When you think about mosquitoes, the first word that comes to mind probably isn’t “dangerous.” Instead, you likely think of words like “annoying” or maybe “itchy.” Unfortunately, all three of these words apply to mosquitoes. They are certainly annoying, with the ability to leave you covered in itchy bites, but they are also quite dangerous.
If you have a lot of mosquitoes around your Knoxville home, you might wonder if there is anything you can do to get rid of them. Mosquito control in Knoxville is available from Southeast Termite & Pest Control. Find out more about mosquitoes below, including why they are so dangerous and how to prevent them; then give us a call to let us help you reduce the population already on your lawn.
The Life Cycle Of A Mosquito
Mosquitoes begin as eggs that the adult female mosquitoes have laid in standing water. Once the larvae hatch, they remain in the water, where they feed and develop into pupae. The pupae also live in the water but do not eat. After a few days, the pupae become adults. Male adults only live for about a week, while females typically live for about a month.
If you’ve been seeing a lot of mosquitoes in your home and yard, it’s likely that there are areas on your property where the females are able to lay their eggs. Sometimes, it can feel like one minute, there are no mosquitoes, and the next, there are hundreds. That’s because mosquitoes prefer to be active at certain times of day, usually in the early morning and evening. If you go outside at noon on a hot day, you probably won’t encounter many mosquitoes, but if you step outside after dinner, you’ll probably see a lot of them.
The Potential Dangers Of A Mosquito Bite
Mosquitoes in Knoxville are certainly an annoyance, but they are also dangerous. In fact, worldwide, mosquitoes are the deadliest animal known to man. While this isn’t the case in the United States, we still need to be careful about coming into contact with mosquitoes because of the diseases they spread.
Diseases carried by mosquitoes range from West Nile virus to Eastern equine encephalitis. An infected mosquito can transmit the disease it carries when it bites a person. Although many of the diseases spread by mosquitoes result in flu-like symptoms that resolve after several days or weeks, that’s not always the case. Some people have more severe reactions to mosquito-borne illnesses, and some diseases are more serious right from the start. In fact, although extremely rare, a person who contracts Eastern equine encephalitis has a 30% chance that it will be fatal.
Four Environmentally Friendly Mosquito Prevention Tips
Although it isn’t possible to completely eliminate mosquitoes from your Knoxville yard, you can take steps to reduce the number of them you encounter on your property. Try these four natural ways to get rid of mosquitoes in your yard:
Remove standing water on your property. This is the best thing you can do to reduce mosquito populations because, with no standing water, mosquito eggs can’t hatch. Don’t forget overlooked areas, such as clogged gutters and items that might collect rainwater.
Keep your grass mowed and your landscaping trimmed. This provides fewer areas for mosquitoes to rest during the day and helps keep moisture levels low.
Add plants to your landscape that repel mosquitoes. Mosquitoes don’t like lavender, mint, marigolds, and more.
Use fans and citronella candles while spending time outdoors. This is a temporary fix but can make it more comfortable while you’re outside.
Doing everything mentioned above will help keep the mosquito population under control on your property. However, if you are still struggling with mosquitoes, read on.
The Ultimate Mosquito Control Solution For Your Property
Sometimes, it takes more than keeping your yard in good condition to ward off the hundreds of mosquitoes that like to live there. If you’ve tried to get rid of mosquitoes on your own but still have a sizable population on your Knoxville property, give Southeast Termite & Pest Control a call.
Southeast Termite & Pest Control offers mosquito treatments in Knoxville that are designed to get rid of the mosquitoes on your property and keep them from returning. While no mosquito control service will eliminate 100% of mosquitoes, our In2Care system will drastically reduce the population on your property. Contact us for more information and to get on your way to a safer property.
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