How to Get Rid of Mosquitoes in Your Yard

Mow your lawn regularly.

Mosquitoes love to nest in tall vegetation. Try to keep your grass short and your shrubs and plants trimmed down so they have fewer spots to hang out in. Depending on how fast your grass grows, you may have to trim it back once a week. Focus on the vegetation near your home, since that will draw mosquitoes closer to the entrances where they can slip inside.

Use yellow bug lights outside.

Mosquitoes and other insects are attracted to incandescent lighting. To keep mosquitoes away and out of your yard, change your outdoor lights to yellow “bug lights” so they aren’t as interested. You can find these bug lights at most garden supply stores. These lights aren’t a repellant, but they won’t attract mosquitoes, either.

Stir up the air with a large fan.

Mosquitoes are pretty weak fliers, and you can use that against them. Place a few large box fans just outside your home to blow the mosquitoes away from your yard. If you have a deck, set the fans on it and point them away from your seating area. This will blow them away as you relax outside. You don’t have to keep your fans on all the time; just turn them on when you want to hang out outside.

Drain standing water.

Mosquitoes use standing water as breeding sites to lay their eggs. Look around your yard and drain or turn over any objects that might be holding liquid. Your yard might look okay at first glance, but mosquitoes are tricky! Puddles, watering cans, and even bottle caps can be the perfect home for mosquito eggs. If you have a lot of standing water on your property, consider talking to a professional about leveling out your land. Clogged gutters can also hold standing water.

Change the water in bird baths weekly.

There might be some standing water in your yard you can’t drain. Make sure you drain and refill your wading pools, bird baths, and potted plant stands at least once a week. If you notice any of those areas are a breeding ground for mosquitoes, consider taking them inside or getting rid of them. If you have an inground pool, make sure it’s treated with chlorine to keep mosquitoes from breeding in it, and cover it with a tarp when you aren’t using it.

Light a few candles.

Insects don’t like smoke. You can make your yard smell good and repel mosquitoes by lighting a few candles when you’re sitting outdoors. Citronella candles are advertised as a mosquito repellent, but any candle that produces smoke will work. Candles also provide a great ambiance for you and your outdoor guests. It’s a win-win!

Set up a mosquito trap.

While mosquito traps can be effective, they need a bit of maintenance. You can choose from sticky traps or fan traps to entice mosquitoes and trap / kill them in your yard. If you do use a trap, empty it regularly to avoid a buildup of mosquito bodies. Some traps use propane tanks, which will need to be refilled regularly.

Treat open water with BTI.

BTI is a bacteria that only targets mosquitoes and mosquito eggs. If there are any areas in your yard that can’t be drained, add some BTI bits or dunks to kill any mosquitoes that try to breed there. BTI, or bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, is available in most garden supply stores. You can add BTI dunks to open water and have them float on the surface, or you can sprinkle BTI bits into gutters and other water collection areas. BTI is safe to use around aquatic plants and animals, so you don’t have to worry about your fish or plants.

Spray repellent into your yard.

You can use foggers, aerosols, or sprays. Use foggers and aerosols to kill mosquitoes in the air, and use sprays to attack mosquitoes where they’re laying eggs. You can find these foggers, aerosols, and sprays at most department stores or online. Pyrethrin and pyrethroid sprays work the best for getting rid of breeding grounds. Every product is slightly different, so make sure you read the label before using it in your yard. Pyrethroid can be dangerous to other helpful insects such as bees and butterflies. To reduce harm, spray your treatments just before dusk on clear days that aren’t rainy or windy.

Install a bat house.

Bats are opportunistic feeders, so they’ll eat whatever’s around. You can buy or build a bat house and put it in your yard to attract these nocturnal hunters. Place your bat box in an open, sunny area of your yard at least 15 ft (4.6 m) above the ground. Bats probably won’t be entirely effective on their own, but when combined with other efforts, they can seriously help reduce the number of mosquitoes in your yard.