For Houstonians, it can often feel like mosquito season is all-year round, where the best time to spray is every day or all the time. However, the Houston mosquito season takes up about 60 percent of our year, so no need to spray for these annoying insects every day. But because of the Bayou City’s humidity, we do have to seek treatment more than many other states and cities.
Mosquitos do more than just bite and annoy us by causing us to itch or pestering us during an outdoor activity; these flying insects can carry harmful diseases, including the ones found in Houston.
Below, we are going to look at what months make up the Houston mosquito season, as well as the best time of day to spray for treatment. In addition, we will look at some preventative measures you can take to help keep them at bay, and what long-term mosquito treatment services are available to you for a more effective solution.
Houston Mosquito Season
The Houston mosquito season regularly runs between March to October but can even surpass those months because of our damp climate, so we Houstonians virtually have mosquitos year-round, minus very cold days. Mosquitos are in action when temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees, so, as we know, that leaves a lot of room in Houston for these annoying and potentially dangerous insects to pester us.
The peak times of year for mosquitos in the Houston area is between April and September, so we are about to embark on a very itchy and infuriating season.
The Best Time to Spray for Mosquitos in Houston
There are over 3,000 mosquito species worldwide, and Houston contains approximately 50 different types, several of which are disease-carrying and dangerous. So, understanding when to spray is vital for our safety.
The best time to spray for Houston mosquitos applies to the time of day, the periods in their lifecycle, and how often to do so throughout the year to keep them away.
When to Spray for Houston Mosquitos Based on their Breeding and Lifecycle
Male and female mosquitos behave very differently, and it is the females that cause the most trouble. The males do not feed on blood, and they only live for about a week.
Female mosquitos, however, live anywhere between three weeks to five months, and they are the ones at which we are often cursing. The females bite us and delight in our blood to generate eggs and reproduce, like some sort of creepy alien species in a sci-fi flick.
Female mosquitos lay their eggs in any standing water that is available, and they are ready to hatch anywhere from two days to several months, depending on climate conditions. Scarier yet, eggs can survive without water for up to a year, later hatching when wet.
So, keeping their persistent breeding and lifecycle in mind, paired with Houston’s ongoing humidity, the best time to spray for mosquitos in Houston is several times a day. This will interrupt their lifecycle, killing off both the adults and eggs.
Life After Bugs installs safe mosquito misting systems, which are often programmed to mist two to three times per day. Spraying weekly or monthly will help keep mosquitos away, but a misting system is the only real way to eliminate them completely.
The Best Time of Day to Spray for Houston Mosquitos
While misting several times a day is necessary to eliminate mosquitos, there is a specific time of day that they are most active and when it is a must to spray or mist.
Mosquitos are most active and searching for food (your blood), appropriately, like some sort of vampire, in the evening twilight. So, the best time to spray for mosquitos is at dusk, the period from sunset until nighttime.
Quick Tips to Help Keep Mosquitos Away
While the below steps will not fully prevent these biting insects from infiltrating your yard, or even worse, the inside of your home, it will help reduce their numbers.
- Use fine screens with no holes in open windows, checking the seals for any gaps.
- Get rid of standing water in your yard anywhere possible, including water toys, buckets, clogged gutters and drain lines, and virtually anywhere that is preventable; a mosquito egg can hatch in items as small as a bottle cap.
- Maintain your yard by mowing regularly, as well as trimming shrubs and trees. Like us, mosquitos prefer cooler spots in the shade.
- While citronella is useful in keeping mosquitos away, it is also toxic to pets. However, running a simple fan outdoors can be just as useful because they greatly reduce mosquito landings.
Contact Life After Bugs for Mosquito Treatment Services
Don’t suffer during Houston mosquito season—Life After Bugs offers both yard spray treatment services and automatic lawn misting spray systems to get rid of mosquitos and keep them away all year around.
Servicing Katy, Richmond, among other Houston areas, contact Life After Bugs today for safe and thorough mosquito treatment services for one-time, recurring, and long-term (electric misting systems) solutions for both residential and commercial, making us a one-stop shop for your needs during Houston mosquito season.
