Preventing Mosquitoes Means Controlling Water

Pop Quiz: Which animal is responsible for the most human deaths every year? If you guessed other humans, you were almost right — we come in second place. First place goes to the mosquito. In Canada, we’re pretty lucky. Our mosquitoes don’t spread malaria, yellow fever, or zika, but they do spread West Nile, and they’re still really annoying. So here are some ways to try and keep them out of your backyard.

Remove Pooled Water.

Kids’ toys and everything else on your lawn is likely creating a place for water to pool. Mosquitoes need water in order to breed, so if you’re leaving pooled water in your yard, you’re inviting a mosquito farm into your life. Have the kids clean up and make sure there isn’t anything on the ground that collects water. If you have an underground sprinkler system, make sure it’s working optimally and not leaving pools of water. A Calgary plumber can help if the system is leaky.

You don’t need to get rid of the bird bath, but empty it out every three days to interrupt the mosquito life cycle before the newest generation can fly away. You should also place a lid on your rain barrel.

Keep the Vegetation Trim.

During the hot summer days, mosquitoes hide in the shade of bushes and grass. If your yard’s vegetation is a bit of a jungle, you may be accidently providing a friendly home for the local mosquito population. Keep your bushes and trees pruned and remember to mow your lawn regularly.

Clean Out Your Eavestroughs.

Even if you love mosquitoes for some reason, you should still clean out your eavestroughs. These hard working gutters are designed to whisk water from your roof and away from your foundation. When they’re all clogged up with leaves, branches, and debris, the water just overflows and lands right next to your home. Not only do these clogged gutters offer ample, wet, cool terrain for the mosquitoes to hide during the day, the overflowing water can leak into your home and cause a flood.

Our expert plumbers are here to help you for any water emergency, but we’d prefer to help homeowners avoid floods in the first place. Clean your eavestroughs every spring and fall, or have a professional landscaper do the job for you. You’ll be protecting your home from floods and your family from mosquitoes.