Nothing can ruin a family’s outdoor fun more than mosquitoes. These flying pests are not only annoying as they buzz from person to person, but they can also leave people afflicted with bites that can itch for days. And this has led some families to take proactive measures against these pests by putting some kind of protective barrier around the outdoor areas in which they congregate.

Keeping mosquitoes at bay isn’t always as easy as it should be, however. These pests can be pretty resistant to some mosquito control methods, so sometimes homeowners have to get creative. That’s why we’ve decided to list the ten best backyard mosquito control methods currently available. Thanks to this list, you’ll have access to the tools you need to keep these pests away.

Best Backyard Mosquito Controls

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9CSI Permethrin SFR Insecticide

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This product is a broad-use professional strength spray that’s designed to rid areas around the home of harmful pests. This product can not only be used for mosquitoes but can be used to protect the areas around the home from a variety of pests. Some of the insects that can be killed using this product include ants, bees, boxelder bugs, cockroaches, scorpions, spiders, wasps, ticks, silverfish, and even termites. It can be sprayed on ornamentals and lawns, landscapes and sheds, to adequately protect the area from these pests and keep the outdoor common areas safe for pool parties and barbeques.

8Cutter Backwoods Aerosol Insect Repellent

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This product’s formula contains 25% DEET, which is probably why it’s so effective against repelling mosquitoes. It’s an aerosol that’s designed to be sprayed on the skin or on clothing and is sweat-resistant, so it won’t sweat off even in the most humid conditions. This repellent is quite effective not only against mosquitoes but also a variety of other pests including fleas, biting flies, ticks, gnats, and chiggers. When sprayed on, this product will create a barrier around the wearer that insects won’t want to pass through. And once this product has been thoroughly applied, it provides up to 10-hours of protection against mosquitoes.

7Sawyer Products Picaridin Insect Repellent Lotion

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This long-lasting lotion is designed to repel mosquitoes for up to 14-hours at a time, and can also be used to repel other insects such as fleas, chiggers, ticks, flies, and gnats for up to 8-hours at a time. It’s a fragrance-free formula that contains 20% Picaridin, which has been proven to be a more effective mosquito repellent than DEET or other similar repellents. This allows people who are expecting to spend any considerable amount of time outdoors to effectively protect themselves against mosquitoes that can carry diseases such as West Nile, Zika Virus and ticks that can carry Powassan or Lyme Disease.

6Murphy’s Mosquito Repellent Incense Sticks

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These mosquito repellent insect sticks are made using natural plant-based ingredients that make mosquitoes want to flee the area in which they’re burned. These sticks are made with such fragrant and mosquito annoying ingredients such as Citronella, Lemongrass, Rosemary, Peppermint, Bamboo and Cedar. Each of these sticks will burn for approximately 120 to 150-minutes, and during that time they will drive away many of the mosquitoes in the area. Although this isn’t a fool-proof method of controlling mosquitoes, when combined with other methods it can be quite effective. Each tube in this set contains 12-sticks, enough for approximately 24-hours of use.

5Sawyer Products Premium Insect Repellent

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This insect repellent is designed to be sprayed on clothing, outdoor furniture, tents, and other surfaces to chase away not only mosquitoes, but a variety of other pests including chiggers, ticks, and mites. It works because one of the most recommended lines of defense indicated by most experts is to treat clothing with a Permethrin-based formula, which is the main ingredient in this formula. This repellent is especially useful effective repelling the dreaded Yellow Fever Mosquito, a mosquito that’s been known to transmit the Zika Virus. Once applied, this product will last for 6-washings, and won’t damage fabrics, plastics, or finished surfaces.

4Skeeter Screen Spreadable Insect Detterent

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This 4-pound container is designed to hit mosquitoes where they live, and it prevents them from bothering people while they are swimming, enjoying a BBQ or playing outdoor games. The homeowner simply has to do a 3-foot barrier around the area that they want to protect from mosquitoes, and this product will repel mosquitoes for up to 7 to 10-days, depending on the weather. Although it does need to be used at least an hour in advance of any outdoor gathering, once it’s been broadcast it will continue to work for the specified time frame to keep everyone safe from mosquito bites.

3Summit Responsible Solutions Mosquito Bits

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In this 30-ounce container is a product that’s quite remarkable and can be used to control mosquitoes before they can even grow into adulthood. These corn cob granules are placed into surface water and will kill all of the mosquito larvae that exists in that water. That prevents the mosquitoes from effectively breeding and increasing their population. This product is EPA-registered in all 50 U.S States and has no known toxicity to people. It can also be placed on the surface of the soil to control the native populations of fungus gnats in flower beds or houseplant pots. It’s a safe and effective mosquito and gnat control method.

2Cutter Backyard Concentrated Bug Control Spray

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This concentrated insect spray is specifically designed to repel and kill mosquitoes. A 32-ounce bottle of spray has enough power to treat an area up to 5,000 square feet in size and keep pests away from this area for up to a month. Its spray bottle has a quick flip feature that makes it easy to use and allows the product to be sprayed using only your thumb. And this product is strong enough to not only kill mosquitoes, but it can also kill and repel a variety of other outdoor pests including house crickets, earwigs, harvester ants, lady beetles, and even carpenter ants.

1Flowtron BK-40D Electronic Insect Killer

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When it comes to mosquitoes, sometimes a homeowner needs a backyard mosquito control method that works 24-hours a day and 7-days a week. A device that can kill these pests electronically and can be left unattended in the affected area. And the Flowtron BK40-D may be such a product. This is an advanced flying insect control system that will attract and kill flying insects that are within 1-acre of it. When the insects fly into it, they are electrocuted. This device features a 9-foot long cord, a 40-watt bulb and has a killing grid that doesn’t clog and is easy to clean.

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A Guide To Backyard Mosquito Control

Although buying the best mosquito control product is a great start for stopping mosquitoes dead in their tracks, the truth is that it’s only the beginning. True mosquito control requires the homeowner to take measures to ensure that their outdoor spaces are as inhospitable to mosquitoes as possible and for that to happen, the consumer is going to have to develop a plan. To help our readers devise such a plan, we wrote this guide that will help them achieve their goals and stop mosquitoes quickly and efficiently. Let’s get started so we can nip that mosquito infestation in the bud and reclaim our outdoor areas for ourselves and our families.

Little Known Mosquito Facts

Before anyone can hope to eradicate a mosquito problem, they first have to understand how these pests operate. After all, if a person doesn’t understand their enemy, then they have little hope of actually defeating them. That’s why we’ve decided to put down some of the most interesting facts about mosquitoes that we could gather. And we’ve listed these facts in a list below.

  • Only Female Mosquitoes Bite – A little known fact is that male mosquitoes live off of plant nectar, while female mosquitoes feast on human blood. That’s because female mosquitoes need human blood to help her develop her eggs. Once she has received enough blood, she’ll then rest for a few days to allow her eggs to develop before she lays her eggs.
  • Female Mosquitoes Drink Heavily – The average female mosquito can drink up to three times her weight in human blood. Fortunately, mosquitoes don’t weigh a whole lot, so it would take over a million bites for the mosquito to drain all of the blood from a person’s body.
  • Mosquitoes Live Short Lives – The average female mosquito will only live about 60-days before they die, and the average male mosquito will only live about 56-days. Unfortunately, during her short lifespan, a female mosquito can lay eggs every 3-days, so during her lifetime, she can create quite the mosquito airforce.
  • Mosquitoes Can Hibernate – Since mosquitoes are cold-blooded, they will hibernate during the winter months. This usually happens when air temperatures fall lower than 50-degrees. Mosquitoes are more active when temperatures reach 80-degrees or higher, so people should stay out of outdoor areas when the mercury on the thermometer gets up there.
  • There Are Lots Of Mosquito Species – Anyone who has ever wondered how many mosquitoes can be found in the world, then we have some startling news. As of the writing of this guide, there were over 3,500 different mosquito species discovered worldwide. How many of those can be found in the U.S? In the U.S, there are about 174+ of them. Some of the more common ones include Aedes Albopictus and Anopheles Quadrimaculus.

Diseases Caused By Mosquitoes

Now that we know a little bit more about these insects, it’s probably a good idea to talk about one of the worst facts about these creatures and that is that they spread disease. These creatures are responsible for a variety of different diseases all over the world. Some of the more common diseases include:

  • West Nile Virus
  • Yellow Fever
  • Dengue Fever
  • Malaria
  • Saint Louis Encephalitis
  • Western Equine Encephalitis
  • Eastern Equine Encephalitis
  • Barmah Forest Fever
  • Ross River Fever
  • Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis
  • Chikungunya
  • Filariasis
  • Tularemia
  • Japanese Encephalitis

And the above diseases are only a small fraction of the diseases that mosquitoes spread every single day all over the world. That’s one of the best reasons anyone could have for eliminating these parasites as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Getting Rid Of Mosquitoes

Having just armed ourselves with some useful knowledge about mosquitoes, it’s now time to turn our attention to the task at hand. Let’s examine some of the steps the average person can take to eliminate these pests from their property.

The first step in eliminating mosquitoes is to remove all potential breeding grounds. Since mosquitoes use sources of water to breed, homeowners can do a lot of good by eliminating these water sources, so they can’t use them to breed. Homeowners should keep in mind that mosquitoes only need a small amount of water to lay eggs, so even a tire with standing water in its rim can potentially be used as a breeding ground. Therefore, consumers need to remove standing water that is on their property, even if its less than a quarter of an in places that water might be stored include the following common household items:

  • Tires
  • Bird Baths
  • Ornamental Fountains
  • Plant Pots
  • Buckets
  • Garbage Cans
  • Clogged Gutters
  • Flat roofs

Improve Soil Conditions

Even swampy ground can be used for mosquitoes to breed, so consumers should take all reasonable steps necessary to improve yard drainage. This may include draining non-flowing ditches, filling in soil depressions, and improving overall yard drainage. It’s also a good idea to fill in old tree stumps with either concrete, a sealant, or mortar to prevent water from building up.

Use Aerators On Outdoor Ponds

Of course, not all outdoor sources of water can be eliminated. This is particularly true of outdoor ponds. However, homeowners can take steps to ensure that mosquitoes don’t breed in their outdoor ponds by installing an aerator on them. Since mosquitoes larvae require still water to survive, adding an aerator on a pond is a great way to prevent the pond from becoming the newest breeding pond. Plus, a good aerator and water bubbler will improve the quality of the water, which is always a good thing.

Use Larvicides In Water That Can’t Be Removed

If standing water can’t be completely removed from the property, and it’s not a body inhabited by fish or other aquatic life, then the property owner can use a birational larvicide in the water. These are pellets, dunks, or punks that contain either Methoprene or BTi bacterium that helps to kill mosquitoes in standing water. Neither of these larvicides will harm humans, pets, fish, or waterfowl, so property owners can use them with confidence.

Keep Swimming Pools Clean

It’s also extremely important to keep the swimming pool clean and their pumps running. Pools that are properly disinfected and chlorinated are not the ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes, so they will avoid laying eggs in pools whenever possible. However, if they do decide to lay eggs in the pool, the property owner can rest assured that their pump and filter will remove the eggs and larvae before they become a problem.

Use The Best Backyard Mosquito Control

Finally, the best way to control backyard mosquitoes is to use a top-notch insecticide. We’ve listed some of the best ones available in our list up above, so anyone who is having problems keeping mosquitoes under control will probably want to buy one of these products. When used with the rest of our mosquito control tips, these products do an amazing job of returning the homeowner’s backyard into a mosquito-free oasis.