Mosquitoes In Pearland: An All-Inclusive Prevention And Control Guide
If you are like most people in Pearland, you are already tired of battling mosquitoes in the yard this summer. Whether you are trying to work around the yard, grill for an outdoor barbecue, or play with the kids, these annoying, biting pests can make it hard to spend time outside. If your family keeps coming inside covered in bites, it is time to take action and learn more about mosquito control in Pearland.
This guide provides everything you need to know about preventing and controlling troublesome mosquitoes on your property. We’ll start by explaining a little about the mosquito’s life cycle and why each stage, from egg to adult, must be addressed to control this pest successfully.
We’ll also explain why we have so many of these pests around this area and review the potential diseases caused by mosquitoes. You have probably heard about the pathogens mosquitoes can spread when they bite. County health officials are already seeing an uptick in mosquito populations, which generally leads to an increase in mosquito-borne illnesses.
While there is no way to eradicate mosquitoes completely, there is a lot you can do to prevent and control them. We’ll explore eco-friendly options to keep mosquitoes away from your property and avoid their bites. Fewer mosquitoes mean fewer bites and less of a chance of disease transmission.
Come along with us and discover how professional mosquito control services in Pearland can help to protect your family from dangerous bites and make your backyard a safe place your family and friends can enjoy. If you prefer to skip to the part where we treat your yard for this pest, contact us today at Modern Pest Control to schedule your free inspection or to learn more about our services.
Understanding The Mosquito Life Cycle: A Key To Effective Control
If you have been wondering how mosquitoes can go from bad to worse in such a short period, the answer has a lot to do with their life cycle. Mosquitoes breed rapidly under the right conditions, mainly in hot, humid weather, which is part of the reason properties around the Gulf Coast, including Pearland, have such a high number of these pests.
Both male and female mosquitoes’ primary food source is plant juices like nectar. But female mosquitoes need a blood meal before laying their eggs. So anytime you get a mosquito bite, it is from a female mosquito taking the blood she needs to reproduce.
After receiving the blood meal, a mosquito finds a place to lay the eggs. The location can vary slightly depending on the types of mosquitoes on your property. The two most common types in this area are the culex and Asian tiger mosquitoes.
Culex mosquitoes seek still water to lay their eggs in, and just about any stagnant water will do. These mosquitoes will take advantage of flood waters, marshes, storm drains, tree holes, puddles, and even old tires on your property to lay “rafts” containing up to 300 eggs.
Asian tiger mosquitoes have a similar plan to find water and lay eggs after biting but are more likely to use a container. These mosquitoes can lay between 40 and 150 eggs in anything holding a half-inch or more of stagnant water. If you take a look around your yard, you’ll probably see plenty of potential breeding sites, such as an overturned grill cover, children’s toys, flower pots, clogged drains, or bird baths.
After the different species of mosquitoes lay their eggs, the life cycle continues similarly for both. The eggs hatch, and during their larval stage, they feed on organic matter and organisms in the water until they become pupae. Following the pupa stage, they emerge as adults. The entire process takes less than two weeks in the summer heat and humidity.
To successfully rid your yard of mosquitoes, we need to consider all of the factors in their life cycle. Any standing water on your property can be a potential mosquito breeding ground that can produce hundreds of adult mosquitoes in less than two weeks.
Over-the-counter control products can’t effectively treat every stage in the life cycle, which is why your mosquito problems always return. If you are looking for long-term mosquito control and prevention, it is time to call in the pros. Contact Modern Pest Control to learn more about how our services can help control mosquito populations and keep them at bay.
Mosquito-Borne Diseases: How These Insects Pose A Serious Danger
Mosquitoes can spread dangerous infections, and the larger the population of these insects is, the higher the chances of someone contracting an illness.
Mosquitoes are vectors of disease, which means that when a mosquito bites a person or animal to get the blood they need to lay eggs, they sometimes pick up germs from that host and can carry that illness and infect the next person or animal they bite.
Learning more about mosquito-borne diseases can help you make informed decisions about controlling this pest on your property. We’ll provide a brief list of diseases caused by mosquitoes in our area and then elaborate on them further:
- West Nile Virus
- La Crosse encephalitis
- St. Louis encephalitis
- Eastern equine encephalitis
- Heartworm (in dogs)
West Nile Virus is the most common disease you can get from mosquitoes in the United States. There are no vaccines to prevent this illness or medication to treat it. Around one in five people contracting WNV will develop flu-like symptoms, and 1 in 150 will develop a severe and sometimes fatal condition.
La Crosse encephalitis starts 5 to 15 days after someone gets a bite from a mosquito carrying it. Severe cases are most common in children under the age of 16 and involve infection in the brain. Most patients recover, but some effects on the nervous system can persist over time, including seizures and cognitive impairments.
Most people contracting St. Louis encephalitis do not have symptoms, but they tend to be flu-like if they do. Less commonly, it can cause brain inflammation or meningitis (inflammation of the membranes around the spinal cord.) In rare cases, long-term disability or death can occur, and there are no vaccines to prevent or medications to treat this illness.
Eastern equine encephalitis is rare, but in the United States, most cases occur in eastern and Gulf Coast states. This disease is fatal in 30% of the people who contract it, and there are no vaccines to prevent it or medication to treat it. Many survivors have lasting neurological problems.
Heartworm affects 1 in 100 dogs yearly in the United States. Heartworms live in the heart and lungs and often cause severe lung disease and damage to other organs in the body. Thankfully, you can get medication from your veterinarian to prevent this illness.
Regarding people, most mosquito-borne diseases have no vaccine, but you can take specific steps to reduce the risk of contracting one. One of the best ways to protect your family is to work with a pest control company to keep mosquitoes out of the yard. Contact us today at Modern Pest Control to learn more about our options for controlling this pest year-round and seasonally.
Mosquito Prevention: Eco-Friendly And Effective Tips
If you’ve lived through a summer in Pearland, you’ve probably already tried some products marketed as eco-friendly to keep mosquitoes away. Most people have at least tried citronella candles for mosquitoes and have seen they don’t do much more than create pleasant lighting on the patio.
But that doesn’t mean you should give up because plenty of environmentally friendly options exist to keep this pest at bay. Here are some natural ways to get rid of mosquitoes that are both eco-friendly and effective:
- Eliminate standing water on your property.
- Regularly refresh water features.
- Remove excessive vegetation and keep the grass cut short.
- Run a fan to keep mosquitoes away from the patio.
Eliminating standing water is a simple and effective way to prevent mosquitoes from breeding on your property. At least once a week, walk around the yard and empty any children’s toys with water, flower pot bases, and any other containers with stagnant water to eliminate any eggs or larvae they may be holding. Frequently refreshing water features, bird baths, or children’s wading pools can also help eliminate breeding sites.
Regularly inspect your gutters to ensure they are free-flowing, and that water isn’t pooling near the house’s foundation. You can also check the yard after a rain storm and fill in any areas that form puddles to help prevent mosquitoes. Keeping the lawn cut short and vegetation cut back will reduce shady resting areas mosquitoes like to use during the day.
We know how hard it can be to enjoy an outdoor meal or watch the sunset while trying to swat away all the mosquitoes that come out around dusk. Running a small fan on the patio effectively keeps this pest away from you. Mosquitoes are not strong fliers and will struggle to reach you if you keep the fan on.
Combining these natural ways to repel mosquitoes with professional mosquito control is the best way to keep this pest away from your property. Contact us today at Modern Pest Control to learn more about how our services can help significantly reduce the number of mosquitoes on your property.
Professional Pest Control: A Smart Way To Keep Mosquitoes Away
The best way to get rid of mosquitoes outside is to team up with a professional pest control company. No one-time fix will prevent or control this pest over the long term. But, with consistent applications, you can effectively keep mosquito populations to a minimum on your property.
Modern Pest Control provides mosquito control in Pearland that can help to reduce the number of these pests by 90-95%, and our no-odor treatments have the added benefit of eliminating other crawling insects and spiders in the area they are applied. These services can be done every three or four weeks, depending on your needs, to ensure continual protection for your property.
Our Basic Mosquito Program consists of nine treatments from March through October during the peak mosquito months. This program uses topical applications to treat mosquito resting and harborage areas on your property. It also includes a Multi Mode of Action product that enables us to combat mosquitoes at every stage in the life cycle.
Our Mosquito Plus Program contains all the benefits of the Basic Program, but services are every three weeks instead of monthly for more effective control. This program also includes the application of a granular insect growth regulator for any water catchment areas on your property, and we place two Passive Mosquito trap devices in your yard.
We also offer state-of-the-art mosquito and insect control Mistaway misting systems for year-round protection. This small, compact system is easy to program to dilute rates and misting times depending on the season. We’ll be happy to discuss this option further if you want to learn more.
At Modern Pest Control, we offer a variety of choices so you can find the perfect program to fit your needs. Whichever program you choose, you’ll see a noticeable reduction in the mosquito population around your property, and fewer mosquitoes mean fewer chances for anyone to contract a mosquito-borne illness.
If you choose to schedule an inspection, our Pest Management Professionals will carefully evaluate your property to determine the best way to control mosquitoes for your specific home and yard. Then we’ll explain our findings to help you decide which program will work best.
For over 70 years, our company has worked hard to build a reputation for exceptional customer service and care while using the most modern, up-to-date equipment and treatments available. We strive to provide Integrated Pest Management strategies and the personal care only an independently owned company can provide. Contact us today at Modern Pest Control with any questions, to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Pearland, or to schedule your free inspection.