot and swatting the air around your ear, you spill your beer down your shirt. Sound familiar? 

Not only are they annoying, but mosquito bites can also be extremely itchy and painful, sometimes lasting for up to 3-4 days. In extreme cases, their bites can even lead to disease and viral infections such as malaria and dengue in places like Africa and the East.

Thankfully, we have plenty of options to get rid of them. Apart from slathering your skin with bug-repellent lotion and sprays, you can use some of the best mosquito-repellent techniques and solutions for your yard.

Find out how to get rid of mosquitoes, natural solutions, and the best mosquito repellents for your yard.

Important Information About Mosquitoes

Homeowners need to understand mosquitoes to determine the best ways to get rid of them:

  • These pests love to hide in dark areas of your home and yard. You’ll most likely find them under sinks, closets, chairs, benches, and tables.
  • Studies from Virginia Tech show that mosquitoes can remember what their hosts smell like and which ones tried to swat them before so they can avoid them.
  • They often wait quietly in dark, cold areas until a tasty snack walks by. They take their time and fly unnoticed until they have taken a meal of your blood.
  • According to another study, mosquitoes infected by malaria strains become more attracted to human scent compared to other uninfected mosquitoes.
  • They extract blood from their hosts using their long mouths, which they plunge through your skin.
  • Outside in your yard, mosquitoes hide where there are many plants and other coverage.
  • Mosquitoes also frequent any collection of standing water, which is where they usually breed. Females can lay 100 eggs at any time (yikes!) which greatly multiplies their numbers.

Consider these facts as you learn how to get rid of mosquitoes. Then, choose the best solutions that work for your unique needs. Pest control experts often recommend combining multiple methods while using the best mosquito repellent for your patio or yard. The goal is to get rid of these pests at every stage of the mosquito life cycle.

Are they Dangerous?

Mosquitoes are effective transmitters of various diseases and can cover wide areas rapidly. For instance, the Zika virus was first reported in Brazil in 2015, which quickly spread to 24 other countries.

Technically speaking, mosquitoes don’t transmit disease per se. What they spread are disease-causing agents whenever they bite. Female mosquitoes need blood not for nourishment for themselves but to produce eggs.

The spread of the viral agents occurs when mosquitoes suck blood from their hosts. Then, they will inject their saliva, which can numb the area of the skin they’re feeding on, which also introduces the disease-causing agent to the host.

Preventive Measures You Can Take

While looking for the best-suited mosquito repellent for your yard, you should also take preventive measures. There are simple steps that homeowners can take to protect themselves, their guests, and their loved ones from these disease-carrying pests:

  • Wear long-sleeved clothing.
  • Apply bug sprays wherever you go outside the house.
  • Schedule your outdoor activities and avoid going out from dusk to dawn, as these are the prime times for mosquitoes to come out.
  • Remove any standing water in pots and containers in your home.
  • Clean rain gutters, allowing water to flow freely.
  • Repair door screens and windows so mosquitoes can’t come indoors.
  • Fix dripping faucets in your yard.
  • Light citronella candles around your yard or patio to keep them away. Although this doesn’t solve your mosquito problem, it can help.
  • Remove standing water in plant holders at least twice a week.
  • Throw away old tires since they tend to accumulate water.

The Best Mosquito Repellent for Your Yard

You have plenty of options as you determine how to get rid of mosquitoes in your yard. Many homeowners are likely to have a problem with these pests in their yards rather than inside the house. The repellants detailed below include everything from bug zappers and other similar devices to chemical and organic solutions.

  1. Bug Zappers and Repellent Devices

Homeowners can choose from various repellent devices, from hand-held bug zappers to mosquito-repellent lanterns or a combination of both. Bug zappers can kill mosquitoes. However, they also tend to get rid of other insects, including those that are beneficial to your plants. Apart from bug zappers, you also have the option to use multi-functional repellent products:

  • Heat Activated Repellent: These electronic devices use activated heat repellent mats that disrupt the sensors of mosquitoes. They create a protective zone with a perimeter of about 15 feet. They’re cordless, battery-operated, smoke-free, and scent-free. The only downside is that they have a limited range of protection, so you’ll need to install more than one if you have a bigger patio.
  • Mosquito Repellent Lanterns: Lantern repellents work the same way as heat-activated repellent devices. They emit EPA-approved plant-based extracts that create a protective zone. They’re safe to use around pets and don’t produce any smoke or smells. These devices double up as lanterns to create a more subdued mood in your yard, perfect for evenings shared with friends and family.
  1. Bug Sprays

Spray solutions are a more aggressive way to repel mosquitoes. Make sure to check if the formula is EPA-registered. You can use these products to treat entire yards of up to 5,000 square feet of space.

These products are easy to use. All you have to do is attach a hose to the sprayer and spray the formula everywhere you need it. Ensure to keep children and pets away from the sprayed surfaces until the chemicals dry up completely.

Bug sprays can kill mosquitoes, larvae, ticks, and other pests. In addition, they last for several weeks.

  1. Mosquito Repellent Candles

Mosquito-repellent candles come in various forms, from citronella to lavender-based scents. They’re one of the natural options for keeping mosquitoes away from your patio. Many candles can last for 30 hours and leave a pleasant scent. 

Apart from citronella and lavender, you can choose scents to your likings, such as cedarwood, lemongrass, peppermint, and rosemary. These candles burn botanical oils, so you must monitor open flames since they’re a fire hazard.

  1. Mosquito Repelling Granules

This is an all-natural solution to repel and get rid of mosquitoes in your yard. They’re best suited for large yards of up to 4,000 square feet or more. They’re easy to use and work with a fertilizer spreader. You can also just sprinkle the product around your yard straight from the container.

These products are biodegradable and include oils from mosquito-repelling herbs such as garlic, mint, and lemongrass. They are safe to use around plants and pets. Once deployed, the granules emit an odor undetectable by humans that keeps mosquitoes at bay. In addition, you can also spread them in areas where mosquitoes lay eggs and breed, preventing further infestation.

  1. Mosquito Dunks

These products kill mosquito larvae and are considered long-term solutions since they eliminate these pests at the source. Dunk them in any flood-prone area or any place in your yard where water tends to accumulate. You can use them in plant trays, ponds, gutters, and bird baths.

Don’t worry about the fish in the pond since these products are safe for them and other wildlife. Their formula can last up to 30 days and remain non-toxic to people and pets. The only downside about this option is that you need a separate solution for live mosquitoes.

  1. Chemical Repellents

You can call this the traditional way of removing mosquitoes from your yard. These chemical sprays are readily available in shops and are proven to kill various pests that have already infested your property.

It is best to purchase products that contain 30 to 50 percent diethyltoluamide or DEET. Some people question the safety of these sprays, but they’ve been in use for more than 60 years.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has guaranteed that DEET-based solutions aren’t harmful to humans as long as they’re used correctly and according to package instructions. In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stated that DEET meets all safety standards when used properly.

  1. Oscillating Fans

Here’s another traditional tool that has been proven to repel these pests for decades. Mosquitoes are known to have difficulty flying against the wind. This option doesn’t require purchasing any other product if you already have one at home. Turn it on, let it oscillate, and blow the mosquitoes away from your patio while keeping you cool on a hot day.

  1. Mosquito Traps

These products have varying degrees of effectiveness. You can choose between two types of traps: active and passive. Active traps use attractants, such as certain colors, scents, and temperatures, to lure mosquitoes in.

Passive traps, on the other hand, get mosquitoes that are just passing by. It is best to place these traps in places where these insects lay eggs or in areas where they’re actively looking for a blood meal, like your patio.

  1. Coffee Grounds and Natural Bug Deterrent Potpourri

Coffee grounds contain certain bioactive compounds that can repel mosquitoes and other pests. Compounds such as diterpenes and caffeine are toxic to these pests and other similar insects.

Homeowners can use them to safely deter beetles, fruit flies, mosquitoes, and other pests. You can sprinkle them in areas you usually sit around, such as on the patio or yard. Another option is to put coffee grounds in bowls or scatter them around your plants.

Certain herbs can be made into potpourri that can repel mosquitoes. Combine any of the following:

  • Cinnamon sticks
  • Eucalyptus leaves
  • Soybean oil
  • Neem oil
  • Lavender
  • Garlic
  • Catnip oil
  • Lemon peel
  • Cloves
  • Cedarwood sprigs
  • Bay leaves
  • Basil
  • Star anise pods

You can use the leaves and bulbs of these herbs or purchase their essential oils to make your concoction. Then, place them in bowls or other containers and put them underneath chairs and other places where guests hang out in your yard.

  1. Outdoor and Other Mosquito Repellent Soap

There are outdoor soaps that have been formulated to repel mosquitoes. They are all-natural and non-toxic. They come in a variety of scents, such as citronella and geranium. You can use them when you go outdoors or when you go out camping.

Get Specialized Mosquito Treatment for Your Yard

At Pest Control Unlimited, we formulate custom solutions for the specific type of pest infesting your home. Our seasoned exterminators evaluate the situation in your home and recommend specific treatments best suited to your needs.

Our specialized mosquito treatment program can remove 90 to 95 percent of mosquito populations on any property. Certified technicians will apply the necessary treatments in your yard and other outdoor areas as needed. They are best applied at the peak of the mosquito season. Fill out this contact form to get a quote.

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