Just when you want to enjoy a nice, pleasant evening in your garden, the mosquitoes do, too. Worldwide, these unwelcome visitors spread diseases, such as malaria and Zika in tropical regions and West Nile virus, dog heartworm and eastern equine encephalitis in temperate zones. Let’s take a look at how to keep mosquitoes out of your garden.
The hundreds of species in North America differ some in habitat, season and egg-laying preferences. But all have a similar life cycle, pictured in the illustration below.
A mosquito feeds on plant nectar. Only the females bite mammals, birds and other animals, seeking a “blood meal” after mating to enable them to lay eggs. Carbon dioxide from breath, sweat and warmth are all enticing to them, so they tend to be drawn to…
