Dayton Residents Complete Mosquito Prevention Guide

One pest that can throw a wrench in your Dayton pest control plans is the mosquito! Mosquitoes can fly and breed outside, so keeping them off your property can feel almost impossible. However, you shouldn’t just give up because mosquitoes are one of the most dangerous pests in our area. In fact, due to the diseases they spread, mosquitoes are one of the most dangerous pests in the world! So it’s vital for you to take measures against them.

What Is The Purpose Of Mosquitoes In Dayton?

Mosquitoes play a critical role in ecosystems around the world, including here in Ohio. They’re a foundation of the food chain, providing sustenance for all kinds of animals, from spiders and bats to lizards and frogs and more. These animals, in turn, provide food to larger predators. So without the mosquito, many animals would lose an essential food source. 

Unbeknownst to many people, mosquitoes are also a vital pollinator for many plant species in our area. Mosquitoes don’t actually depend on blood to live. Females only bite when they need a source of protein to lay their eggs. Otherwise, mosquitoes eat nectar. When they feed on the nectar inside flowers, they transfer pollen from plant to plant – just like bees and butterflies. All this makes mosquitoes a species we might not be able to survive without, even if they are an annoyance we could live without in our day-to-day lives. 

A Brief History Of Mosquito Control

Because of their potential to spread disease, there have been many concerted efforts to control mosquitoes in Ohio and around the country. One such endeavor was the coordinated national effort to eradicate mosquito-borne outbreaks in the United States. These efforts were instigated by an Ohio entomologist named William Herms. 

Herms helped create one of the first statewide efforts to control pathogen-bearing mosquitoes in California, leading to mosquito abatement district legislation in 1915. This legislation spread across the country and targeted mosquitoes that spread malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, and the like. Now, the US is entirely free of yellow fever and malaria, and dengue fever infections are exceedingly rare.  

The Diseases Mosquitoes Can Transmit

Mosquitoes in the US might not have malaria or yellow fever, but we do have other mosquito-borne illnesses to worry about. One of the worst viruses carried by mosquitoes in America is encephalitis. Encephalitis is swelling of the brain, and it can be spread by both viruses and bacteria. Mosquitoes carry multiple varieties of viral encephalitis. While infections are rare, if you wind up with mosquito-borne encephalitis, it can put you in the hospital and even lead to permanent brain damage or death. 

Natural Ways To Keep Mosquitoes Away From Your Yard

Avoiding mosquito bites is the best way to avoid mosquito-borne infections. However, this is easier said than done. When you’re in the wilderness, you can take measures to protect yourself – like using DEET bug spray and wearing light-colored, long-sleeved clothing. However, it’s a different story when you have a breeding population of mosquitoes on your property. Nobody wants to get eaten alive in their backyard. Fortunately, you can take some measures to prevent just that. 

Eliminating standing water on your property is a great start because mosquitoes lay their eggs in stagnant water. Placing plants mosquitoes hate around your property is another significant measure to keep them away. Repellant plants include lavender, citronella, basil, and lemongrass. If nothing you do seems to be working, give the experts at Best Choice Pest Control a call. We’ve got the tools and techniques to keep your yard mosquito-free all summer long!