Research Found These are the Best Mosquito Solutions: Most Effective Ways to Get Rid of the Pests

Don't Wait Until Mosquitoes Become a Problem

If you are trying to prevent mosquitoes (and keep from getting the West Nile Virus or other dangerous diseases), waiting until they're out and biting is too late. The best preventative methods are done in early spring/late winter before mosquitoes start breeding. Whether you choose a mosquito repellent, mosquito control, or a way to control mosquito larvae; the earlier you start the program, the better.

Don't let mosquitoes ruin your outdoor area (outside space), your outdoor activities, and especially those family backyard barbecue evenings! Start enjoying your outdoor party days again!

Different Mosquito Breeds and How That Affects Mosquito Treatments

Anyone who was a kid before the late 80’s would know a time when you could go outside in the middle of the day without interacting with a mosquito. Most people assume that mosquitoes are so bad now that they are active at all times of the day but that isn’t true. The mosquitoes of our childhood are still around and still operate from dusk, all through the night and up to dawn. They aren’t picking up an extra shift now. Instead, we saw a new breed of mosquitoes introduced to America in the late 80’s commonly called the Asian Tiger. This mosquito breeds and operates completely differently than our native mosquitoes. Understanding the breeding and feeding habits of different mosquito breeds, such as the Asian Tiger Mosquito, is crucial in developing strategies to attract and control them, utilizing methods like carbon dioxide, heat, and moisture to lure these pests into traps.

 

“Native” mosquitoes to America are commonly called Flood Plane Mosquitoes. They breed in large quantities of water, lay “rafts” of 100 eggs at a time, and can fly miles for their meal. The Asian Tiger Mosquito is a small water breeder (as little as 1 oz), lays one single egg in each breeding environment, and doesn’t typically fly more than an acre or two from their breeding ground.

 

The Dusk/Dawn mosquito is best treated with a repellent or adulticide. This is because you cannot control their breeding environment since it is most likely miles away from your property. The daytime mosquito is best treated with a larvacide that controls breeding. This is because you and your neighbors are creating your Asian Tiger problem. If you can control the breeding on your property, you can control your Asian Tiger Problem.

Avoiding a Mosquito Bite

The best, most effective way to avoid a mosquito bite is to stay inside. Using an effective insect repellent on exposed skin and clothing can significantly reduce the chances of getting bitten. If you don’t want to do that, you will have to deploy one of the below methods to prevent mosquito bites and control your outdoor space.

 

As a final note, female mosquitoes are the only mosquitoes that bite. The male mosquito is comically dubbed a “non-commital” mosquito. If you have a mosquito flying around your head but not landing on you, it’s just a male. He’s just waiting around for a reason to be useful; to breed or provide nutrients to the young in the form of nectar drawn from the soft side (underside) of leaves. If you have a mosquito bite, it was from a female mosquito.

Don't Waste Money on Ineffective Solutions

Everyone has different experiences with mosquito treatments. Many people find effectiveness with Mosquito Magnets while others find them a waste of money. A simple yard treatment may be enough for your environment but for others it just isn't enough.

Bug Zappers

There are many pieces of equipment that I would classify as useless when it comes to mosquito control but the top of that list would be filled with bug zappers. Other products on the market that are specifically targeted at controlling mosquitoes may be useful in one way or another but a bug zapper is completely useless against fighting mosquitoes. It is very effective at repelling bugs and controlling your outdoor space when it comes to bugs, but a mosquito doesn't fall in that category.

How we Tested

Our family has been in the pest control industry for over 30 years. We have almost 50 years of experience between my father and I. Our testing has been done with our environments as well as the hundreds of customers we speak to every month. Every product on this list has been tested by multiple people and we are providing our (mostly) unbiased opinion. Of course, we will recommend you use the products that we offer but that is because we only offer products that we 100% know work. If we didn't do that, we couldn't rely on providing effective treatments to our clients and have no reliable way of retaining any of our clients.

Different - Best Mosquito Repellents

Repelling mosquitoes is very different from outright killing them. There are various insect repellents available, including sprays, lotions, and natural options like citronella and peppermint, which can effectively repel mosquitoes. An adulticide can be very effective at preventing a bite but with certain mosquitoes, out breeding the mosquito is a better way. Choosing the best mosquito repellents is crucial for keeping mosquitoes at bay and protecting yourself from mosquito bites.

DEET

If one product on this list is set to take the prize for most popular mosquito repellent (not necessarily the best mosquito repellent), this is it. Everyone knows this product and has used it at some point in their life. In recent years it has not received the best of reputations considering all the negative side effects that may be associated with it but its effectiveness is rarely up for debate.

Citronella Candles

When you bring up citronella candles most people understand immediately what you're talking about. These candles have grown in popularity over time and can be found in any home improvement or grocery store. These candles, when lit will emit a smell that masks the smell you are emitting to mosquitoes (it deters mosquitoes basically). Many of my clients live by this simple product and always have one on their back patio, even with their misting system and yard treatment. It is not just the most popular way to repel mosquitoes but it is also the best way to repel mosquitoes.

This is a wonderful product to partner up with any other repellent product or method of killing mosquitoes. Do not partner it with an attractant method.

Thermacell

This is one product on the list that I do not have personal experience with and have only formed an opinion from my understanding of what the product does and a few clients who have given me their opinion. The few clients I have with experience on this product say it is a great way to repel mosquitoes by vaporizing a repellent from a pad. Thermacell products use butane-powered heat to activate repellent pads, which then distribute the repellent into the air to keep mosquitoes at bay.

 

Just like citronella candles, this product emits an odor that repels mosquitoes and can provide you with a more comfortable experience in your yard. Just be aware that they market the product as only protecting up to 15 feet around the device. It is up to you to decide if that is enough to repel mosquitoes around your home.

Plants

Citronella Plant

Much like the candle it is created from, the plant is the most effective mosquito repellent (natural product at least). A mosquito hates the smell of citronella and this plant is very effective at keeping them out of your yard.

Catnip

The catnip plant seems odd here but studies have shown that catnip plants can provide more of a repellant against mosquitoes than DEET. Even if those studies stretched the truth a little, it's worth planting in your garden if it will keep away even one mosquito away!

Use a Powerful Fan

Although it isn't a chemical, I would still classify fans as a repellent.

Installing fans is one of the most effective and easiest methods of repelling mosquitoes from your backyard or patio. It comes with the secondary benefit of cooling down your back patio on those hot summer days. A small mosquito will find it very difficult to stay near you when the fan is constantly pushing them away.

Bats, Birds, Dragonflies, and Fish

Bats and other birds are known to eat mosquitoes which can provide you with another source of mosquito repellent. Dragonflies fall under the classification of beneficial insects (flying insects) that provide most of their usefulness through eating mosquito larvae. There are other beneficial insects and other mammals but these are the most popular and recognizable. One last animal to mention would be aquatic animals like fish who do a great job at eating mosquito larvae.

Long-Term Solutions

Mosquito Misting System

If you are looking for mosquito control solutions, look no further than a mosquito misting system. A mosquito misting system takes the cake as the single most expensive mosquito solution on the list but while it is expensive, it also takes the crown of most effective mosquito control solution. While some options on this list can cost as little as $5 a week (one can of DEET a week), this option can cost $4,000 (on average) to install with an annual cost of $900.00 (on average).

If we are to argue effectiveness, no other option on this list comes close to providing the reliability that a mosquito misting system can provide. Add in the fact that you don't have to worry about applying a chemical before going out, remembering to buy a new candle, or refilling anything on your own (if you don't plan on filling the system yourself) and this option is the most convenient. It comes with a price but most people who install a misting system at their home will never own a home again without one.

These systems provide mosquito control by killing mosquitoes in your yard, three times a day (or more if needed), over and over every single day. When you're doing this every day you find that there are fewer mosquitoes out and eventually you will hit a point where you can spend hours out in your yard before ever seeing a mosquito. The system works in the same way a cool mist system works but with an added chemical inside the water to kill the mosquito when it flies through the water.

Mosquito Yard Treatments (Mosquito Spray)

The second most effective mosquito control program is the mosquito yard treatment (mosquito spray). A mosquito yard treatment is when we use a leaf blower with a water reservoir attached to apply a water/chemical mixture to your entire yard. This water/chemical mixture has a few products inside the provide you with effectiveness. One is a kill-on-contact product that kills mosquitoes, spiders, cockroaches, ants, and most other bugs when they come in contact with the product. The second is known as an IGR which sterilizes any water it touches (limited to small quantities of water, under about a gallon) preventing mosquitoes from using that water to breed. If the kill-on-contact product is not able to provide effectiveness by killing the mosquitoes in your yard this product steps up and prevents all mosquitoes from being able to breed in your yard.

Mosquito Dunks/Granules

BTI is a very effective way of killing mosquitoes on your property but unlike a mosquito magnet that attracts and kills or a citronella candle that repels mosquitoes, Mosquito Dunks kill by sterilizing mosquito breeding environments. Pouring mosquito dunks/granules in your French drains, gutters, or other areas that may retain water for more than a week is a phenomenal way of reducing the number of mosquitoes you may see around your home.

I would classify this as a long-term solution as long as you're able to pour dunks in all your possible breeding grounds weekly.

In2Care Traps

Released during the Zika scare of 2016, In2Care (mosquito traps) took over the mosquito industry with its ease of deployment and effectiveness. Shortly after it was released the Bill Gates Foundation gave it a massive amount of funding to deploy them overseas in third-world countries. The primary draw of this product is that if it is dumped over into a water source, it doesn't contaminate the water.

The mosquito traps work by creating a breeding environment that is completely sterile. When the female mosquito goes inside to lay her mosquito larvae she comes out sterile and any other breeding ground she visits will also become sterile. The crazy thing as well is that if a mosquito visits a breeding site where a sterilized (In2Care mosquito) has visited, they will become sterilized as well. These traps can sterilize all breeding grounds (and mosquito larvae) within a 3,000 square foot radius in about two weeks. That includes breeding grounds that are deep underground where normal products aren't able to reach. In2Care found a way to hire the mosquito to take their product to breeding grounds previously inaccessible.

Budget Pick: Yard Treatments

Yard treatments are very effective at what they do. They deliver two specific products into your yard that can control dusk/dawn and daytime mosquitoes which not many other products on the list can do. Although it is the second most expensive option on the list, we consider it the budget pick because it is reliable and effective while many other products on this list are not reliable. Understanding mosquito season, which begins when outdoor temperatures warm to 50°F or warmer, can help homeowners decide when to start using yard treatments for effective mosquito control, reducing populations before the summer breeding surge. Reducing the population is the best way of preventing mosquito bites.

Ineffective Methods that Aren't Worth Your Time

Mosquito Magnet

The number of these systems I see during my daily schedule baffles me. How I explain this to people is that you might as well hire someone to sit on your patio breathing (emitting Carbon Dioxide) all day. Once you enter the environment, nothing stops the hungry mosquitoes from diverting from going to the magnet and going to you. The best way to explain that is to ask a family who is bit more than anyone else. If that person is outside, the mosquitoes go to them - every single time. With a mosquito magnet in your yard, you are emitting twice the amount of carbon dioxide that attracts mosquitoes. This doubles your chances of mosquito bites.

Bug Zappers

We already stated it above but when it comes to mosquito control, bug zappers are useless. They may catch the occasional mosquito out of sheer dumb luck but it's not reliable in any way.

Combining Different Mosquito Controls

There are a few of the repellent and treatment options that conflict with one another but aside from these few exceptions, we recommend mixing as many different options as possible.

A Mosquito misting system can be partnered with just about any other method mentioned here. Even a mosquito magnet that attracts mosquitoes can benefit your misting system as a way of attracting them to your environment to then kill them. Of course, we would prefer if you just relied on the misting system but if you’re dealing with a lot of activity, maybe it’ll work for you.

Any repellent option will work with the others because you are trying to keep the mosquitoes out of your environment. Just be aware that if you are repelling mosquitoes or trying to kill them if they happen to be on your property (misting system) we don’t recommend bringing in any of the attracting methods. You will ruin what you’re going for with the repellent options.

Combining different mosquito control methods, such as spatial repellents with lighting and misting systems, can significantly enhance overall mosquito protection in your outdoor spaces.

Our Pick: The Best Mosquito Repellent - Mosquito Misting and Yard Treatments

When your life is mosquitoes you test a bunch of products and have strong opinions on mosquito repellent, preventing mosquito bites, and giving people fast, inexpensive, and simple solutions.

There is a reason why as a mosquito misting company we offer these two services as our primary services. They just simply work. Installing a mosquito misting system to put a chemical in your yard multiple times a day, is more effective than any other mosquito treatment on the market. As long as the system is installed correctly and properly maintained, it will never fail you.

If the cost of a mosquito misting system is too much and you're looking for something a little more affordable, a monthly mosquito yard treatment (mosquito spray) may be more up your alley. Adultacides are the most effective way to prevent mosquito bites but if that is too much, a mosquito repellent would be more ideal. The mosquito yard treatment is the best mosquito repellent solution out. While other mosquito repellents rely on one mode of action, the mosquito yard treatment deploys multiple applications to prevent mosquito bites.