You can do this!

Mosquito and tick control is unfortunately never an end all be all but rather a remediation technique to these nuisance pests. And then there is the decision of who to use? Who uses what chemicals? Is it really worth it? < This is more of an individual decision and will widely be based off what type of person you are. For example, do you like to barbecue? Swim in the pool? Are you the type of person that would rather be prepared or are you the "Better to be safe than sorry" type? Then keeping the mosquito and ticks at bay on your property probably sounds more appealing to you. If you are never home, always on vacation or just plain don't use your yard that much, then you probably don't care much about the mosquitos outside. But anyone may be concerned with these pests coming into your home, wether from a guest, a pet, another pest like rodents, or through opened and unscreened windows and doors. And there are things you can do today in and around your property to help reduce mosquitos and ticks dramatically, including not hiring anyone, and implementing a pest management program on your own! (The industry isn't going to like me for this one!)

I am an outdoorsy person, so let's start there. Mosquitos don't really need much water to breed, in fact just about a bottle cap will do it. This means that there are many places these pests can lay their larvae and breed all over your property. Even in some nooks and cranny's on and around your house, like gutters. Keeping your gutters clean from debris will one, help the water flow properly, leaving less puddles. Make sure your gutters are tilted properly for a good flow, and your spouts are free of debris.

Things like bird baths should be tended to and filled with fresh water at least weekly. Because a mosquitos cycle is about 2 weeks, dumping out the birdbath

will kill any larvae that was breeding in the water not allowing them to grown into the adult mosquito, which are the ones that bite! Actually, only the female mosquito is the one searching for your blood! You can also empty any barrels, plant pots, kiddie pools, wagons and toys that hold even small amounts of water to help reduce the breeding on your property.

Uncovered boats, trash barrels with no lids, leaky hoses, dog water bowls, 5 gallon buckets, unattended pools, low laying areas in the yard and even tire swings and rot holes in trees can all be breeding grounds for mosquitos! As best you can, tending to all of these things can certainly help with reducing the nuisance of mosquitos.

Ticks, another pest that can spread disease to you and pets. The most commonly known is lime disease. They do not jump or fly but rather attach them selves to animals and humans , and are then carried in the home or yard by the host. This is why it is very important to check for them on yourself, dogs, children and cats, so they do not come into your home. Also keeping rodents at bay can reduce the chances of tickings being brought into your home!

As far as the outside goes, there are also things you can do to reduce the chances of coming in contact with a tick. Such as simple things like keeping the lawn maintained and cut on a regular basis, as ticks like the tall grassy areas in your yard. Keeping your yard clean and free of debris like piles of leaves is a good start to tick remediation. Pushing back the brush on your property line and even creating a border around your property is also a good idea. You can use wood chips or stone in a mulch bed style around the perimeter of your property to keep the ticks out.

If you have pets, and no fenced in yard to keep them from exploring, than a good flea and tick collar is a great idea to ad with regular checks to help reduce tick exposure. Obviously consult with a veterinarian to choose the right solution for your pets. Using multiple solutions together will greatly reduce your chances of coming in contact with mosquitos and ticks.

When dealing with a rodent problem, it is wise to first solve the root of the problem and either higher a professional pest control company to come into your home and get rid of the pest, or go to Lowes or home Home Depot and there are many DIY options available as well. Another trick is to use is a "tick tube" as they are called in the industry. Simply take the cardboard roll from the empty toilet paper in your bathroom, and use a solution to saturate some cotton to stuff inside the roll (you can do a google search, or visit your local landscape supply store to find a solution. you can also get tick tubes from most pest control companies) Place them around the ares that you suspect these rodents to be, and they will use the cotton for a bedding, therefore rubbing against it and killing the ticks from the solution you placed on the cotton.

And that's it! We hope you enjoyed reading our new blog on tips and tricks to reducing mosquitos and ticks in and around your yard. There are many other tips and tricks, too many to cover in one post. Be sure to check back with us and read other articles on tips and tricks to learn more about what you can do yourself to help get rid of these pests. Including spraying you own property without spending thousands for a professional company.

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Sources & additional resources: MAs.gov , www.cdc.com