Outdoor Living
Mosquitoes can be a buzzkill for any outdoor event, such as a Memorial Day cookout, but also when trying to make a property appeal to potential buyers.
When visitors come to your home, you don’t want them to be swarmed by a biting bunch of mosquitoes. Encountering the pests could create a bad first impression, which means everything in today’s housing market.
If your place is on the market -- or if you just want to enjoy your yard with family, friends and kids -- here are five ways to ward off mosquitoes this summer.
1. De-clutter the yard.
Garden and yard accessories, kids’ outdoor toys, pet items and anything else that could hold standing water have the potential to turn your yard into a party spot for mosquitoes. Clearing the yard will let you leave for vacation or even move out, without a mosquito problem quickly developing. “The yard should really be emptied of everything but the grass and bushes,” said Elmer W. Gray, an entomologist with the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service. “That way, there will be much less material to catch rain and hold water and produce mosquitoes.”
2. Maintain the lawn frequently.
If you’ve already moved, be diligent about maintaining the property. That might require returning often to care for the yard, or hiring a landscape company. By keeping the yard short and the bushes trimmed, you will provide fewer places for mosquitoes to hide, Gray said. The same goes for making sure gutters are cleaned out and aren’t holding water. Even birdbaths and water containers for pets need to be rinsed every four to five days.
3. Check the screens.
If you’re a seller, or a buyer considering a home, make sure the window and door screens are intact. “That’s your first line of defense,” Gray said. “Don’t buy a house, or mandate them as part of the agreement that all the screens be repaired.”
4. Combat with insecticides.
Homeowners can treat shrubbery and other areas where mosquitoes rest during hot days by applying spray residual insecticides to kill them. Products are sold at local home improvement and feed and seed stores (look for those with bifenthrin or permethrin), and make sure you follow the instructions on the label.
Some metro Atlanta homeowners have installed mosquito misting systems in their yard. They often are not cost-effective enough in this area for the amount of time they’re needed, Gray said. They are an option for homeowners in coastal areas who are inundated with high numbers of mosquitoes and need to protect their yard.
5. Pay attention to pools.
Any pool that is being normally maintained for swimming will not produce mosquitoes. But abandoned pools -- often on foreclosed properties -- can be a problem and a potential man-made mosquito habitat, especially for foreclosed homes on the market, Gray said. “They instantly become mosquito producers, as soon as the chlorine wears off. Sometimes they’ll get drained but will quickly be holding water,” he said. There are a number of products, but a common one is Mosquito Dunks (available at most home and garden stores), which eliminate mosquito larvae for up to 30 days (one dunk per 100 square feet).
