Ah, summer. You plan for a nice Fourth of July barbecue with family and friends, thinking about having a great time eating burgers and hot dogs and corn on the cob with your loved ones. Unfortunately, you may have some unloved ones also show up uninvited – lawn mosquitoes. And if these unwelcome visitors do turn up, you may see your guests leaving early to avoid the pests, making your shindig a flop. After all, not only are mosquitoes a nuisance, they can even contribute to diseases, including the dangerous West Nile Virus.

So what can you do to keep mosquitos out of your yard, and to keep your family and friends safe? Here are some lawn mosquito control tips:

Eliminate standing water

While water is of course important for your yard, and critical to having a healthy lawn, you need to make sure that the water actually reaches the grass itself, and does not puddle in areas which attract lawn mosquitoes. After all, such standing water can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes. So check on your yard’s irrigation system. In addition, do not leave items in your yard which can accumulate standing water, such as wheelbarrows, water cans, buckets or other items. You may accidentally be breeding mosquitoes in your yard without even realizing it. To know which areas can accumulate water without you even noticing it, simply go around your yard after a rain to see where water has built up.

In addition, if you have a bird bath or pond, you may want to add Bacillus thuringensis, also known as Bt, to the water – this ingredient is non-toxic to animals, but it will keep mosquitoes out of your yard. This way, you can enjoy seeing birds enjoy the birdbath, and fish swimming in the pond, without having to deal with lawn mosquitoes biting you or the animals.

Use citronella and other mosquito repelling plants

Citronella, a mosquito repelling plant, is a time honored way to control pests and keep them bay in your yard, especially lawn mosquitoes. So make sure you burn citronella to keep the pests out. In addition, an even better way to use citronella is to grow the plant in your yard as a natural mosquito repellent. Other plants that can potentially repel mosquitoes include marigolds, catnip, horsemint and ageratum. They work in various ways, including having scents that mosquitoes in your yard want to avoid.  And plants like catnip will have the added benefit of keeping your felines happy, while marigolds have some of the most beautiful flowers out there.

Use Lawn Doctor’s pest control services

Lawn Doctor has pest control services to control insects and pests like mosquitoes, including Perimeter Pest Control.  We can keep a variety of creepy crawly and downright annoying bugs from bothering you when you try to enjoy your yard. With these pest control services you do not even have to be at home to keep those mosquitoes out of your yard and from bothering you.