Few things are more frustrating than trying to enjoy your outdoor area only to feel as though you’re being eaten alive by mosquitoes. You may feel so frustrated that you have to do head-to-toe bug spray just to spend some time outdoors.
Mosquitoes have a good way of putting a damper on your time outside, but it doesn’t have to be that way. You may have heard of some of the mosquito control options out there and want to learn more. That’s because you want to feel confident that if you’re investing your money wisely, you’ll actually see success.
What You Need to Know About Mosquitoes
You already know that mosquitoes suck (both in the literal and the philosophical sense). But mosquitoes are certainly more than just a nuisance. Their itchy bites are not only irritating but they’re also a legitimate risk to you and your family. That’s because mosquitoes can carry (and transmit) dangerous diseases including West Nile Virus and Zika Virus. The constant worrying over whether or not you are safe from mosquitoes is an easy way to ruin your time outside.
What you may not know about mosquitoes is that they are weak flyers and do not fly for long periods at once. Mosquitoes often land to rest many times and also spend a lot of their time hiding out. They tend to like tall grasses, shrubs, and low branches of trees where they can both hide and rest. This is an important fact to remember in understanding how a mosquito spraying service works.
How Does Mosquito Control in Alexandria and Arlington, VA Work?
A mosquito spraying service applies mosquito control products to vegetation where mosquitoes are likely to hang out around your property. It will also be applied near areas where you spend the most time with your friends and family such as around a deck or patio.
Because mosquitoes do not fly far and land often to rest, they are likely to land on a nearby plant (where product will take care of them) before ever making it to you.
The other fact that a lot of people don’t realize is that if you’re seeing a lot of mosquitoes in your yard, chances are they originated from your yard—not your neighbor’s. A lot of people worry that mosquitoes are flying over from their neighbor’s but considering they’re weak flyers, it’s actually more likely they’re living and breeding on your own property.
Even if you do have a neighbor that has a lot of mosquitoes, you’ll be protected by the barrier created by a mosquito spraying service on your property. These pests never make it to you because they’ll stop to rest and product will take care of them.
Of course, it certainly wouldn’t hurt if your neighbors also signed up for mosquito control. It’s quite possible that they’ll see the great effects you’re having and decide they want treatments, too. Having neighbors also implement control will only make the barrier against mosquitoes even larger.
Searching for Mosquito Companies Near Me
If you’re searching for a local mosquito spraying service, then you’ll want to find a company that is going to have the most success. You may be looking to understand what could make a company different when it comes to their approach.
At Kingstowne, we take a holistic approach that goes above and beyond just spraying for mosquitoes. We also provide full landscape services. Sometimes puddles develop in low spots in a property’s landscape beds or lawns. This may warrant some grading or drainage solutions. We offer that, too.
We also offer gutter cleaning. You may not realize that a gutter filled with debris is a prime breeding ground for mosquitoes. A lot of companies treat the symptoms by continually spraying, but never get to the real root cause of the problem, which is getting rid of the breeding grounds.
In fact, reducing any areas that are breeding grounds for mosquitoes—any area that contains standing water—is going to make a difference. We often find a wheelbarrow that was left out from a garden project, a random bucket, a retention tray around a flower pot, or even a kiddie pool that was forgotten and as a result filled with water. All of these situations can create breeding grounds for mosquitoes who lay their eggs in stagnant water.
As little as one inch of standing water is a risk for attracting female mosquitoes, which lay as many as 300 eggs at a time. That’s why when we’re on a property to perform a spraying service, we’ll also overturn an unused bucket of stagnant water or flip a wheelbarrow upside down so that it doesn’t collect water. We go a step further because we are looking to get to the root of the problem and not just spray excessive product. If we think you have other water collection issues we may leave recommendations about changes you can make.
How Much Does Mosquito Control Cost?
Once homeowners decide they want to pursue mosquito control, the next thing they want to know is how much it costs. For a townhome, mosquito treatments start at $49 per treatment. For a single-family home of 5,000 square foot or larger, the cost starts at $69 per treatment. There are 9 treatments per year from March through November, which covers prime mosquito season.
At Kingstowne, our approach is different in that we bundle mosquito, flea, and tick control together as one service plan. One reason is that we find that the very same homeowners who are concerned about mosquitoes are also worried about protecting their family (including the four-legged ones) from fleas and ticks. It also happens that the same areas where mosquitoes thrive is where other pests like ticks and fleas thrive, too. Instead of ripping you off with an additional bill for tick and flea control, we lump it all together and treat for all of it. This ensures you’re fully covered.
If you’d like to be able to put your fears over mosquitoes (as well as fleas and ticks) to rest, then choosing a company that takes a holistic approach and aims to address the root of a problem will give you the most success. That choice will allow you to take back your yard and start enjoying it to its fullest.
Instead of hiding inside or covering everyone in bug spray just to go outside, you’ll now be able to enjoy a meal outdoors without having to worry about pests. You’ll also be able to let your kids play in the yard without that nagging feeling that they’re at risk for bites. As a result, you’ll gain a sense of peace of mind that allows you to appreciate time outside more than ever before.
If you’d like to say goodbye to your mosquito concerns, request a quote, get your customized plan, and relax while we take care of these pests.
