8 Tips on How to Prevent Mosquito Breeding

11-MINUTES READ

The rainy season has arrived, and the problem of many mosquitoes is rampant!

In addition to the limited fun activities that can be done outdoors, there are at least some other pest-related issues that are very disturbing to many people during the rainy season. Yes, there are a lot of mosquito issues popping up!

In general, almost every kind of mosquito can survive and breed in dry and wet conditions during rainy seasons. But the problem is that as the rainy season comes, the mosquito population’s chances of breeding increase drastically.

As a result, mosquito-related diseases such as Zika or Dengue Blood Fever (DBF) will increase throughout the rainy season. Why does that happen?

Rainy seasons cause more ‘bags’ to hold standing water or breeding grounds around your property. If these breeding grounds are not immediately removed from the property, don’t be surprised if you and your family are at greater risk of mosquito bites during the rainy season.

In this article, Rentokil will discuss more about the mosquito life cycle and some effective and powerful mosquito breeding prevention at home, especially during the rainy season.

Mosquito life cycle

The mosquito life cycle phase will go through four different stages. This is the main reason why mosquitoes fall into the category of animals that undergo a complete metamorphic process.

The four stages of the mosquito life cycle include:

• Egg
• Pupa
• Larvae
• Adult mosquitoes

Mosquitoes always need standing water to complete their life cycle. As soon as female mosquitoes feed on blood from mammals, they will produce between 30-300 eggs at different distances above the calm water level.

Under optimal conditions, mosquito eggs will hatch within 24–48 hours to become mosquito larvae, also known as live mosquito genetics, exclusively in water.

Mosquito larvae will begin the pupa phase within 3–4 days after several instar processes or skin changes. After 1–4 days, the pupa begins to transform into an adult mosquito that is ready to fly and bite a human.

Under ideal temperature conditions, the life cycle of a mosquito typically takes between 6-8 days

How to prevent mosquito breeding

Because mosquitoes breed quickly, the question now is: have you destroyed the breeding grounds around your property?

If not, here are eight ways to prevent mosquitoes from breeding at home:

1. Remove all trash that can collect rainwater in the yard
2. Routinely emptying the flower pot plate of standing water
3. Make sure that no trash has accumulated on the waterbath
4. Keep the children’s pool indoors if not in use
5. Make sure that the fish pool or swimming pool keeps moving
6. Repair leaking pipes and faucets
7. Be sure to always close the trash can in the outdoor area
8. Empty pet drinking bowl outdoors

Click on one of the above methods to prevent mosquito breeding in order to read the explanation in more detail.

1. Remove all trash that can collect rainwater in the yard so that the home

Water inundated by an object can be a place mosquitoes prefer to breed. Look around your home yard and start removing all trash or unwanted objects from it before you can accommodate standing water for breeding mosquitoes.

Some examples of common litter in the forecourt that can collect rainwater are:

• Used tires
• Used buckets, containers, or basins
• Empty bottles
• Cans
• Pot stacks and flower pot plates

2. Routinely emptying the flower pot plate of standing water

Gardening activities are fun to do at home. But what happens if your gardening activities are the reason why many mosquitoes breed around your home?

During the rainy season, it is very common to find that flower pot plates are often full of rainwater.

Rainy pots that can be held for days can be a preferred place for mosquitoes to breed, especially for the Aedes Aegypti mosquito type.

3. Make sure that no trash has accumulated on the waterbath

Cleaning the gutter is a very important part of home care, especially during the rainy season.

When heavy rain is accompanied by high winds, it is not impossible that there will be lots of leaves, spines, and other debris falling into the gutter and blocking the drains or water movement.

Do you know? That standing water caused by the blockage of organic waste in your gutter turns out to be a standout attraction for mosquitoes breeding there!

In addition to preventing damage to the ceiling and roof, ensuring the condition of the rain gutter remains clean and in place is certainly one way to tackle effective mosquito breeding in the home.

4. Keep the children’s pool indoors if not in use

When the rainy season comes, one of your children’s activities, like swimming in the outdoors, will certainly stop for a moment. But leaving your children’s pool lying outside during the rainy season is a bad idea!

Keep the children’s pool indoors, or at least make sure the pool is inverted when not used outdoors. This is so that your children’s pool does not collect rainwater that could potentially be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

5. Make sure that the fish pool or swimming pool keeps moving

Since mosquitoes need still water to breed, it is a smart idea to make sure that the water in your fish pool or swimming pool is moving.

Since female mosquito eggs can only survive in standing water and not moving water, installing water features such as a shower or water mixer will help you limit the chance of mosquitoes laying eggs.

6. Repair leaking pipes and faucets

Leaking pipes and faucets are often associated as one of the main reasons why many pests, such as rats, termites, and roaches, come to your home.

In the case of mosquito pests, leaking water pipes and faucets in your home yard or laundry area can accommodate standing water that could potentially be a breeding ground in your home. 

Therefore, it is highly recommended that you immediately inspect and repair all pipes and faucets in the leaking outdoor area of the home before it becomes the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.

7. Be sure to always close the trash can in the outdoor area

Leaving the trash cans in the outdoor area uncovered during the rainy season means you leave plenty of standing water in the trash cans.

Be sure to keep a close eye on the outdoor trash can to limit where mosquitoes prefer to breed.

8. Empty pet drinking bowl outdoors

Even though it’s small, your pet’s drinking bowl provides more than enough space to hold the rainwater that female mosquitoes lay eggs on.

If you normally place your pet’s drinking bowl outside, we recommend taking it inside or putting it upside down when rain arrives or it is not in use.

What is the most effective way to cope with mosquitoes?

Why do I still get mosquito bites often when I have taken precautions by removing mosquito breeding grounds around my home?

While eliminating mosquito breeding grounds is highly recommended, unfortunately, doing some of the above does not necessarily completely eliminate the problem of many adult mosquitoes in your home.

The most effective way to cope with mosquitoes in the home is to incorporate several methods to remove them at each stage of their life cycle (larval stage and adult mosquitoes themselves).

As experts in mosquito control, Rentokil offers services specifically designed to remove mosquitoes at every stage of the mosquito life cycle by combining the use of thermal curing (thermal-fogging) and larvalside.

We’ll help you cope with mosquito breeding around your home, so you won’t have to worry about mosquito bites getting more serious during the rainy season!

Contact Rentokil to schedule a free mosquito pest survey at your site immediately!