You do not have to live in a rural area to have a lot of mosquitoes in your neighborhood.

Central Mass residents are no strangers to droves of mosquitoes.  Perhaps you have noticed that you do not encounter as many when visiting friends or family outside your neighborhood.  Maybe that has clued you in on the mosquito problem at your own home.  If you thought that mosquitoes were just running rampant everywhere in Central Mass, you might now be wondering how there can be so many mosquitoes around your neighborhood alone.  Here are a few reasons you could be seeing more mosquitoes this year.

Your neighborhood could be a mosquito breeding ground.

Some of the biggest draws for home buyers are things like golf course views, ponds or lakes, or perhaps a neighborhood pools.  While these can all set the scene for good quality of life in any locale, they can all create an ideal mosquito habitat.

Neighborhood ponds can be ground zero for high rates of mosquito breeding.  It’s not that mosquitoes require a large body of water to lay their eggs.  It’s just that ponds offer still water, which is a requirement.  Add to that, ponds can contain sustenance for mosquito larvae, who love to chow down on microorganisms, like algae and plant debris.  And while lakes have moving water, the recesses around the lake offer natural water receptacles, where mosquitoes lay their egg clusters.  The same goes for neighborhood pools.  Pool water itself is agitated by a pump, as well as daily swimmers, so it is not an ideal mosquito breeding spot.  However, pool covers, umbrellas, lounge chairs, and other items found around pools can collect water to create a space for female mosquitoes to deposit their eggs.

Also read: Are mosquito traps effective mosquito control?

Your neighbors’ yards can be the issue too.

Most mosquitoes have a flight range of only one to three miles.  Some, like the Asian Tiger mosquito, spend their lives in an area up to 300 feet.  This means that your next door neighbors or your neighbors two streets over can be part of the reason your neighborhood has lots of mosquitoes.  Perhaps they have a pond, pool, or water feature in their yard.  Maybe they simply have debris lying around, which collects water that allows mosquitoes to breed.  Controlling these nasty pests can become a neighborhood effort.

What can you do to help make your home and community safer from the threat of mosquitoes?

Share your knowledge of mosquito breeding with neighbors and friends.  Perhaps even speak with leaders of your HOA to implement recommendations or mandates that benefit everyone by controlling mosquito breeding.  The first step in mosquito control is eliminating breeding grounds.

Here are some things you can recommend:

1. Cover garbage receptacles, or drill holes in the bottoms of open garbage bins, so water cannot collect within.
2. Pull tarps or pool covers taut, so water doesn’t pond on them.
3. Empty pet water bowls or bird baths every two to three days.
4. Be sure that outdoor water features have an agitator to keep water moving.
5. Have irrigation systems checked regularly for leaks.

Professional Winchendon mosquito control is a top priority for your yard and those of your neighbors.

Perhaps the most important thing you can do for the health and well-being of your family with regard to controlling the mosquito population around your home, is to call on the professionals for Winchendon mosquito control.  Reputable mosquito control professionals will not only treat yours and your neighbors’ yards, they will make recommendations for keeping those yards from becoming high-level mosquito breeding territories.

Also read:
Are there more mosquitoes in Massachusetts this year?