Barbecue season is just around the corner. It's time to start prepping your yard for all your outdoor activities. It's also time to start worrying about the mosquitoes. It's a sad fact of life that as soon as the weather turns warm, the mosquitoes come out of the woodwork. Mosquitoes don't just buzz around and make a nuisance of themselves. They also bite, leaving red, itchy marks all over your body. Those bites can lead to some serious health problems, such as West Nile virus. To help you keep mosquitoes away, here are four simple strategies you can use.
Turn Your Fan Into a Trap
If you've got portable stand fans, you need to put them to good use in the backyard. Not only will the fans help keep you cool, they'll also help keep the mosquitoes away. Mosquitoes have a very difficult time flying through breezes, which will help reduce the mosquito population on your patio. Not only that, but you can attach insect netting to the front of your fan and create a mosquito trap. Once the trap is filled, simply toss it in the trash and replace the netting.
Bring on the Bubbles
If you're going to be hosting some outdoor get-togethers this summer, be sure to add a bubble machine to the list of items you need. You might not realize this, but mosquitoes are repelled by soapy bubbles. Luckily, you don't have to hire someone to sit in the corner and blow bubbles. All you need is an electrical bubble machine. Your yard will be filled with whimsical bubbles, and not pesky mosquitoes.
Grow Some Rosemary
If you want to keep mosquitoes away and make your yard smell delightful, it's time to plant some rosemary in your gardens. Rosemary is a natural mosquito repellent, which means you won't need to deal with the pests as long as you have plenty of this herb growing in your yard. For an added benefit, be sure to add plenty of rosemary to any foods that you barbecue this summer.
Encourage Bird Activity
If you don't have many birds in your yard, you need to encourage a few more to stop by. Birds provide a wide variety of benefits around the yard. One of them is to keep the pests away. Once you have birds in your yard, they'll spend the day eating any mosquitoes they find. They'll also eat other pests that are bothering you.
Don't let mosquitoes take over the party this summer. Use the natural methods provided here to keep the pests away. To ensure maximum protection against mosquitoes and other pests this summer, be sure to begin the season with a visit from your pest control technician. To learn more, contact a mosquito control service like Carroll Exterminating Company.