Have you ever noticed that it doesn't take long for mosquitoes to mob you when you go out into your yard? Why do you think that is? If you said, "Because those mosquitoes are living in my yard," then you answered correctly. When you step outside, you're not going to be attacked by your neighbor's mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are terrible fliers. That is why a nice breeze can keep them away. They're not going to take notice of you from a great distance and zip over to bite you. Those mosquitoes biting you in your yard are your mosquitoes. Here are a few ways that make your yard attractive to mosquitoes.

PLANTS

Do you know that mosquitoes feed on nectar, honeydew, and the sap from plants? Yup. They get carbohydrates from flowers and plants. In fact, mosquitoes can stick their snout into a plant stem and suck the sap out of it in the same way they suck the blood out of you. So mosquitoes have a strong incentive to be in a yard that has more flowers and ornamentals.

Mosquitoes don't just use plants to feed on, they use them as a hiding place as well. The leaves of your plants give mosquitoes protection from the midday sun, which can dry them out. That is why professional pest control companies target landscaping when they apply a mist application in a yard. They know that this is where mosquitoes are going to hide.

When mosquitoes feed on your plants and hide in the moist shaded protection your plants provide, female mosquitoes will wait for you and others in your home to come out into the yard and they will take this opportunity to draw a blood meal. Female mosquitoes need blood in order to fertilize their eggs. That's why you get swarmed with mosquitoes when you step out into your yard.

The more plants and vegetation you have in your yard, the more inviting it will be to mosquitoes. But, you can use this attractant against those mosquitoes by investing in seasonal mosquito reduction services. The product applied by a licensed professional is made to kill mosquitoes but is harmless to people and pets.

BREEDING SITES

Most mosquito species breed in stagnant water. They lay their eggs. Those eggs hatch into wigglers (larvae). Those larvae mature into tumblers (pupae). And, tumblers become adult mosquitoes, which are able to fly. All of this can happen right in your yard. And mosquitoes only need an inch of water to do it. They can find this stagnant water in an obstructed gutter, a toy left in the yard, water collected on a lawnmower that was left out, in a kiddie pool, etc. If you have stagnant water in your yard, you are giving mosquitoes breeding sites. This is not good news for you or anyone else who lives in your home. The more mosquitoes are able to reproduce in your yard, the more mosquitoes you'll have biting you when you go outside.

YOUR NEIGHBOR'S MOSQUITOES

There are a few things you should know about your neighbor's mosquitoes. Understanding these points will give you encouragement as you seek to take measures to control breeding sites and other attractants.

• Your neighbor's mosquitoes can't see you when you come outside. They have horrible eyesight and must use silhouettes to target you and bite you. When they come into your yard, it is a slow process that is inspired by their need for carbohydrates and moisture. You can resist them by reducing attractants.
• Your neighbor's mosquitoes don't get around much. Most mosquitoes will not travel more than a few hundred feet in their entire life. That means your neighbor's mosquitoes are going to prefer to bite your neighbor. But you can lure those mosquitoes into your yard with sweet smells that remind them of flowers and by giving them stagnant water to breed in.
• If you have seasonal mosquito treatments, you can eliminate your neighbor's mosquitoes when they come into your yard and hide in your landscaping, waiting to bite you. So, these treatments don't just work to control your mosquitoes. They have a broader impact.

We hope this information has helped you get more insight into how mosquitoes behave and why they're in your yard. If you decide you're ready to invest in mosquito control for your property, and you live in Missouri, we'd like to remind you that Rottler Pest & Lawn Solutions specializes in yard pests like mosquitoes. When it comes to mosquito reduction, you can trust the team at Rottler to get the job done.