Ways to Keep Mosquitoes Away for Your Next Party

Outdoor and semi-outdoor parties can be a great experience for you and your guests. But, if you don’t take the proper measures to prevent mosquitoes from crashing your party, your guests won’t be the only ones grabbing a bite to eat! 

In this blog, we’ll share some steps you can take to limit the presence of mosquitoes at your next party and reduce the risk of your guests getting bitten. 

Leading Up to the Party

The bulk of preventing mosquitoes from swarming your guests at your next party will rely on your preparation leading up to the party. There are several actions you can take around your home to reduce population and limit the spread of mosquitoes. 

It’s important to note that these actions must be completed over a long term period – often throughout the year – in order to be effective. They are not immediate solutions.  

For immediate results, you will need to seek professional mosquito control services. 

Address Sources of Standing Water

Getting rid of standing water isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think about how to prevent mosquitoes from crashing your party, but it is one of the most important steps to take. 

According to the College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgia, mosquitoes can lay eggs on surfaces near water, on top of standing water, and in areas that are likely to become wet. 

This means it’s critical that you scan your yard for anything that currently holds, can hold, or used to hold water as it could contain thriving mosquito larvae or dormant mosquito eggs waiting to hatch!

Here’s of list of actions you can take to address sources of standing water:

• Add drainage holes to planters or trays that collect water.
• Remove or reorient toys that collect water.
• Fix leaky pipes or faucets that contribute to standing water.
• Add proper yard drainage to reduce puddling.
• Clean gutters so water doesn’t collect.
• Replace bird bath water weekly.
• Replace water in vases and hanging planters weekly.
• Replace outdoor pet and livestock water frequently.
• Apply EPA-approved larvicide to standing water that cannot be removed.

Mow the Grass and Trim Hedges

Mosquitoes seek refuge in cool and shady areas which are often underneath leaves or in tall grass. By keeping your grass short and your hedges tidy, you are reducing the number of ideal habitats for mosquitoes around your home. 

It’s important to note that this is a longer term solution and that mowing your grass and trimming your hedges right before your party will not produce ideal results. To generate favorable results, you will need to keep your grass short and hedges tidy throughout spring, summer, and fall. 

Grow Mosquito Repellent Plants

Incorporating mosquito repellent plants in your landscape and around your outdoor lounging areas (be it your porch or patio) is a great way to naturally reduce your chances of dealing with mosquitoes during party nights. 

Though mosquito repellent plants aren’t a complete fix to dealing with mosquitoes, they do offer some level deterrence especially when combined with other methods of keeping mosquitoes away. 

Below is a list of plants you can use to help keep mosquitoes away:

• Catnip
• Cinnamon Basil
• Citronella 
• Lavender
• Lemon Balm
• Lemongrass
• Mint
• Rosemary

For information about ideal growing environments for each plant and which plants are non-toxic to plants, click here to read our guide on mosquito repellent plants. 

Install a Net or Screen Around the Party Area (If Applicable)

If you frequently host parties and are open to making a larger investment in your outdoor home experience, screening-in your patio might be a good option for you. 

Though it is an investment, screening in your patio or purchasing a netted canopy for the party area is a great way to limit your exposure to mosquitoes without needing smelly repellent sprays, candles, and torches. 

This option might not be for you if your party area involves a pool, fire pit, or grill since screens and canopies may not be able to cover those areas to do size or safety hazards. 

Attract Birds

Birds are natural predators to mosquitoes, so inviting them to live around your home is a perfect way to limit the number of mosquitoes around your home while also supporting increasing the biodiversity in your backyard. 

Attracting birds to your yard is as simple as placing a bird feeder or two in your yard – especially in the shady or damp areas that attract mosquitoes. 

Bird baths are also great for attracting birds, but they are often a source of standing water for mosquitoes to breed. If you want to install a bird bath to attract birds, then you will need to replace the water at least weekly throughout the entire year to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in it. 

Get Professional Help

Combining all of these methods for preventing mosquitoes from crashing your party will reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home, but they will not completely eliminate mosquitoes in your yard. 

To achieve a 100 percent, mosquito free yard; you will need to seek professional help. A professional mosquito control service will be your best bet at removing any possibility of seeing a mosquito at your next party. 

During the Party

There are a few precautions you can take during the night of the party to limit the number of mosquitoes bugging your guests. Just like the measures you can take leading up to the party, the precautions you can take during the party will not result in a 100 percent, mosquito-free party environment. 

To achieve an outdoor party experience completely free of mosquitoes, you will need to seek professional mosquito control services. 

Equip Attendees with Mosquito Repellent

Though you may view this as an inconvenience to your guests, providing them with the option to apply mosquito repellent to their skin and clothing will greatly reduce their risk of getting bitten during your party. 

Light Citronella Candles or Torches

Adding citronella torches around the perimeter of the party space and incorporating citronella candles throughout the party area is a good way to deter mosquitoes.

 It’s important to remember that these products do emit a strong scent that may irritate your guests, so it will be up to you as the host to determine how much is too much and if you should consider a different option for keeping the mosquitoes away. 

Mosquito Repeller Devices

Unlike bug zappers – that aren’t effective at keeping mosquitoes away – mosquito repeller devices create a barrier with a defined radius that wards off mosquitoes before they can get close enough to bite. 

These devices keep mosquitoes away by releasing a faint scent that mosquitoes dislike and want to avoid. One of the more popular mosquito repeller devices is the Thermacell Patio Shield Mosquito Repeller.

Mosquito repeller devices are great for smaller areas since they usually cover a radius of about 5 – 7 feet. If your outdoor party space is a lot larger than the defined radius of the devices, you may need to use multiple devices or seek a different option. 

About Simply Green’s Mosquito Control Service

We offer different outdoor mosquito control treatments to help rid your yard of these pests and keep them from coming back. Our backyard mosquito control products are safe for use around pets and children, and they work quickly to get rid of mosquitoes.

To control adult mosquitoes, our product is a synthetic version of the Pyrethrum extract found in Chrysanthemum flowers. In areas of standing water in your yard, we use Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti). Bti is a naturally occurring bacterium found in soils that specifically targets and only affects mosquito larvae. Bti interrupts the mosquito lifecycle by eliminating larvae before they mature into adults. It does not affect other insects, including honeybees. All of our EPA registered products are safe for kids and pets and do not pose a risk to your family.

If you’re looking for an easy way to keep mosquitoes out of your yard, our outdoor mosquito control treatments are a great option. Contact us today to learn more about our products and how we can help you get rid of mosquitoes for good!