Do you know that there are non-toxic ways to get rid of mosquitoes before they even hatch?
Usually these annoying insects grow in standing waters near your house. Numerous mosquito larvae are waiting there to become adult mosquitoes.
That’s why solutions like mosquito dunks or granules are popular nowadays.
Once spread over standing waters they get rid of the little bloodsuckers before they can bother you.
This allows you to control your property’s mosquito population.
I reviewed the best solutions extensively and will show you how to make best use out of organic mosquito killers.
In my opinion such natural products are one of the best ways to deal with mosquitoes.
If you treat all the breeding grounds in your garden you can solve your mosquito problem before the little blood suckers even grow up. After that it’s way easier to deal with what’s left.
So here is my recommendation for organic larvae control:
Before you apply any anti-mosquito products it’s best to get rid of the insects’ breeding grounds like bird baths, clogged rain gutters or root intersections.
Make sure you don’t have unknown breeding grounds in your garden.
If there is no place to lay eggs you won’t have a problem with hordes of mosquitoes. So whenever it’s possible try to avoid stagnant waters (even small ones) in your yard. However I understand that this is not always feasible and you might need something like mosquito dunks.
These products look like doughnuts and contain dried bacteria which help to kill mosquitoes in their early hatching stages. The dunkers are free of toxic chemicals and are deemed organic by the USEPA. So you won’t have to worry about useful animals or your pets.
I personally followed this strategy with great success during the last years. It diminished my property’s mosquito population by around 95%.
Use a combination of mosquito dunks and granules (bits) to get rid of most insects before they even hatch.
I begin to spread the dunks in April, right before season starts.
I use them in my pond, pool and patio.
Each time I try to cover every breeding ground I can imagine.
I recommend that you are very diligent with the step because the efforts will pay off later. The more larvae you get the less adult mosquitoes will annoy you.
Mosquito dunks are long-lasting and effective in ponds.
In comparison mosquito dunks tend to dissolve way slower than mosquito bits so they are perfect for longer-lasting protection. Once placed in water I don’t have to think about them for around a month.
They are my favorite choice for big areas because one of them is enough for around 100 square feet.
I use mosquito bits for smaller things like buckets because they are easier to dose.
From my experience the bits also work a better with more mature larvae. So I would rely on a combination of both products to fight mosquitoes. Look out for obvious spots like this and treat them with enough dunkers:
Don’t fool yourself: these products work great but they still require some diligence.
It’s best to spread them early enough before mosquito season starts, otherwise the larvae will hatch.
Furthermore you have to reapply them frequently to prevent the next wave of mosquito offspring from growing up.
Don’t let the mosquito into your home – use a net.
If you keep these steps in mind and treat all your potential mosquito grounds with insect killers you can get rid of most of them. Once they are hatched it’s still possible to combat them with repellents, traps and netting.
However in my opinion it’s best to dig to the root of your mosquito problem and solve it before they grow up. The easiest way to stay safe is all-encompassing mosquito control. If you hurt them while they’re hatching it’s far easier to deal with the diminished rest of the population.
My favorite picks in regard to natural mosquito control:
Most of the time I rely on two specific products. So far they have served me well and cover most of my efforts in regard to larvae control.
Summit Mosquito Dunks
These dunks consist of organic larvaecide that I have used successfully for years. They are not only way cheaper than in your local grocery store but also just plain work. After you spread them around stagnant waters they kill most larvae within one day.
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Once placed they prevent new larvae from hatching. They last about 3-4 weeks before you have to replace them which is fine for me. Once a month I take my time and put them into all potential breeding places again. This way they really work as advertised.
So far they didn’t poison anything else: dogs, fish, birds and wildlife with access to my pond all suffered no damages from this product. The dunks are also considered organic so they really bear a lower risk than many other options you find for mosquito control.
Besides the need of diligent application I haven’t experienced any great downsides from it. They sometimes dissolve and create debris on my pond’s surface but it’s easy to clean. No big problem if you don’t mind caring for your garden. In comparison to mosquito bits they also smell nicer.
I recommend you try out mosquito dunks because they are an efficient way to kill mosquitoes before they can bother you.
How mosquito dunks work exactly
Larvicides like the product above contain bacteria that prevent the larvae from eating. They starve the little beasts which can’t grow up to become adult mosquitoes.
Within hours the bacteria kill the nasty offspring and save yourself and your family from getting harassed.
One dunk dissolves continually and offers almost one month of protection.
To prevent mosquito larvae from hatching you have to put the mosquito dunks into all kind of standing waters.
You can really get creative with dunks. Don’t limit yourself to stagnant waters as you can also use them in grass after rain or all sorts of wet grounds. From my experience that helps to keep most of your yard free of bugs.
It’s also important to reapply them frequently to keep your property mosquito-free. Be sure to have enough dunks for the whole season.
To sum it up, mosquito dunks are no magic thing that you can use to set and forget. You really have to be diligent with its application or they won’t work as promised.
I recommend that you try it out because together with some sweat mosquito dunks are really effective for insect control. In addition the next product offers another great natural way to keep mosquitoes at bay.
Mosquito Bits
For some cases you can make excellent use of mosquito bits. These are granules full of dried bacteria that can be spread over eggs and larvae as well.
I found them easier to dose and they also seem to work for bigger larvae (where mosquito dunks sometimes fall short).
Sale
Summit Mosquito Bits – Quick Kill
Biological mosquito control
Quickly annihilates the larval population
Bti has no toxicity to people
Last update on 2024-12-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
These biodegradable granules work similar to the dunks above and the ingredient is a bacteria called BTI (Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies Israelensis). From my experience they work a bit better against all kinds of larvae. I suspect that they release more bacteria in a shorter amount of time.
I mainly use them when the dunks don’t do the job. They are also great for breeding grounds which are too big for one dunk because they are easier to spread. Like dunkers you can use them on all kinds of wet grounds and in stagnant waters.
They tend to dissolve way faster than mosquito dunks and the smell is more prominent. However after one day you won’t notice much of the scent anymore.
This type of mosquito killer works faster than dunks but the downside is that you have to apply them more frequently too.
In combination with mosquito dunks they really work great and reduce the number of mosquitoes noticeably.
I have yet to find an alternative which works as hassle-free as these two mosquito killers combined.
Traps and foggers are nice but in my opinion the best way to control annoying bugs is to stop them in the early stages.
I rely on dunks for doing most of my yard’s mosquito control and fallback to bits for certain areas and when I need to get rid of larvae fast.
Other natural ways against mosquitoes
Be aware that no solution offers 100% protection from harmful insects. While the mosquito killers above get rid of most little bloodsuckers they can’t guarantee that you kill all of them. It’s best to have some other options ready at hand.
You can try out certain plants like citronella or lemongrass which are known to repel mosquitoes. Why I wouldn’t rely on them alone they can become a part of your mosquito control strategy.
Vegetation Management is also big: adult mosquitoes love weeds and other vegetation to hide. If you cut down their shelter and they may go to another place.
Talk with your neighbors: if you kill all the mosquitoes in your ground but they still hatch in your neighbor’s pond you will get harassed. Organized efforts are very important in regard to effective mosquito control. Try to fight mosquitoes together with other home-owners.
Furthermore there are products like bug zappers available. Not only can use them outdoors but also indoors. They are attracting mosquitoes with you UV-lights and burn them. Although they are limited in range they can be very helpful to keep your patio bug-free.
Aspectek Electronic Bug Zapper
Very effective against all kinds of bugs
Nontoxic and free of chemicals
Easy maintenance
Last update on 2024-12-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
If you are concerned about chemicals be sure to buy one without any chemical compound that attracts mosquitoes.
Another option would be sticks based on natural ingredients from plants like citronella. Keep in mind that these sticks are an area repellent and no mosquito killer. They won’t diminish the number of bugs.
Once you lit them they spread their scent around your garden and can help to prevent mosquitoes from biting you. However they only work if there’s not too much of a breeze.
It sometimes can be hard to control their effect. Furthermore the (slight) smoke of those can’t be too healthy. They offer a cheap and fast way repel mosquitoes but I wouldn’t rely solely on them.
Other non-natural options include:
Mosquito traps which are effective against adult bugs once they hatched.
Foggers can help you to spread insecticides and get rid of hundreds of mosquitoes in a short time.
Repellents offer short-term protection if you face a lot of unexpected encounters.
However it’s a smart move to get down to the root of the trouble with larvae killers. Additionally mosquito dunks and bits offer an organic alternative to chemical insecticides used with a lot other products.
Conclusion
There are some really great choices in regard to natural organic mosquito control for your yard.
It’s important though to use them correctly and early enough. Once many mosquitoes matured it is way harder to control them. That’s why I would recommend that you get your fair share of mosquito dunks and bits before season starts.
Visiting many exotic places around the world allowed me to gain some knowledge about effective mosquito control. That’s why I decided to start this site and give you in-depth reviews regarding the best repellents and traps.
