You and your family love spending time outdoors, especially during the cool spring and summer evenings when the sun is beginning to set.
A neighborhood cookout, roasting marshmallows over your fire pit or lounging in a patio chair -- there are a number of ways to enjoy the pleasant weather in your back yard.
But your relaxing outdoor living space can quickly become something quite the opposite thanks to mosquitoes.
As the weathers warms up, the mosquitoes that laid dormant during the winter come alive.
This leads to a constant battle between you and nature as you try to rid your patio or deck of this nuisance.
Here are a few steps you can take to reduce the number of mosquitoes in your yard.
Control Breeding Water is necessary for mosquitoes to breed.
If you live by a creek or small body of water, then you are naturally more susceptible to mosquito influx.
But you can still control breeding around your home by eliminating any potential water sources where mosquitoes will breed.
Stagnant, slow moving or still water and moist soil or leaf litter are the most likely spots for adult mosquitoes to lay eggs.
Therefore, look for places that hold standing water or appear to be a likely area for mosquito eggs.
Spots like outdoor recycling containers, gutters, swimming pools or simply poor drainage areas in your yard should be monitored.
Be sure that these areas are dumped, cleaned or re-graded in order to combat mosquito regeneration.
Control Habitat After breeding, mosquitoes look for certain areas to rest during the day.
This is typically on tall weed or other vegetation.
So, it is pretty simple to make you yard less conducive to the habitat of a mosquito.
Simply mow your yard regularly and be sure that weeds do not sprout near your home's foundation or the deck and patio you are trying to protect.
Control Exposure If you control the breeding and the habitat of mosquitoes, inevitably there will still be some that will work to ruin your next cookout.
But through barriers and control systems, you can more completely manage your direct exposure to mosquitoes.
While torches, candles, and zappers are repellents that are often seen on patios and porches, they only provide a short-term, mildly effective system of controlling mosquitoes.
The most effective way to prevent mosquitoes from invading your outdoor living is through a mosquito control system that sprays botanical insecticide throughout your yard during the times when mosquitoes are most active.
This will not only kill mosquitoes but also interrupt their breeding cycles.
These systems use nontoxic chemicals that break down quickly, so your children and pets won't be at any risk.
Mosquitoes are a nuisance to your outdoor enjoyment as well as a danger for potential illnesses or diseases.
Although it may seem that you are engaging in an endless war with mosquitoes during the summertime, when you control the breeding, habitat and exposure you are much more likely to put an end to the problem.
Take control over the mosquito problem in your yard to begin enjoying the outdoors again.