Category: Mosquito Season

Florida brings forth countless rainy spells, and it’s a smart idea to capitalize on the wealth. Many people put out rain barrels to collect their own water and maintain a sustainable system. The downside? Mosquitoes also want to take advantage of the rain that you’ve so generously collected for them as an abundant breeding site. Obviously, this isn’t what you originally had in mind when you decided to start gathering rainwater. Here are some tips for keeping your rain barrel mosquito-free straight from the professionals at SWAT Mosquito Systems Orlando!

Choosing The Right Type Of Rain Barrel

Collecting rain isn’t as simple as setting out an empty bucket and hoping for the best. That’s actually the quickest way to invite mosquitoes and end up with a musky and smelly pool of water that you’ll end up dumping out anyway. Of course, there are products specifically designed to be an efficient system for catching rain.

Learn more > 5 Places Where Mosquitoes Breed And How To Control Them

Rain barrels come in many forms, but most of them are likely to bring you mosquito problems because they leave behind an exposed water source. Open-top barrels, barrels with depressed or concave tops, or any barrel with a rimmed lid will provide just enough water for mosquitoes to breed. You’ll also want to steer clear of barrels that have large holes on top because eggs and larvae are able to fall in. One of the few types of rain barrels that will bring you less mosquito trouble is the tight-head drum with no lid.

Deterring Mosquitoes From Using Your Water Source

If you happen to own a rain barrel that allows water to pool up, there are still a few things that you can do to help keep mosquitoes at bay. And with that goal in mind, well-placed screens can stop mosquitoes from even reaching your water source. However, the gaps in the screen need to be smaller than the mosquito in order for this method to be effective. In this case, you might want to consider double-screening. Either way, these screens need to be tightly placed over your barrel and spouts. If you don’t want to deal with screens, you could place a mosquito dunk in your barrel once a month to make the water too toxic for the pesky bugs to use, but many people don’t like the idea of contaminating their hard-earned water.

Learn More > How To Quickly Kill Mosquito Larvae In Standing Water

Think Bigger, Fight Back The Mosquitoes!

All of this rain barrel maintenance can be a lot of work, and you may still end up with a mosquito infestation no matter how careful you are. What else can you do? Rather than keeping mosquitoes away from your barrels, you can fight back and eliminate them with a misting system. A natural solution will spray throughout your yard during optimal times of the day to effectively kill off mosquitoes so that there won’t be any left to bother your rain barrels in the first place!

Reliable Mosquito Misting Systems In Orlando

At SWAT Mosquito Systems Orlando, our automated mosquito misting systems spray during optimal times of the day to decrease the population around your property, thus protecting your rain barrels from contamination through breeding. Call (954) 437-1815 today to speak with our friendly staff for more information and to receive a free estimate!

Are you looking to set up a mosquito misting system, but don’t know where to put the hardware? For an effective layout that won’t disturb your everyday lifestyle, where you place your nozzles (and even the tank) actually matters. Before you start installing things wherever they’ll fit, take a moment to look over this helpful guide put together by your trusty professionals at SWAT Mosquito Systems Orlando!

The Best Spots For Your Nozzles

It may be tempting to place your nozzles wherever you want, but that’s not the best method if you want real results. Mosquitoes tend to have favorable environments for comfortable living and breeding. They also like buzzing over to high-traffic areas whenever it’s time for a meal. With that in mind, you can have a better idea of how to place your nozzles in smarter areas of your yard.

The General Rule of Thumb

The first thing you should know when setting up your mosquito misting system is that nozzles should be placed no closer than 8-10 feet apart. It’s also a good idea not to place them too far apart or else you’ll end up with spots that aren’t getting any coverage at all. And if you’re going to place your nozzles up high, like attached to a roof’s awning, avoid placing them any higher than 10 feet. Otherwise, the mist can be carried off-property and completely miss the area you’re meaning to treat. It also helps to aim it in a way that directs the mist downward to prevent this from happening.

Targeting Highly-Active Areas

If you were to think like a mosquito, what kind of areas would you like the most? Mosquitoes are fragile creatures, so they have a better chance of surviving in secluded areas where they can still retrieve water. Darker, out-of-the-way spots that can keep them hidden from intense sunlight and high winds are akin to the perfect dream home. With that in mind, you should be installing your nozzles around vegetation that provides shade and moisture. You also can’t go wrong with lining them up along the perimeter and in the corners for an all-encompassing barrier around your property.

Learn more > 5 Places Where Mosquitoes Breed and How to Control Them

Useful Tips For DIY Installation

Not sure where to keep your refillable tank? Try finding places that are out of sight, like in your shed or in the garage. Back to nozzle placement, the best part about the wiring is that it allows for tremendous flexibility. You can run them along fences or buildings, but using riser attachments lets you stand them up literally anywhere around your yard. And although the possibilities are endless, just pay mind to keep them a decent distance from any walkways. Some solutions are harmless to humans nowadays, but most people would still be wary of being directly exposed to a mosquito-killing mist.

Learn more > Professional vs DIY Mosquito Control

Skip the Hard Stuff, Call the Professionals!

Does all of this information seem like a lot to take in? Don’t sweat it, just call up your local professionals to set up your mosquito misting system for you! Our team will find the best locations in your yard for installing a customized network that will be programmed to go off automatically during the most active times of the day, remote control included! Call SWAT Mosquito Systems Orlando at (954) 437-1815 to get started on a free quote.

Mosquitoes come around every year in Florida, and swarms are sometimes expected in certain patterns. Learning about these patterns and what actions to take at the appropriate times will reward you with fewer mosquitoes around your property (if any at all). The professionals at SWAT Mosquito Systems Jacksonville will teach you everything you need to know about preparing for mosquito season in Florida!

Understand How Mosquitoes Operate

Even if you already know the best practices for fending off mosquitoes, it won’t do you any good if you don’t know when to put those practices to use. For instance, getting rid of standing water won’t affect mosquitoes that have already grown and flown away. For effective mosquito control, you need to know when to start preparing, what times of the day to avoid, and when mosquitoes like to breed so you can stop the cycle before it begins.

Peak Mosquito Season	Active Times of the Day	Ideal Weather Conditions
In the summer months, June through August.	At the break of dawn and around sunset.	Right after downpours when everything is still wet and moist.

Learn more > Understanding a Mosquito’s Life Cycle

Make Your Property Inhospitable to Mosquitoes

In case you don’t know the best practices for getting rid of mosquitoes and stopping the breeding cycle, the most important thing you can do is eliminate stagnant water sources as soon as they appear. Maintaining lawn work will leave no areas for mosquitoes to get cozy, and this includes the gutter which people tend to forget because it’s out of sight. After your yard is well-maintained and inhospitable to mosquitoes, it’s important to remove anything that can become a potential source of water the next time there’s a downpour. This is why it’s practically essential to know when mosquitoes are active so you know when and how to prepare in the most effective way possible.

On-the-Go Mosquito Tips What if you need to shoo away mosquitoes while you’re off-property? Your hard work may not follow you around all of Florida, but you can still travel smart. First off, try not to visit any places that are known for having active mosquitoes around the time you were planning on going. The next best thing you can do is to wear clothing that covers most of your body so the flying pests will have nowhere to land and obtain their blood meal. You can also try some self-applicators, just pay mind to reviews stating which ones work and which ones don’t.

A Low-Maintenance Way to Prepare For Mosquitoes

You just learned about the most effective ways to fend off mosquitoes and prepare for the upcoming mosquito season in Florida, but not everyone has the time or desire to keep up with so many tasks around the property. Pest control has come a long way, and now there are automated systems that can bring you the same results without you needing to break a sweat. These misting systems can be programmed by a professional to spray during the most active times of the day, or you have the power to control your system manually with a remote whenever you want! So many people are switching over to this new and easy form of mosquito control because it works.

Learn more > Mosquito Misting Systems: How It Works

Call Your Local Mosquito Professionals Today!

For an automated and remote-controlled mosquito misting system near you that’s been proven to work, call the professionals at SWAT Mosquito Systems Jacksonville at (954) 437-1815 for more information about our products and to get started on a free estimate!

If you haven’t yet heard it in the news, there is a new species of mosquito native to Florida. Just when you thought we had enough mosquito variants that love roaming the state, there is yet another kind to worry about. Don’t worry, the professionals at SWAT Mosquito Systems Miami and Fort Lauderdale are here to bring you all of the latest information on the Culex lactator and what you can do to protect yourself.

What Is the Culex Lactator?

Also called C. lactator, the Culex lactator is the latest species to be established in Florida. This isn’t the first mosquito to be found in the sunshine state rather than migrating over from other regions. With at least 90 different species to make their home in Florida, the Culex lactator doesn’t look much different from the rest. However, we have yet to know all of the details. This particular mosquito had barely been noticed in 2018, and it will take some more time to fully discover its capabilities. But we do know a couple of traits regarding what they can do, and it’s easy to speculate what’s possible considering what we know about other Florida mosquitoes.

The Mosquito Problem In Florida Why are there so many mosquitoes making their home in our beloved sunshine state? Compared to most of the other states in America, Florida has the best climate for mosquitoes to thrive. Hot and humid weather with frequent rainfall is like a wonderful paradise to these pests which is why we come across so many variants that are specific to Florida regions.

What the Culex Lactator Means For Your Health

So far, we know that the Culex lactator is able to spread already-discovered arboviruses such as West Nile and encephalitis. That alone is already a cause for concern since these diseases are famous for causing many symptoms like fever, headaches, and other common conditions. However, there’s greater fear in what we don’t know. Since this species is still under close watch, we don’t know if it has the potential to introduce something entirely new. And of course, no one wants to be the first case of a news-breaking mosquito-borne disease. The best thing we can do when it comes to an unfamiliar insect is to protect ourselves regardless.

Learn more > How Can I Protect My Family Against Mosquito-Born Illnesses?

Protecting Yourself From New Mosquitoes

Even though the Culex lactator is a new variant of mosquito that we know little about, all mosquitoes in general share similar traits. They fly, they bite, and they spread disease. Considering this, you can play it safe by doing what you would usually do to protect yourself from mosquitoes and other bugs. But while everyone has their own methods for keeping away these pesky insects, you can’t go wrong with an around-the-clock misting system that spreads a solution throughout your property and is effective against mosquitoes and other bugs. Where can you get such a system installed in Florida?

Automated Misting Systems In Miami and Fort Lauderdale

Looking to get an automated mosquito misting system installed on your property? SWAT Mosquito Systems Miami and Fort Lauderdale can equip you with a top-quality customized misting system! Our specialists can program your automated misting system to run during optimal times of the day and supply you with a remote to keep you in control whenever you want. Call (954) 437-1815 today for a free quote!

Learn more > Mosquito Misting Systems: Products