How to Treat a Lawn to Rid It of Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes may rest on blades of grass in the lawn.

Mosquitoes often appear after rain falls because they have to lay their eggs in still water so they can develop. While female mosquitoes feed on blood, male mosquitoes only feed on plant nectar. Some mosquito species like to hide in groundcover, making the lawn a suitable place for them. You can use several methods to kill the mosquitoes in your lawn and make it a more comfortable outdoor space.

Things You'll Need

• Insecticide
• Water hose
• Larvicide
• Lawnmower
• Yellow or orange light bulbs
• Hand-held fogger

Instructions

1. Spray the lawn with an insecticide that contains permethrin, malathion or pyrethrin. These products may come in ready-to-use formulations that you can simply attach to a water hose and spray.

2. Mow your grass to the minimum length suitable for the grass variety to reduce the number of mosquitoes hiding there.

3. Use a small hand-held fogger to distribute insecticide in the lawn a few hours before an outdoor activity. This temporarily controls mosquitoes so you can enjoy outdoor activities comfortably. Do this during the night when mosquitoes are active and the air is still.

Tips & Warnings

• Empty any containers that contain standing water because mosquito eggs can develop there. Throw them out, if possible. If you keep a pet water dish outside, replace the water at least every other day. Cover garbage cans to prevent water from building up inside.

• Repair leaky outdoor taps and pipes to prevent water from accumulating and becoming mosquito breeding ground.

• Treat any standing water that you can't remove with a mosquito larvicide. This product kills immature mosquitoes in ditches, ponds and other areas. It does not harm any fish or wild animals. It remains effective for several days, so you may have to repeat the treatment periodically.

• Replace your outdoor lights with yellow light bulbs or sodium vapor orange lights because they don't attract mosquitoes.

References

• Texas Cooperative Extension; Hungry Mosquitoes Looking for Unwary Hosts After June Rains; Nathan Riggs
• South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control: Mosquito-Borne Disease Information