We don’t think it’s a revolutionary idea that Calgarians (and the rest of the world) hate mosquitoes. The nasty, little blood suckers can ruin a family dinner on the deck within minutes, and not only do their bites itch, but the buggers can also spread diseases like west nile. Pesticides like DEET are safe to use for adults, but they smell awful, are flammable, and aren’t great options for kids or pets that may lick the pesticide from their skin. So what can you do to keep your little piece of paradise free from pests?

Search and Destroy.

If you’re on a quest to defeat the mosquitoes, you’ll need to find all the water in your yard. If you haven’t already cleaned out your gutters, it’s time to accept you’re not going to. Clogged eavestroughs are a favourite breeding ground for the pests though, so call in the landscaping experts at Five-Star, and we’ll take care of that for you. Other unlikely places you may find standing water, include tire swings. As for birdbaths, wading pools, and pet water, they need to be changed a bare minimum of once a week (mosquito larvae take 7 days to develop), but you should strive for twice a week to be safe. And pet water should really be freshened every other day or so.

Biological Warfare.

Unfortunately, the little currents and waterfalls in yard waterscape just aren’t moving fast enough to stop mosquitoes from breeding, so if you have a pond or other waterscape on your yard, you’re going to have to work even harder to keep the mosquito population at bay. At Five-Star, we have no sympathy for any bugs that bite, so we suggest investing in biological warfare. Buy guppies or frogs for your waterscape. Guppies breed fast and will devour mosquito larvae before it ever develops into a biting-pest. Soon you’ll have a pond full of adorable little fish and no bugs. Frogs enjoy eating larvae and adult mosquitoes, but they can be harder to keep alive.

Call in Backup.

You know what eats 500-1000 mosquitoes each and every night? A bat. Bats are a super insect-control species. And let us be the first to say that they’re also super cool. The way they fly and echolocate is sure to impress your kids, and don’t worry, bats are totally safe. Just like the crows, squirrels, and rabbits we Calgarians are familiar with seeing every day, bats aren’t interested in people. They’re also no more likely to carry diseases than any other critter. So if all else fails (or even if it hasn’t), we suggest building a bat box to provide your very own mosquito eaters with a home.

The Calgary landscaping experts at Five-star take their jobs seriously. We have no interest in providing Calgary homeowners with a supposed backyard paradise that’s really just a pest generator. If you’re ready to have our experts help turn your yard into a haven, call us today!