Managing a Mosquito-Free Yard

Even without the threat of West Nile Virus, mosquitoes are annoying and hard to deal with. In order to keep them out of your home and away from your yard, there's a series of steps you can take to get rid of them.

• Get rid of anything that holds water. Mosquitoes breed in warm, humid areas with even small amounts of water. Put mosquito rings containing BTI, a bacteria that kills mosquito larvae, in ponds, puddles, bird baths and water barrels. Change water in children's wading pools and bird baths once or twice a week. Empty gardening cans, tarps, garbage cans, buckets, tires, flower pots, toys, car and boat covers and wheelbarrows.
• Cut your grass short when mowing and remove all weeds. Trim shrubs and bushes, and clean out gutters. Smooth ruts and fill holes in your yard that can fill with water to form puddles. Rake leaves as they can hold enough water for mosquitoes to breed in.
• Plant a border around your yard of catnip, garlic, onions, lemon thyme, lemon grass, citronella grass, marigolds, rosemary and basil to repel mosquitoes. Hang planters with these plants around areas where you spend a lot of time. Crush the leaves to release the scents that irritate mosquitoes.
• Hang bat houses and bird feeders in your yard. Mosquitoes are attracted to the warm, moist houses and feeders, and bats and birds eat the mosquitoes.
• Add between 50 and 100 fish such as gambusia to your pond. They feed on mosquito larvae. Attract dragonflies that eat mosquito larvae and adults.

Aside from these ways, there is another way to repel mosquitoes, that is, by wearing a natural repellent bracelet. It is DEET free & safe for kids (wrists / ankles) and babies (attach to ankle or baby stroller). Wear it on your wrist, ankle or attach it to your backpack. It is easy to use and you won’t even notice it’s there. It holds 1 Repeller Band Refill (15 Days Of Protection Per Refill). It contains an all-natural,non-spray & deet-free repellent formula. This formula offers the best balanced proportion of 11 natural, organic essential oils and repels mosquitoes and fleas, gnats, ticks, ants and more! With this product, you get real protection without the use of dangerous sprays or powders!