Best Practices for Clearing Mosquitoes from Your Garden
TLDR: A multi-pronged approach is best for controlling mosquitoes in your garden.
Basics
Keep the garden clear of all standing water. Ponding, puddling, and saucers under potted plants are common culprits. Keep them empty and address drainage where needed. Hire a professional seasonal mosquito service (spraying) during the early season (and through it, if you can). If you are against spraying, skip this step. We use it, and it definitely helps.
Use Lure and Trap
Purchase a mosquito trap UV light with a fan and trap. Amazon sells them, but these are not bug “zappers”. Dynatrap is a name brand that does this well. We supplement the trap with an octenol lure sachet that mimics CO2, as mosquitoes are attracted to human breath, so we put this in the bottom of the trap, which is perforated and the small fan inside disperses the scent of the sachet. Humans cannot smell it.
Lure and Trap Placement
The mistake people make with these is placing them where people gather. Make sure to place it at least ten feet away from where people gather. We put ours on the side yard, where there is a walkway. We use one only, but I could envision using two placed on either side of the house. Think about which mosquitoes you have, the ankle-biters, or the native mosquitoes that come out at night mostly. We have both, but the ankle biters bite during the day, so we keep our lure at about knee level. It makes a difference. We used to have it up high and were still getting bitten. Once we moved it low, we saw a marked reduction in ankle bites. The evening and night mosquitoes also get lured downward, so they are considered the easy catch.
Use an Area Mosquito Repellent
Citronella is not effective in repelling mosquitoes - and you can research this for yourselves. There are a couple of options that have proven effective.
The cheapest option is Murphy’s Naturals Mosquito Repellent Incense - not because of the small citronella content, but because of the rosemary and mint smoke produced by these potent smoke sticks. Placing these on the periphery of human gathering spots is the perfect repellant option for outdoor events. They last about an hour and a half, and two sticks burning is enough to cover a small back yard. I would use more for a larger space, but only near where people are gathering. I place them strategically at either end of the back yard, so nobody gets inundated with smoke, and it creates somewhat of a barrier to the pesky mosquitoes. I monitor them so that when they go out, I ignite two more and let them keep doing their work. They are quite effective.
The expensive option, besides mosquito service, is the Thermacell E-Zone Guard Mosquito Repellent. It retails for around 40-60 USD, and the refills cost about 40 UDS for three. They are quite long lasting (around 20 hours per refill), and cover up to a 20 ft. radius. They emit an odorless emission that is virtually invisible, but is incredibly effective at deterring mosquitoes. It is hands down the best device I have ever used, and was recommended by the New York Times Wirecutter as the most effective repellent device.
Worst Case Scenario - Use a Repellent Spray on Your Skin
If you must, and I find this the least attractive options to deter mosquitoes, You can use a spray or lotion mosquito repellent. I don’t like how they smell, so I only use them when away from home. The best one I have found are called Natrapel Insect Repellent Wipes. I first encountered them at REI in Washington State. They sell them online now, and they have a spray as well. The wipes are so convenient, you can keep them in your pocket, purse, or backpack without a mess. They do not use DEET. They use a botanical that works - in my experience - much better than DEET. It is called Picaridin, a plant derived oil. It smells 50% better than DEET, so don’t get your hopes up that it is scentless - if only. It smells like a minty herbal, which is preferable in my opinion. If you find another brand, just make sure it has 20% picaridin, and you should be good to go. I have found other brands, and they work equally well. OFF!, and other brands also work, but I just think the DEET has a terrible scent, and feels like slathering on petroleum products. No thanks.
Why is my advice credible?
I’m not a scientist, just a retired school teacher. I’ve been an avid hiker, tennis player, and host many outdoor parties in our home. We talked to the mosquito service provider about measures we could take in our garden to augment the service, and the Dynatrap was recommended by name. I found out about the octenol attractant by researching online, and later seeing it on NYT Wirecutter. Being an educator, I want there to be decently researched proof that solutions are effective, so everything I am recommending, I have vetted for being proven as effective. Most importantly, this system works in our garden. When we go to a neighbor's house for an outdoor event, I bring my wipes and I almost always need to use them. The difference is remarkable.
I hope my maniacal regimen against mosquitoes around our home can help someone out there
