Jacksonville, North Carolina, is known for its beauty, great people, and beautiful scenery. Unfortunately, exploring our region's outdoor spaces or spending time in your backyard means you are constantly battling mosquitoes. Jacksonville's warm, humid climate allows these pests to flourish and develop into large, difficult-to-manage populations.
Small in size, we identify mosquitoes by their small gray or brown bodies boasting white stripes or other markings. Scales cover one pair of wings, and their slim bodies have a humpback appearance. They also have six long, thin, bent legs that dangle below their bodies when in flight.
Mosquitoes are biting insects that fly. However, only female mosquitoes bite because they require blood meals to produce viable eggs. Mosquito bites aren't necessarily painful, but they are known for being quite itchy. When mosquitoes inject their proboscis (elongated, piercing mouthparts) to feed on your blood, they inject their saliva into your body. As your body reacts to the saliva, it causes itching and swelling.
It is not just people or animals from which females can consume a blood meal that attracts mosquitoes to our properties.
Mosquitoes also gravitate to:
- Flowering vegetation. Though female mosquitoes feed on blood meals, the primary food source for female and male mosquitoes is plant nectar.
- Standing water. Mosquitoes only lay their eggs in standing water.
- Daytime resting spots. Tall grass, overgrown shrubbery, woodpiles, and yard debris are places mosquitoes like to rest; anywhere with dark, damp areas during the day to escape the heat and sun.
Having mosquitoes breeding and feeding on your property can make it impossible for you and your family to enjoy spending time outside. If you are tired of battling mosquitoes in your yard, keep reading. We want to help you learn more about these pests, including why they are considered deadly, how to keep them at bay, and why seeking professional pest control in Jacksonville, NC, is the best way to keep them away from your property!
Identifying A Mosquito Problem On Your Property
The fact is that mosquitoes can become a problem almost anywhere. They thrive outdoors and will take the opportunity to take advantage of space that offers them food, water, and shelter. Unfortunately for us, our Jacksonville yards typically offer mosquitoes everything they need.
You will most likely notice a problem with mosquitoes in the spring. Once the weather begins warming up after the colder winter months, mosquitoes become active again. If mosquitoes drive you back indoors every time you or your family try to spend time in your yard, you have a problem with these biting pests.
Wooded areas, fields, and other places with dense vegetation tend to house large populations of mosquitoes. They provide them with the shade mosquitoes need to keep away from the direct sun and offer refuge from the heat.
While the promise of resting spots attracts mosquitoes to our properties, standing water is the most common reason mosquitoes have found their way and become a problem on your property. The more standing water on your property or near your property, the more problematic mosquitoes will be for you and your family. Mosquitoes develop from egg to adult in only eight to ten days, allowing them to take over our outdoor spaces in the blink of an eye.
Mosquitoes in Jacksonville can thrive in any area that provides standing water. Permanent areas of water like ponds and marshes, low-lying areas that flood, and natural or artificial containers that collect rainwater all attract female mosquitoes looking for a breeding site.
Don't let your spring and summer be ruined by biting mosquitoes. Though we can't eradicate mosquitoes entirely from our outdoor spaces, we can significantly reduce their presence!
Five Easy Ways To Reduce Mosquito Populations In Your Area
When it comes to mosquitoes, controlling their numbers is vital to your health and ability to enjoy your outdoor space. To keep you and your family safe from the mosquitoes that call Jacksonville home, we have compiled a list of our five top helpful tips.
- Reduce resting spots on your property. Keep the grass cut short, prune shrubs and trees, and remove areas of yard debris and clutter.
- Eliminate containers from your property that collect rainwater and provide females a place to lay their eggs. Store buckets and wheelbarrows upside down when not in use, don't overwater planted pots, keep gutters clear of debris, shake off the water that collects on tarps, and keep lids on trash cans and recycling bins.
- Fill in the areas on your property that flood or allow puddles to form. Regularly empty and refill wading pools, pet water bowls, and bird baths with fresh water. If you own a pool, properly treat its water and ensure it is constantly circulating.
- Mosquitoes, like most flies, are weak fliers. Use outdoor fans on decks, porches, and patios to keep mosquitoes away from you and your family when eating outside.
- Avoid being continuously bitten by mosquitoes by keeping mosquitoes out of your house. Make sure screens in windows and doors are intact. Never prop open windows and doors. In addition, whenever possible, avoid spending time outside at dusk or dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
By taking the time to implement the above tips, you can help to keep mosquitoes away from your property, and you and your family protected.
Why Mosquitoes Around Your Yard Can Be A Health Concern
While most homeowners seek professional help controlling mosquitoes because they are annoying, being annoying should be the least of your worries. Your biggest concern should be the diseases and other illnesses they transmit.
When mosquitoes use their proboscis to "bite" us, they cause an opening in the skin that allows bacteria into your body. Secondary infections due to excessive scratching at the bite sites are common, especially in young kids.
Most mosquito bites cause localized swelling around the bite site, but a whole-body reaction can happen in people severely allergic to their saliva. Hives, bruising around the bite sites, anaphylaxis, or inflammation of the lymph system can be the symptoms of a severe allergic reaction.
The main reason mosquitoes are dangerous is that they are disease vectors. Female mosquitoes feed on a wide variety of mammal hosts; therefore, they can easily acquire and transmit diseases to people and animals. Worldwide, mosquitoes carry and spread malaria, encephalitis, Zika, and yellow fever and are responsible for over a million deaths each year.
The West Nile virus is of concern in the United States. Some common West Nile virus symptoms include fever, headaches, joint aches, and vomiting.
Spreading parasitic heartworms to pets like dogs and cats is another considerable concern associated with mosquitoes. Heartworm disease is deadly if not treated in time by a professional. The best way to protect your pets against heartworm disease is to partner with their veterinarian and place them on a year-round preventative program.
When it comes to mosquitoes, the fewer interactions you, your family, and your pets have with them, the better. Being proactive and implementing regular mosquito control services in Jacksonville will help reduce their presence of them on your property.
The Best Way To Keep Mosquitoes Away From Your Yard
A quick internet search will lead you to many natural or DIY remedies for mosquitoes, like using citronella candles and essential oils or planting outdoor plants that repel mosquitoes, like lavender or marigolds in the garden. Unfortunately, those remedies do not offer a permanent solution; they are only a temporary band-aid. A permanent solution to your Jacksonville property's mosquito problems is to partner with an experienced professional.
While you obtain some professional services because you want them, others are because you need them. Mosquito control is definitely in the category of a need rather than a want.
Mosquitoes thrive in the southern United States, are outdoor pests, and can use their wings to travel to and from your yard as they please. While maintaining your yard and reducing areas of standing water is super important to winning the battle against mosquitoes, partnering with a pest professional to get to the root of your property's mosquito infestation is vital. Professional services ensure safe treatments and provide the routine services necessary to prevent future problems with these biting, disease-spreading pests.
Here at B&T Pest Control, we offer effective pest control services that give you the most for your money. Our top-notch mosquito control services come with our PestGuard and PestGuard Plus plans.
Our mosquito control service includes:
- A thorough inspection of your property, looking for conducive conditions. We will inspect your property, looking for containers that provide mosquito breeding grounds, like tires, buckets, plant pots, trashcans, or clogged gutters.
- Treatments using EPA-approved products. Our products are effective and have the safety of your family, pets, property, and the environment in mind.
- Regular services to ensure long-term mosquito control. Our recurring services keep these biting pests at bay.
In addition to the regular mosquito control we provide through our Jacksonville home pest control plans, we also offer one-time treatments. Our one-time treatment option helps clear outdoor spaces of mosquitoes before special events like weddings, family reunions, and festivals.
For more information about mosquito control in Jacksonville, NC, contact B&T Pest Control today!
What B&T Customers Are Saying
"OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!!! Jeff was on-time, professional, and very knowledgeable. He sprayed our home and was very thorough not to miss anything. Jeff made it easy to select a future service plan. I highly recommend this company especially if they have members like him on staff. Great job! Very satisfied."
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