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Step 1
To control yard pests such as mosquitoes this summer, start by ridding your yard of any standing water. This means turning over unused buckets, cleaning the bottoms of plants which have drained, and filling in any small fissures where water collects. Simply controlling standing water will drastically reduce the breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other insects. Don't forget to clean bird baths or dog water bowls too.
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Step 2
If you live outside and have a backyard pond, or other standing water that you can't or don't want to drain, buy some mosquito dunks - these are packeted chemicals of Bacillus thuringiensis, a natural occurring bacteria that kills mosquito larvae. Just add one mosquito dunk monthly to ponds or other water sources to kill the larvae of the mosquito. These mosquito dunks are 100% safe for all other animals.
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Step 3
Practice natural mosquito control by inviting critters to your backyard that prey on mosquitoes such as bats, birds and dragonflies. Put up a few bird houses or set up a bat house in a shelter tree. One bat can eat between 600-1000 mosquitoes in an hour! And, they're just fun to watch.
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Step 4
If you've got extra money lying around (ha!), purchase a Mosquito Magnet Executive Mosquito Trap. This will set you back around $350 or so but Mosquito Magnet is designed to capture and kill mosquitoes, black flies, no see ums, and other flying pests. The Mosquito Magnet converts propane to Carbon Dioxide, heat, and moisture so bugs see the thing as a human. Pretty impressive but expensive too. Since it protects up to an acre, maybe it would be good for townhouse owners to share!
