Can Overwatering Your Lawn Attract Mosquitos

Mosquito on narrrow leaf

For a healthy lawn, it’s crucial to strike the right balance. Too little watering can leave grass looking unhealthy and create unsightly yellow patches of dead grass. Watering your lawn too frequently can cause problems too. Excessive moisture can cause lawn diseases and attract unwanted mosquitoes, which would make it even harder to enjoy your lawn. Read on to find out how you can prevent mosquitoes on your property by watering appropriately.

Mosquitoes Love Water

Do you know what both your plants and mosquitoes love? A damp habitat. mosquitoes require abundant moisture to survive and reproduce, so an overly saturated lawn can very easily become a hotspot for these pests. An oversaturated lawn allows for a thick layer of thatch to form, protecting mosquitoes and other insects from sunlight, predators, and even some pesticides. If you adequately maintain and irrigate your lawn, it will look better and you’ll reduce the risk of mosquitoes disturbing your enjoyment of your lawn.

Signs That You’re Overwatering Your Lawn

Overwatering your lawn can cause more problems than just mosquitoes. Too much water stunts root growth and makes your grass more susceptible to fungus and diseases. 

Watch for these signs that you’re watering your lawn too much:

Spongy Soil 

A quick and easy way to check if you’re oversaturating your lawn is to perform a step test. Soil that’s overwatered will have a squishy or spongey consistency. You can check the consistency of your soil by stepping around multiple areas of the lawn; if all or multiple parts of your lawn are spongy, it’s safe to say you’re overwatering (As long as you didn’t just water the lawn).

Weed & Fungus Growth 

In a nicely watered yard, patches of mushrooms and weeds will stick out like a sore thumb. You may not realize it, but how much you water your lawn can aid the growth of fungus and weeds which may attract insects. If you notice a sprout of weeds in your yard, you may need to reduce your watering. 

Runoff Water

 Sometimes soil can be completely saturated. This forces extra water up and creates runoff that strips the lawn of important nutrients and carries it to the sidewalk or street. It’s important to notice when this happens as your grass will be extra susceptible to disease, insect invaders, fungi, and weeds.

How Can I Prevent Mosquitoes?

Step one to preventing mosquitoes: get your lawn in a healthy irrigation regimen. Watering your lawn every single day is probably unnecessary, even if you live in a hot, dry area. The ideal amount of water your lawn should get a week is 1 – 1.5 inches. Experts recommend three days of irrigation a week for 30 minutes to give your grass the optimal amount of water.

Trusted Mosquito Control

Even if your yard doesn’t have any standing water, you can still be pestered by mosquitoes. If you live in Central TN and you need mosquito exterminators, the experts at The Bug Man are here to help. Our expert technicians will find the source of the mosquitoes, eliminate them and help keep them away. Contact us today for a free quote!

Mosquito Reduction Tips For Middle Tennessee

Mosquito Reduction Tips For Middle Tennessee

Mosquito Reduction Tips!

Warmer weather is here and with that will also be mosquitoes! Our Mosquito Reduction Service is designed to reduce the mosquito population in your yard. Our technicians will treat the foliage of trees and shrubs where mosquitoes rest during the day. When they come into contact with the treated surface, they will die.

But, you may still see some mosquitoes from time to time. Especially after a good rain! So, we wanted to equip you with some extra tips to help keep down the mosquito population and protect you and your family.

• Dispose of old tires, tin cans, buckets, drums, bottles, plastic sheeting, or any water-holding containers
• Clean debris from rain gutters to allow proper drainage
• Fill in or drain low places (puddles & ruts) in the yard.
• Keep drains, ditches, and culverts clean of weeds and trash so water can flow properly
• Cover trash containers to keep out rainwater.
• Check around outdoor faucets and air conditioner units and repair leaks or puddles.
• Empty plastic wading pools at least once per week and store indoors when not in use.
• Make sure your backyard pool is cared for while away from the home.
• Fill in tree holes and stumps that hold water with sand or cement.
• Change the water in bird baths, plant pots, and drip trays at least once per week.
• Keep the grass cut short and shrubbery well trimmed around the house where the adult mosquito may rest.
• Irrigate lawns and gardens carefully to prevent water from standing. If it squishes when you walk on the lawn, it is being over-watered.
• Eliminate seepage from cisterns, cesspools, and septic tanks.
• Stock ornamental pools with top feeding predacious minnows.
• Check window and door screens on the home. Be sure they are in good condition to keep out mosquitoes.
• Wear light-colored clothing, plus long-sleeve shirts and long pants for extra protection.
• Use repellants on your skin and clothing while you are outdoors.

Control the Standing Water For Best Results!

As you can see, many of our recommendations concern water. Why? Water is the breeding ground for new mosquitoes. Here is a great video on the mosquito life cycle.  The more we can eliminate standing water the better result you will have in reducing the mosquito population in addition to the service we provide.

Our technicians will apply a larvicide to any areas of standing water they notice while they are treating your yard for mosquitoes with an adulticide. Please help your technician know of any known areas that hold water that may go unnoticed when it is dry. We can preventatively treat those areas, too.

Chikungunya Fever and Mosquito Reduction

Chikungunya Fever and Mosquito Reduction

Chicken who?? Chikungunya.

The Chikungunya virus has been limited to Africa and Asia for a very long time. In fact, it was first recorded in a human in Tanzania in 1953. So, this is not a new virus. But, it’s quickly becoming a hot topic in the media since it was discovered in the caribbean in December 2013. The concern is that this could soon spread to the United States in the coming year from travelers.

According to the Centers For Disease Control (CDC), the Chikunguyna virus can cause high fever, severe pain, nausea, vomiting, and headache. The disease is spread by being bitten by a mosquito that has previously bitten an infected person. It is not transmitted person to person.

The Bug Man is in the business of controlling pests and we are not medical professionals. But, because pests can spread disease and cause a variety of illnesses we are often caught in the middle of addressing the medical concerns caused by the pests. If you have any of the symptoms listed above we will always tell you to discuss them with your physician. What we CAN help with is education on what you can do to reduce your risk of being bitten by mosquitoes, in general.

The mosquitoes that carry the chikungunya virus (as well as other viruses) are the Yellow-Fever Mosquito (aedes aegypti) and the Asian Tiger Mosquito (aedes albopictus).

As of this writing, no infected mosquitoes have been found in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, or anywhere in the United States. So far the CDC is reporting that all of the documented cases of chikunguyna in the US have been in people who have recently traveled outside of the United States to a country with the infected mosquitoes.

Recommendations to reduce the mosquito population in Murfreesboro, middle Tennessee, and beyond:

To reduce your risk of being bitten by mosquitoes we have a long list of recommendations that we give to every customer on our Mosquito Management Program. Almost every item in our list involves getting rid of anything that holds standing water and/or making sure to empty and scrub items that hold water, frequently. Also, contact your City and/or County and make sure that they are treating water retention areas with a larvicide on a regular basis.

  • Dispose of old tires, tin cans, buckets, drums, bottles, plastic sheeting, or any water-holding containers.
  • Clean debris from rain gutters to allow proper drainage.
  • Fill in or drain low places (puddles, ruts, etc) in your yard.
  • Keep drains, ditches, and culverts clean of weeds and trash so water can flow properly.
  • Cover trash containers to keep out rain water
  • Check around outdoor faucets and air conditioner units and repair leaks or other causes for water puddles.
  • Empty plastic wading pools at least once per week and store indoors when not in use.
  • Make sure your backyard pool is cared for while away from the home.
  • Fill in tree holes and stumps that hold water with sand or cement.
  • Change the water in bird baths, plant pots, and drip trays at least once per week.
  • Keep the grass cut short and shrubbery well trimmed around the house where adult mosquitoes may rest.
  • Irrigate lawns and gardens carefully to prevent water from standing.
  • Eliminate seepage from cisterns, cesspools, and septic tanks.
  • Stock ornamental pools with top feeding predacious minnows.
  • Check window and door screens on the home. Be sure they are in good condition to seal out mosquitoes.
  • Wear light-colored clothing, plus long sleeve shirts and long pants for extra protection.
  • Use repellants on skin and clothing while outdoors.

In addition to these steps, The Bug Man also offers a Mosquito Reduction Program.

Don’t worry… bee happy about beneficial insects!

kids love bugs

Children Embrace our beneficial insects. Shouldn’t you?

Children are so fun and curious about bugs!  Little Johnny often doesn’t think twice about picking up a spider by the leg and running to show his mommy. When he shows her his discovery, mom will often scream and run as far away as possible. Johnny will inevitably laugh, uncontrollably, while mom yells “Get that thing out of here!”

It’s a common story that we hear over and over.  There are so many exaggerated horror stories about various insects: Brown recluse spiders will cause your leg to fall off. Termites will eat your house down to the ground. You will surely die a terrible disease if bitten by a mosquito. Who knows where these stories come from or why. But, they create a fear in some folks that are hard to shake.

The honey bee and other beneficial insects have an important role in our environment

Take the honey bee, for example.   They are the pollinators for our food crops. Their population has been in a steady decline in recent years due to a number of factors such as viruses, parasites, poor nutrition, limited access to clean water and exposure to pesticides. WHAT??? Exposure to pesticides?? Yes, it is true. We all (including us) have a huge responsibility in taking care to protect the honey bee and other beneficial insects.

In the spring you will sometimes see huge swarms of bees in the bushes and flowering trees. Sometimes they will stick around for a few minutes and then be gone. Sometimes they will stay for a few days. It’s easy to grab that jug of bug juice or call an exterminator to get rid of them. But, if they are not in an area that will harm you or your loved ones then it is usually best to leave them to collect the pollen. The additional benefit is that your plants and flowers will be even more beautiful later on.

There are a variety of other insects that are beneficial. Usually, most people first think of ladybugs or the asian lady beetle. Absolutely! Did you know that there are more than 400 species of the lady beetles in North America? There are also lacewings, parasitic wasps, spiders, tachinid flies, pirate bugs (aaaargh!) and ground beetles, just to name a few.

Protecting the environment and people at the same time

As a pest control professional, our goal is to protect your home from a pest invasion. If there is a pest problem in your living space then, yes, there is a cause for concern. You will want to eliminate the problem to prevent disease and illness/injury in your family. But, if we can keep your environment safe without having a negative impact on the rest of Murfreesboro, middle Tennessee, and beyond, then we are all winning.

Tips for Mosquito Control This Summer

Tips for Mosquito Control This Summer

The Bug Man offers tips to help reduce the mosquito populations around your home.

There are a lot of different ways to approach mosquito control. You could dance if you want to. You could leave your friends behind.

A graduate student from the University of Florida Entomology program prefers the dance method. We found a video that features a ‘skeeter slap dance.’ Check it out below:

Not only is that video amusing, but it also offers a closer look at mosquitoes. Most of us slap them away too quickly to actually see what they look like.  Below we list steps you can take to help reduce the mosquito populations around your home.  While you may not achieve complete mosquito control, this will help.

Steps to help mosquito reduction and control.

  • As you saw in that video, the student was wearing long pants and a long-sleeve t-shirt. When you’re out and about with mosquitoes out, it helps if you wear clothing that covers up your arms and legs.
  • Emptying out areas of standing water is also really helpful for mosquito control. This includes kiddie pools, unused bird baths, tins in the yard, and even inside old tires.
  • Change the water in birdbaths, plant pots, and drip trays at least once a week.
  • Clean the debris out of your rain gutters to allow proper drainage.
  • Use a mosquito repellent with deet when you’re outside.
  • Check around outdoor faucets and air conditioning units and repair leaks or puddles.
  • Cover trash containers to keep out rain water.
The Bug Man also offers a seasonal mosquito reduction program. Please call our office at 615.217.7284 for more information on how we can reduce the mosquito population in your yard.

Tips for Reducing Mosquitoes

Tips for Reducing Mosquitoes

Here are a few tips to help ward off the mosquitoes in your area.

To aid in the effort to keep your home bite-free, check for mosquito motels around your property. It doesn’t take long to scope out your property to look for potential mosquito hangouts.

If it’s not one thing, it’s another!

That short, yet succinct statement is true right now in Middle Tennessee. Especially in the area of cicadas vs. mosquitoes.

Since they only come around every 13 years, it seems like cicadas would be the biggest news in the bug world. However, due to a lot of rain and hot weather in April, those pesky pests called mosquitoes are making quite a big bite in the pest popularity contest. Literally!

To fight the bite, The Bug Man offers a mosquito management program during the summer months that is intended to help reduce the breeding and resting areas of mosquitoes around your property. Call (615.217.7284) or email (service@thebugman.us) our office for more information.

To aid in the effort to keep your home bite-free, check for mosquito motels around your property. It doesn’t take long to scope out your property to look for potential mosquito hangouts. Here are a few tips to help ward off the mosquitoes in your area.

  • Dispose of old tires, tin cans, buckets, drums, bottles, plastic sheeting, or any water-holding containers.
  • Clean debris from rain gutters to allow proper drainage.
  • Fill in or drain low places (puddles, ruts) in yard.
  • Keep drains, ditches, and culverts clean of weeds and trash so water can flow properly.
  • Cover trash containers to keep out rain water.
  • Check around outdoor faucets and air conditioner units and repair leaks or puddles.
  • Empty plastic wading pools at least once per week and store indoors when not in use.
  • Make sure your backyard pool is cared for while away from the home.
  • Fill in tree holes and stumps that hold water with sand or cement
  • Change the water in bird baths, plant pots, and drip trays at least once per week.
  • Keep the grass cut short and shrubbery well trimmed around the house where adult mosquitoes may rest.
  • Irrigate lawns and gardens carefully to prevent water from standing.
  • Eliminate seepage from cisterns, cesspools, and septic tanks.
  • Stock ornamental pools with top feeding predacious minnows.
  • Check window and door screens on the home.  Be sure they are in good condition to seal out mosquitoes.
  • Wear light colored clothing, plus long sleeve shirts and long pants for extra protection.
  • Use repellants on skin and clothing while outdoors.