8 effective ways to prevent mosquito breeding

The rainy season has come, so do mosquitoes!

Besides limiting the fun activities to do outdoors, there is at least one pest problem that really annoys many people when the rainy season comes. Yes, mosquitoes!

In general, mosquitoes can survive in various weather conditions – from warm to wet conditions. However, during the rainy season, the chance for the mosquito population to breed will increase dramatically.

As a result, the likelihood of some serious diseases can be transmitted to humans is getting severe along with the high intensity of the rainy season, such as Zika and Dengue.

Rainy seasons cause more ‘pockets of standing water’ or potential mosquitoes breeding ground around your property. If the mosquito breeding places are not immediately eliminated from the property, so don’t be surprised if you and your family are at great risk of mosquito infestation all day long.

Keep reading to learn more about the mosquito breeding cycle and the effective ways to prevent mosquito breeding around your property, especially during the rainy season!

Mosquito breeding cycle

All mosquito species undergo going through four-stage of the life cycle, these include:

• Eggs
• Pupa
• Larvae
• Adult

Mosquitoes require standing water to complete their life cycle. Shortly after the female mosquito feeds on blood, a single female mosquito can produce between 30 up to 300 eggs at varying distances above the standing water surface.

Under the optimal condition, the mosquito eggs will hatch into larvae also known as “wigglers” within 24 – 48 hours.

Mosquito larvae in water will turn to the pupa or the resting stage takes about 4 days after going through a few instars (3 or 4 times). After the next 1 – 4 days, the pupa begins the transformation into adult mosquitoes which are able to fly and ready to bite humans.

The entire mosquito life cycle typically takes around 6 – 8 days from eggs to adult stages.

Ways to prevent mosquito breeding

Because mosquito breeding so rapidly, now the question is: have you eliminated the mosquito breeding places around your property?

If it’s not done yet, below are the 8 effective ways to prevent mosquito breeding from your property in embracing the rainy season:

1. 1. Discard unwanted containers or junks that can collect rainwater
   2. Remove stagnant water from flower pot plate or plant saucers
   3. Keep your rain gutters clean and free-flowing
   4. Store the kiddie pool indoors when not in use
   5. Make sure the fish pond and pool water moving
   6. Repair any leaky pipes and faucets
   7. Keep the outdoor garbage bins covered
   8. Empty the pet drinking bowl outside

It’s better safe than sorry. Let’s take a look at what preventive measures you can do at home in answering the most frequently asked questions during the rainy season: how to stop mosquito breeding in stagnant water in this article.

1. Discard unwanted containers or junks that can collect rainwater

Take a look around your yard, and find any unwanted containers and/or junks that can collect rainwater and considered as potential mosquito breeding ground, including:

• Discarded tires
• Water buckets and basin
• Unused bottles
• Empty containers
• Tin cans
• Other trash that can hold water

2. Remove stagnant water from flower pot plate or plant saucers

Gardening activities are really fun to do at home! However, don’t let your gardening activity become far less pleasurable only because these pesky mosquitoes ruin it.

During the rainy season, it’s very common for your flower pot plate to collect cleaner stagnant water from the rainfall – which mosquito species like Aedes Aegypti are really attracted to.

Ensure to empty or remove the stagnant water from the flower pot plate on a daily basis to remove potential mosquito breeding grounds.

3. Keep your rain gutters clean and free-flowing

Cleaning your gutters is an important part of home maintenance especially during the rainy season.

During heavy rainfall, it is very common if many leaves, twigs, and other debris fall inside your rain gutters and clog up the waterways. These clog rain gutters collect plenty of standing water, which becomes favorite mosquito breeding places.

Doing regular cleaning is very recommended to keep your rain gutters free from becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes during the rainy season.

4. Store the kiddie pool indoors when not in use

When the rainy season comes, one of your child’s activities such as swimming in the outdoor area will certainly stop for a moment. But leaving your kiddie pool outside when it is simply a really bad idea!

Store the kiddie pool indoors in a dry area or at least to turn them upside down when not in use; so it will not hold rainwater and provide potential mosquito breeding grounds to breed too.

5. Make sure the fish pond and pool water moving

As mosquitoes require stagnant water to breed, thus it is important to ensure that your concrete fish pond or pool water is moving.

Since female mosquito eggs can only survive in stagnant water and not in the moving water; then installing a water feature, such as a water fountain or a water agitator will help you to limit the opportunity for mosquitoes to lay their eggs.

6. Repair any leaky pipes and faucets

Leaky pipes and faucets are often associated as main attractants to many household pests to come, such as termites, and cockroaches. In the case of mosquitoes, leaky pipes and faucets can trap standing water and create the potential mosquito breeding ground.

Thus, it is advisable for you to check and repair all leaky pipes and outside faucets on your property immediately before they become the perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

7. Keep the outdoor garbage bins covered

If you leave your outdoor garbage bins uncovered, it simply gives the opportunity for mosquitoes to breed there. Ensuring to keep the outdoor garbage bins covered to avoid rainwater from accumulating is one of the ways to prevent mosquito breeding near your house.

8. Empty the pet drinking bowl outside

Despite their small size, your pet drinking bowl provides more than enough space to hold rainwater to be used by female mosquitoes to lay their eggs.

If you usually put your pet drinking bowl outside, it is suggested that you bring it inside or leave it turned over when it’s raining and not in use.

What is the best effective way to get rid of mosquitoes?

Why did I still get bitten by mosquitoes, even if I already took some preventive measures to remove all stagnant water to become a mosquito breeding place?

Is eliminating mosquito breeding grounds at home is enough? Unfortunately the answer is no. Although some of the above steps have been shown to be effective at preventing potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes; yet it does not totally eliminate the number of adult mosquitoes from your property.

The best effective way to get rid of mosquitoes from your property must be combining multiple methods both to eliminate mosquito at every stage: larval and adult mosquito control.

Rentokil is the expert in pest control which offers you an effective treatment that is specially designed to attack a mosquito’s life cycle at every stage by combining the use of thermal fogging and larviciding. We will assist you to prevent any mosquito places around your home; so you don’t have to worry anymore about the severe mosquito bites when the rainy season comes!

Fill out the online form and get a free-quote for mosquito control treatment from Rentokil today!