Mosquitoes and ticks are more than just annoying, they’re dangerous! Ticks carry a number of viral infections, including Lyme Disease. Many of these illnesses don’t go away for months, if they ever go away. Lyme can reoccur for years causing fever, stomach upset, and neurological symptoms.
Mosquitoes carry blood borne illnesses from victim to victim including West Nile and Zika. These illnesses are debilitating, but they are also preventable. In the case of tick and mosquito borne illness, prevention is the best cure. The only way to prevent dangerous bites is to rid your home of these pests.
Granules
Treating your yard is important. After all, the pests enter your home from your yard. Granules usually cover a multitude of pests, so go ahead and spread them.
Sprays
Go to your local farm store and purchase the highest concentration of permethrine spray they’ll sell you without a professional license. Mix it according to directions and soak your home inside and out. Be sure to follow safety directions and keep your kids and pets away until it dries.
If the mosquitoes are bad in your area, you might also coordinate with your neighbors. Ask them to spray on the same day so the bugs don’t migrate from house to house.
Natural Remedies
If you’re nervous about soaking your home in chemicals, try citronella first. You can get citronella in the form of oils, candles, and collars for your pets.
Mosquitoes are also said to hate a number of other essential oils such as lemongrass, clove, tea tree, and rosemary. Any of these can be used to make an all natural mosquito control remedy.
For ticks, rub baby oil on your legs before you go out in the yard.
Keep Pets Treated
Whether your pet is indoor or outdoor, you should keep a preventative treatment on them. Spot-on treatments usually last a month while some collars can last up to eight months.
Reduce Standing Water
Mosquitoes breed in standing water. Even a teaspoon of standing water is too much. Keep your lawn cut short and empty anything that will hold water.
If your pet has an outdoor water dish, keep it fresh and bring it in at night. Changing the water several times a day keeps the mosquitoes out and keeps your pet from ingesting the dangerous larvae that cause heart worms.
Keeping all three focus areas (pet, yard, and home) treated will reduce the occurrence of pests in your home. These methods should work, but if it gets unbearable, don’t be scared to call a professional.
