Mosquitoes are a constant nuisance to both you and your property. As the weather continues to heat up and as we experience more rainfall here in Iowa, more mosquitoes are starting to come out and breed. If you’re noticing a lot of mosquitoes in your yard, you may unknowingly have things in your yard that are attracting them. Some things that mosquitoes are attracted to include standing water, piles of debris, overgrown vegetation, and tall grass. By not removing or tending to these things in your yard, you're making your yard the perfect nesting ground for mosquitoes by giving them multiple places to hide and breed.

1. Standing Water

The first thing you'll want to address to help reduce the mosquito population on your lawn is to get rid of any standing water. Stagnant water is the place where mosquitoes go to breed. Mosquito larvae can survive in even the shallowest pool of water. While it may be impossible to remove every ounce of water on your lawn, taking care of problematic areas is a great way to get a handle on the mosquito population on your property.

Specifically, you'll want to empty things like buckets, containers, and empty flowerpots of any stagnant water to limit the number of places mosquitos can breed in your yard. You'll either want to store these inside a shed or your home, but if you plan to keep them outside, turn them upside down to limit the amount of water they hold. Even tiny things like plastic bags can retain water in them, so you'll want to make sure you remove these types of items from your lawn as they tend to retain enough water for mosquitoes to use as a breeding ground.

Mosquito larvae prefer shallow water less than 24 inches deep. Water deeper than 2 feet is less likely to become a breeding ground for mosquitoes!

2. Piles of Debris

A pile of debris in need of clearing next to a home in Dallas Center, IA.

Piles of debris not only make your lawn look cluttered and messy, but they also act as the perfect shelter for mosquitoes during the day. Mosquitoes like to take refuge in cool, shaded areas to protect themselves from the wind and the sun. By removing piles of debris, you can reduce the mosquitoes on your lawn since they do not have as many places to hide or reproduce.

3. Overgrown Vegetation

During the day, mosquitoes like to rest in shaded areas. Much like piles of debris, overgrown vegetation provides mosquitoes with the shelter they desire from the sun and wind. Dense vegetation tends to retain moisture, and it creates a nice, shaded environment for the mosquitoes to hang around and potentially breed in your yard. Trimming overgrown vegetation can make your yard an undesirable place for mosquitoes by drastically reducing the number of places they can take shelter.

4. Tall Grass

Tall grass and weeds in need of maintenance in Urbandale, IA.

The last thing that can attract mosquitoes to your yard is tall grass. When your grass is overgrown, it provides mosquitoes with shaded areas to stay and breed. Taller grass shades the soil from the sun, helping it retain moisture and keeping the temperatures cooler, making it the ideal area for mosquitoes. Mow your grass regularly to cut off many of the shaded areas mosquitoes can use to hide by exposing your soil to the sun. This can help keep mosquitoes off your yard as they go and look for other shadier areas to infest.

Call us today to sign up for our mosquito control service!

Mosquitoes can be hard to eliminate. Even by limiting the areas mosquitoes can take refuge and reproduce, you can still end up with a large mosquito population on your property, especially as the weather is starting to warm up. At A+ Lawn & Landscape, we offer our mosquito control service to residential and commercial properties in Des Moines, IA, as well as surrounding areas like West Des Moines and Ankeny. Give us a call today at (515) 289-2020 to sign up for our mosquito control service!