.jpeg)
Everybody loves a great summer day by the lake. Swimming… Sitting on the dock… Campfires… It’s all fun and games until a swarm of mosquitos ruins the fun and forces everyone inside. Once you grow tired of applying layers and layers of mosquito repellant to your arms, legs, and everywhere else, it might be time to look into some mosquito control options so you can make the most of your summer days!
Mosquitos congregate the worst around the woods or near water and swamplands. If you live near either of these, you probable know this! If you live in Michigan like us, you know there are only so many days with amazing weather, and those days are best enjoyed WITHOUT mosquitos.
Mosquitos are drawn to water. They are also attracted to heat, movement, sweat, and exhaled carbon dioxide. They can even be attracted to dark colors. Of course, mosquitos bites can be quit pesky, and in the worst cases, they can even be carrying diseases like West Nile virus, Malaria, Yellow Fever, Dengue Fever, and more recently, Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE).
So what are the best ways to handle mosquito control? Here are Empire Pest, we have a few different strategies that help not only drive the mosquitos away, but make sure they stay away.
Repelling and Preventing:
At Empire Pest, we start with a large backpack fogger. Unlike some simpler DIY options, the mister makes sure to not only spray the leaves, but blow them over, so that our repellent can stick to either side of the leaves – top and bottom. Often, mosquitos will land on the underside of leaves and other objects, so application to the underside is key. And of course, with any good pest control company, the spray we use doesn’t just lightly mist – it sticks really well. Especially in this Michigan weather, with frost, rain and wind, it’s important to have something that sticks. If it seems to be an issue, we will also spray the underside of decks, or other places that mosquitos land frequently.
Spraying the perimeter of the property will typically keep mosquitos away for a while, but in some cases, there may be mosquito larvae to deal with that goes unnoticed until it’s too late, and the problem is worse than ever.
To prevent this, we typically employ a chemical known as “IGR” or “insect growth regulator.” This chemical basically creates a sort of biological film at the top of the water to keep larvae from coming up for air. It can stop insects at any stage in the growth cycle, instead of just controlling the adults.
Hiring a Mosquito Control Company:
While one can certainly learn to have similar effectiveness to a pest control company when it comes to mosquito control, there’s definitely a lot of costs associated with getting started, including quality protective gear, masks, and proper fogger. It’ll then be important to know a bit about each of the different chemicals involved. You’ll need a quality spray that sticks to surfaces well, and a growth regulator to keep pests away for good.
Long story short, there’s a lot of time and equipment involved with doing it alone, so most people just hire a professional to get it done right the first time. And with quotes starting at about $65 for an initial application (depending on property size of course), it won’t break the bank to get started. You can read more about our mosquito treatment when you visit our services page here.
Most companies spray for mosquitos every 21 days. At Empire, we apply a treatment that should typically last about 30 days so it’s easier to fit into your monthly budget. And last but not least, we have a 30 day guarantee on a treatment. If it becomes an issues, we’ll come back out free of cost.
If you’re looking to make your yard mosquito free, and keep it that way, we recommend giving us a call or filling out your info below for a quote. We’ll be happy to tell you everything we know!
