Best way to kill Mosquitoes in yard without hurting veggie garden or pollinators ?

[PaulZone8b]

We have a large backyard with several sections of veggie gardens, compost bins, etc....and we get attacked with mosquitoes every dusk so are ready to do something about it (kill them) but I have heard some chemicals/poisons are harmful to pollinators too...so I wouldn't want to hurt them. Is there a bulk chemical I can spray the grass area and under trees that will kill mosquitoes and not hurt the pollinators ?

 

[Oliver Buckle]

They don't usually move that far, if it is a large backyard you may well be able to find the standing water that is the source and kill them there as larvae, otherwise have a look at mosquito traps, I don't know of a specific mosquito killing chemical.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

that electrical snapper. hang it on a plant hanger.

 

[DirtMechanic]

I use a lure. Basically 4 spartan traps. If you have ever used a baking scale in grams it helps because the recipe is by weight. The recipe is roach powder boric acid, warm water, yeast and sugar. Bifenthrin is the spray if they are horrible. Go up the vertcal surfaces they might lite upon.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

You can also encourage dragon flies and bats, both eat a lot of them.

 

[GFTL]

We have a large backyard with several sections of veggie gardens, compost bins, etc....and we get attacked with mosquitoes every dusk so are ready to do something about it (kill them) but I have heard some chemicals/poisons are harmful to pollinators too...so I wouldn't want to hurt them. Is there a bulk chemical I can spray the grass area and under trees that will kill mosquitoes and not hurt the pollinators ?

Garlic spray on surrouding vegetation will help keep them away. Empty all containers withstanding water that aren't being used. Put these in water reservoirs to kill larva. https://www.amazon.com/Summit-respo...d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWM&psc=1

 

[PaulZone8b]

I love you folks !! So helpful and ready to share a response and your experience. I will try several things listed here.
Thanks !!

 

[roadrunner]

Based on my personal experience...Water doesn't attract mosquitoes to you yard -- blood attracts mosquitoes to your yard.

Before I transformed my yard, it was a typical lawn, with zero water, not even a bird bath, yet I still was swamped by mosquito attacks. I later learned that most mosquitoes can travel over a mile from the water source that they will lay their eggs. I'm surrounded by water sources and that's where they come from.

Now I have tons of water in my yard, from both bird baths and rain water I store, that's open to the air. I have three things I do to combat the mosquitoes.

I allow them to lay eggs in the water, then I pour it out before the larvae can make that transition to adults. If I don't want to dump the water, I transfer it into a container that is sealed off and they let them die.

I use a handheld mosquito zapper, similar to the picture below. I don't like to set up zappers that end up killing a lot of other insects, some of which prey on mosquitoes.

I attract dragonflies (and other animals) to my yard. I grow a lot of other plants, other than traditional garden plants, in order to create a habitat to attract all kinds of insects and birds.


BTW, that bug zapper, is actually fun to use and I can kill a lot of mosquitoes in my immediate vicinity. Some times I'm actually wanting more mosquitoes to swat, because it's so fun. And dumping out five gallons of larvae is also very satisfying