Should You Swat Away Those Mosquitoes in Your Garden?

Summary

• These bugs can provide pollination in gardens, but their hazards outweigh benefits.
• These garden pests can carry diseases like Chikungunya, Zika, and malaria, posing a health risk.
• Natural methods like growing plants to repel mosquitoes, draining standing water, and pest control lights can keep these insects at bay.

Mosquitoes. They are a universal problem that everyone experiences, a foe that will strike out at anyone, anywhere. Every gardener has faced them, and many backyard gatherings have been plagued by them. But they can't really be all bad...can they?

Indeed, these winged insects can have some advantages. Do they outweigh the downsides of having garden pests around? Is it time to look at these famously annoying backyard menaces in a brand-new way?

Do Mosquitoes Have Any Benefits in the Garden?

Their surprising advantage

When you think of pollinators, hummingbirds and butterflies likely come to mind first. Yet there's another unlikely candidate to add to that list: mosquitoes. Indeed, the humble backyard interloper exists to provide pollination in gardens. However, they don't do so through their long proboscis, the projection they use to draw blood from humans and animals. Instead, when they blitz through your backyard, flower pollen sticks to their eyes.

The mosquito then lands and feeds on a flower, effectively pollinating it. So yes, it's not as attractive as when a bee or hummingbird does it, but they get the job done, nevertheless! Instead of growing plants to repel mosquitoes as a means of pest control, should you be growing flowers to attract them instead?

The mosquito typically helps pollinate plants that produce smaller flowers and thrive in moist environments, such as orchids and blueberries. However, these plants are pollinated by multiple sources, not just the mosquito alone.

Are Garden Pests Worth the Aggravation?

Spoiler: no, they probably aren't!

If these infamous insects provide pollination, aren't they worth keeping in your garden and backyard? Not exactly. Unlike other pollinators (except for bees), these bugs can bite. The effect these insects have on humans tends to overpower the benefits they can help bring to plants.

When bitten by a mosquito, many people experience several uncomfortable symptoms that can range from mildly annoying to just shy of unbearable.

• Irritation
• Itchiness
• Unsightly red marks

No one enjoys having itchy mosquito bites, which tend to raise small bumps on the skin and can cause a lot of discomfort. But the dangers associated with these garden pests can actually be far more problematic than finding itch cream and finding out which plants to repel mosquitoes you should start growing. You're at risk of exposure to a number of diseases if you're bitten, all of which can be deadly:

• Chikungunya: Affected mosquitoes carrying chikungunya can spread it to you or your family through bites, but only the Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti species can do this. Symptoms can include rash, fatigue, joint pain, and headaches. Although incurable, medical intervention can make the disease manageable until it passes. Full recovery can occur in a week, or several.
• Zika: The same mosquito species that spread chikungunya can also cause Zika virus. You could be asymptomatic at first, but if you do experience symptoms, they will include muscle and joint pain, headache, rash, and fever. Resting and taking over-the-counter meds will help with the symptoms, as Zika has no cure.
• West Nile Virus: Infected insects can cause West Nile through bites. The RNA virus presents as mild symptoms. Culex species spread the virus, which must usually run its course for three to six days.
• Malaria: Parasites that affect them can cause malaria if that insect then bites you. Symptoms can develop within weeks of the bite and include fever, chills, muscle and abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, and higher-than-normal heart rate. Antimalarial medication can reduce symptoms and be life-saving.

Natural Tactics to Keep Bugs Out of Your Yard

Keep your yard safe for four-legged and human friends alike

Now that you know the dangers of these bugs, you've probably deduced that it's better to keep them out of your yard. Fortunately, you have plenty of pest control measures at your fingertips that are natural and chemical-free.

Add Plants to Repel These Pests

How about expanding your garden? You can try many plants to repel mosquitoes that add color, fragrance, and appeal to your backyard, including:

Remove Standing Water Everywhere in the Yard

Another great source of pest control is draining standing water in and around your property. Insects intentionally seek standing water to lay their eggs, so the spot will quickly become overrun with the biting insects. Any source of standing water have to go.

Don't forget to clean your gutters, which are an oft-overlooked source of standing water bugs are attracted to.

Maintain Your Lawn With Regular Maintenande

Your lawn is looking a lot better since you added plants to repel mosquitoes, but when was the last time you mowed it? Tall grass gives bugs of all kinds a safe haven to take a rest. They will continue to come back to the grass to hide whenever they need it. Maintain a lawn height of five inches to prevent these bugs from making your yard their home.

Use Pest Control Lights to Bug the Bugs

A few mosquito lamps strategically placed around the backyard ought to help with your insect issue. Known as bug zappers, the lights are bright enough to attract insects thanks to the ultraviolet rays. Once the bugs fly close enough, zap! They're electrocuted and die. Your yard will be virtually bug-free, as flying insects from beetles to mayflies, flies, and moths can't resist.

Try Essential Oils to Repel Them

If you can't add plants to keep insects away, or if you want to bolster your insect control methods, add some fragrant essential oils around your backyard, such as candles, diffusers, or sprays.

These garden pests hate a myriad scents that people find quite pleasing, like:

• Peppermint
• Cinnamon
• Geranium
• Rosemary
• Lavender
• Citronella
• Eucalyptus

Try combining several types of essential oils for an ultra-strong insect repellent.

These Bugs Are More Foe Than Friend

The good that mosquitoes can do definitely doesn't outweigh all the horror these little bugs spread around.

While these famous backyard baddies are pollinators, unlike bees and butterflies, they do a lot more harm than good. One bite can infect you with a potentially deadly disease, so they're not worth keeping in your yard. You can grow plants to repel mosquitoes, such as lavender or catnip, add a few bug lights around your yard, or use natural pest control like essential oils. Insect repellent is also helpful, whether a wearable bug bracelet or a spray you apply on your skin before enjoying time outdoors.

Whatever you choose, find a way to keep these pests out of the yard. The good that mosquitoes can do definitely doesn't outweigh all the horror these little bugs spread around.