Benjamin Franklin famously noted, “Nothing is certain, except death and taxes.”.  Well, in Southeast Texas, you can add mosquitoes to that list.  What Ben may not have known is that you have more control over mosquitoes, at least the ones in your yard, than you think. Read on for the second installment of “Mosquito-Proof Your Patio” for three new and easy tips to help you enjoy the outdoors and be mosquito-free… and if you haven’t already tossed your saucers, put donuts in the birdbath, or started using a big fan, then check out part one here.  

Get your mind in the gutter

It’s easy to forget about your gutters – out of sight, out of mind. But, just a few leaves and needles can clog it up, creating a nice, wet environment for mosquitoes to thrive. After a rain, it only takes a week to hatch a whole new crop of biters above your front door. Regular gutter maintenance won’t be the most exciting thing to do with your weekend, but you can delight in all the mosquitoes that you are evicting from your eaves.

Do you have a French drain?

Called by many different names – blind drains, rock drains, perimeter drains – these are underground trenches with perforated pipe that are meant to redirect water. However, they tend to perform far better at breeding mosquitoes than helping out your drainage situation.

If you do have a French drain, keep it mosquito-free with a Mosquito Dunk ®, a safe, cheap, easy solution that is harmless to fish, people and pets. Tip:  keep the dunk from washing away by tying it to the drain cover. Ensure the string is long enough so the donut can rest on the bottom of the catch basin. The naturally occurring bacteria in the dunk can survive multiple wet and dry cycles, so if you can see it in there, it’s working. Expect to tie on a new dunk about every 30 days.

If you’re considering installing a French drain to manage storm water, there are other options that work better with our local drainage system. Check out the upcoming Rainwater Harvesting Class on Nov 2 for hands-on training and an explanation of various techniques.

A rain garden, which can take advantage of a natural low spot in your yard, offers one alternative. Rain gardens are not ponds; they are designed to fill with water when it rains and be dry when it doesn’t. Featuring easy-care plants that can handle this wet and dry cycle, rain gardens help hold runoff, allowing it to soak into the ground over time.  

In addition to storing water in the soil, rain gardens:

• Add beauty to the yard with native and climate-adapted plants

• Create habitat for birds, butterflies, and dragonflies

• Can be sized and shaped to fit your landscape

• Reduce flooding by keeping water out of storm sewers

• Don’t breed mosquitoes!

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Guard with garlic

Garlic barrier, commonly sold as Mosquito barrier, has been used for years in agriculture to repel insects from crops and even keep birds from eating tree fruits. Dilute this liquid garlic concentrate with water and apply with a pump sprayer to plants and structures around the perimeter of your yard. One application lasts about a month but needs to be reapplied after rain. This can be a great tool to use ahead of a pool party or family barbeque –after you’ve tossed anything holding water first.

Did you miss Mosquito-Proof Your Patio Part I?

Check out three more easy things you can do to enjoy the outdoors and be mosquito-free.

For more information on keeping mosquitoes out of your backyard, check out thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/mosquitoinfo. To report a mosquito problem contact the Environmental Services Department at enviro@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov or 281-210-3800.

Picture your backyard oasis: a shady spot to read, birds serenading you from the branches, and butterflies flitting amongst the flowers. And then… your peaceful reverie quickly unravels by the whining of a mosquito in your ear.

Have you stopped to think where that mosquito came from on its way to ruining your zen? Chances are it emerged somewhere much closer than you suspect.

Toss The Saucers

That beautiful potted plant might actually be a culprit if it’s sitting in a saucer full of water. Saucers provide the perfect dark, wet environment for Asian tiger mosquitoes to lay their small eggs that are barely visible to the naked eye.

Once laid, the eggs simply lie in wait for a good watering. A day later they hatch and within a week 50 hungry mosquitoes emerge, ready to pester you.

Consider switching out your traditional saucers for plant stands, pot trivets, or pot feet. These alternatives…

• Allow water to drain away from plant roots, preventing soggy feet that leads to root rot
• Are less likely to stain your deck because they don’t stay wet and have a reduced footprint
• Discourage fire ants from nesting underneath or in pots due to increased air circulation
• Come in a variety of materials, sizes and colors
• Don’t breed mosquitoes!

A Donut In Every Bird Bath

After a mosquito lays a bunch of eggs in your plant saucer, she’ll lay a bunch more in your bird bath, kids’ toys, and forgotten buckets. While the rest can be picked up and put away, the bird bath is one place where we actually want water to sit for a few days.

Our feathered friends appreciate a clean place to splash around, so take a moment to spruce it up, give it a good scrub and dislodge any dirt (that might also be mosquito eggs).

After you’ve cleaned it, keep it mosquito-free with a Mosquito Dunk ®, a safe, cheap, easy solution that is harmless to birds, pets, people and fish. One donut can treat a 10-foot by 10-foot area – and you probably don’t have a 100-square foot birdbath – so read the back of the package for directions and use only the amount needed.

If you have a rain barrel or other means of capturing rain water, go ahead a put a dunk in there, too. The active ingredient, Bti, is certified by OMRI for use in organic gardening.

A Big Fan

Literally! Get an oscillating fan that is as big as you can manage. Overhead fans are nice, but they don’t combat mosquitoes. A fan that blows air horizontally creates an air current too stiff for mosquitoes to handle – their flight speed maxes out at 2 miles per hour. A gentle breeze is about 10 mph, so the larger the fan, the greater the area you can keep mosquito-free.

Check out Mosquito-Proof Your Patio Part II

We’ll highlight three more easy things you can do to enjoy the outdoors and be mosquito-free.

For more information on keeping mosquitoes out of your backyard, check out thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/mosquitoinfo. To report a mosquito problem contact the Environmental Services Department at enviro@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov or 281-210-3800.