The Key To Effective Mosquito Control For Your West Palm Beach Property

July 16, 2020

In West Palm Beach, residents enjoy summery weather, year-round. This makes Southern Florida a great destination for both families and vacationers, but it also makes the area attractive for one particular type of pest: mosquitoes.

No matter the season, mosquito bites are bound to happen. However, residents in West Palm Beach, FL shouldn’t let mosquitoes off the hook so easily. These pests can be more dangerous than you realize. Let’s go over what makes mosquitoes a threat to your health, and what homeowners can do to keep these obnoxious pests away.

Mosquito Identification Guide

Mosquitoes are recognizable insects, though they move silently and bite quickly, so you are more likely to see their bites without seeing the pests themselves. Most mosquitoes grow between ¼ and ½ an inch in length and have dark bodies with lighter stripes. Mosquitoes have body-length wings, short antennae, and a long nose-like structure called a proboscis.

Mosquitoes look much bigger than their bodies due to their legs, which often grow longer than their bodies. As a result, these pests are gangly, but despite their odd shape, they can be very stealthy pests, biting their victims completely unnoticed. Though mosquitoes are relatively solitary pests, they tend to congregate near each other, so when one mosquito bites, there are probably others nearby.

Are Mosquitoes In West Palm Beach Dangerous?

Though mosquitoes aren’t venomous or deadly on their own, the danger they pose to humans cannot be overstated. These pests are capable of carrying and transmitting a variety of diseases, bringing severe discomfort and illness to their unfortunate victims. Common mosquito-borne diseases include Dengue, Zika, West Nile, Yellow Fever, and Chikungunya.

You might assume that these diseases aren’t an issue in Florida. While it’s true that mosquito-borne illness is much more common on continents like Africa, mosquitoes in West Palm Beach are just as capable of carrying diseases. In the United States, mosquitoes are responsible for thousands of infections each year.

The symptoms of mosquito-borne diseases range from a simple fever and headache to more severe complications, like inflammation, joint pain, and arthritis. If mosquitoes are living on your property, it’s time to get rid of them.

Mosquito-Prevention Tips

There are a lot of mosquito-prevention tips out there, and while some of these tips are accurate, there is a lot of misinformation about what can discourage mosquitoes. First, let’s address what doesn’t work.

Commonly, products such as citronella candles and tiki torches are sold as mosquito repellents. These products are very ineffective. Mosquitoes might not like the scent or smoke of these objects, but they have a very short radius and don’t last very long; simply put, they don’t keep mosquitoes off of your property, and they certainly don’t prevent future bug bites. The same can be said for commercial mosquito sprays: they rarely cover the entire property, including the spaces where mosquitoes tend to hide, so they won’t dissuade these pests from flying between foliage, puddles, and your skin.

There are a few tricks that West Palm Beach residents can implement to keep mosquitoes away. Consider the following:

• Remove standing water. Puddles, drain water, and gutters provide places for mosquitoes to lay their eggs, so if you don’t drain your property, these pests are much more likely to camp out nearby.
• Trim excess foliage. Bushes, hedges, trees, tall grasses, and leaf piles all provide hiding and breeding opportunities for these dangerous pests.
• Put up a porch net. While this won’t keep mosquitoes off the entire lawn, it does section off a portion of your yard where you can enjoy the outdoors without worrying about bug bites.

In truth, there’s little that homeowners can do on their own to effectively discourage mosquitoes. If these annoying insects keep bothering your home and family, consider reaching out to the mosquito experts at Native Pest Control.

We control mosquito populations by laying mosquito traps around your house and using an effective larvicide to eliminate future generations. Additionally, we will fog your property to prevent future mosquitoes from settling down around your house. By maintaining these services monthly, even South Florida homes can remain mosquito-free, returning the freedom of the outdoors to your family.

When mosquitoes start biting, bite back with our comprehensive mosquito control program. Contact us and get started with exterminator services in West Palm Beach today!