How to get rid of mosquitoes

Written by Sara Hendricks, who writes on the topics of health, fitness, and wellness.

Updated March 24, 2022

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In the summer, your backyard should, ideally, feel like a place of refuge—somewhere you can lounge in the shade, kick back for a barbecue, and, most importantly, relax.

But then—smack!—there's summer's biggest buzzkill: the fresh, itchy, welt of a mosquito bite. The mosquitoes have once again arrived and want to make your home their home.

So, what can you do? If you want to learn how to get rid of mosquitoes, a helpful first step is understanding them.

Jim Fredericks, Ph.D., chief entomologist for the National Pest Management Association, explains, “Mosquitoes don’t bite out of self-defense. When they bite, they are looking for their next blood meal.”

Of course, mosquitoes are more than a hungry nuisance—they can also carry serious diseases, such as Zika virus, West Nile virus, Chikungunya virus, dengue, and malaria, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Mosquitoes don’t bite out of self-defense. When they bite, they are looking for their next blood meal.

Although it may seem as if the mosquitoes have decided yours is their favorite yard on the block—and, they very well may have, if you’ve inadvertently provided them with a place to breed—you don’t have to surrender your backyard or your skin to these six-legged fliers.

We talked to experts to find out the best solutions how to get rid of mosquitoes from your backyard this summer.

Here's how to get rid of mosquitoes

Eliminate sources of standing water

One of the best and easiest ways to get rid of mosquitoes? Stop them from growing in the first place. Mosquitoes are attracted to standing bodies of water like bird baths and puddles around the backyard, and they’ll linger on the surface of the water.

The CDC recommends emptying and scrubbing vessels that collect water at least once a week. And these water collectors can be smaller than you think.

Fredericks says, “Mosquitoes only need a half-inch of water to breed, meaning they can lay their eggs in something as small as a bottle cap.”

Examine obvious places like your bird baths (unless you have a water wiggler, which agitates water in bird baths and disrupts the mosquito breeding process), baby pools, flowerpots, pet water bowls, buckets, rain barrels, and gutters. Seek out smaller, less noticeable ones like discarded tires or forgotten water bottles and, yes, their caps.

You may also have standing water issues in your yard, which you’ll notice as puddles that don’t drain or dry quickly after it rains—if this is the case, you may need a professional to come in and grade your land.

Get the API Bird Bath Water Circulator at Amazon for $42.46

Kill off their larvae

Mosquitoes flying in the air in a sunny backyard with grass and trees — Credit: Getty Images / Tunatura

If you want to get rid of mosquitoes, you could start with their larvae. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, making mosquito dunks an effective option. Mosquito dunks are made of Bacillus thuringiensis strain israelensis, a kind of naturally-derived soil bacteria. They’re toxic to mosquito larvae, but safe for humans and pets. If standing water has been left unattended for a while or is difficult to drain, these small, brick-like pellets kill off mosquito larvae.

Even if you’ve done your best to prevent mosquito-breeding in your backyard, it is inevitable that some mosquitoes—hatched elsewhere, of course—will find their way to you.

With this said, depending on the brand you use, it may end up killing other non-pest insects like honey bees and butterflies. Also, even if you’ve done your best to prevent mosquito-breeding in your backyard, it is inevitable that some mosquitoes—hatched elsewhere, of course—will find their way to your backyard.

Block them out—or blow them away

Screened in porch being built in a backyard — Credit: Getty Images / C5Media

You just want to dine al fresco, but dozens of uninvited guests have arrived at your meal. If you want to get rid of mosquitoes that are crashing your dinner party, it's difficult, but not impossible.

Invest in some screening for your porch, and, if you already have screens, ensure they fit securely and have no holes. If you can’t install screening, this mosquito netting patio umbrella is a great option for easy and portable protection from mosquitoes while relaxing outdoors.

Another good preventative measure is outfitting your backyard dining area with a fan or two, because mosquitoes are “weak” flyers and often have difficulty navigating against an airstream, according to Joe Conlon, technical advisor for the American Mosquito Control Association.

Unfortunately, don’t rely on citronella candles and torches to get rid of mosquitoes

While it might be the classic way to get rid of mosquitoes, citronella candles are not particularly effective at eliminating your parasitic pest problem. Citronella candles offer a fresh lemongrass scent—they work by covering up scents that are attractive to pests, providing a “mild repellent effect.” In truth, citronella doesn't doesn’t offer significantly more protection than regular candles. So, for an added touch of protection, you can place some decorative citronella candles around your patio space if you want to—but make sure to implement some other protection, too.

Get UWax citronella candles at Amazon for $9.79

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Here's how to prevent summer's biggest backyard buzzkill