· by Michael Blair, Nashville's Pest Control
Mosquitoes in a Nashville yard are almost always breeding in that yard. The container-breeding species that dominate here need very little water and rarely travel far.
How little water it takes
A bottle cap is genuinely enough for some species. A saucer under a plant pot, a folded tarpaulin, a blocked gutter, a bird bath or a child’s toy all produce mosquitoes within about a week.
The main container-breeding species here are weak fliers that stay close to where they emerged, so the sources are usually on your own property.
Where to look
Gutters that hold water, corrugated downspout extensions, plant saucers, tarps, wheelbarrows, tires, boat covers, unused pots, and the tray under an air conditioner.
Tree holes and bromeliad-type plants that hold water in their leaf axils are commonly missed.
- Empty or refresh anything holding water weekly
- Clear gutters and check downspout extensions
- Turn over anything that collects rain
- Bti dunks in water features and rain barrels
- Fans on the patio — mosquitoes fly poorly in moving air
What treatments actually do
Barrier sprays treat resting vegetation and give real but temporary relief, typically a few weeks, and they need repeating through the season.
Larvicide products containing Bti are effective in water that cannot be emptied — ponds, rain barrels, low areas — and are specific to mosquito larvae.
What does not work
Ultrasonic repellers have no credible evidence behind them. Bug zappers kill large numbers of harmless insects and very few mosquitoes.
Citronella candles help slightly and only in still air within a very small radius. An outdoor fan does far more.