How to Keep Your Pool from Becoming a Mosquito Breeding Ground

Mosquitoes in the house

 Did a search for Mosquitoes in the house at night bring you to this DIY tip? 

Mosquitoes are a real problem; pests seem more aggressive and dangerous. Unfortunately, they also seem smarter and more resistant to most DIY solutions. You should pay close attention to this mosquito control strategy I will share. We’ll cover effective techniques and products to defend against these smart biting pests.

Every year millions of people get bitten by mosquitoes. That’s likely because accrording to Terminix, one female mosquito can blow out up to 500 eggs in her lifetime.

 

Mosquito Larvae Hatching
Hungry Mosquitoes larvae hatchingScares the crap out of me!

Let’s get serious:

In this post, we will discuss the battle I’m having to keep my pool from becoming a mosquito breeding ground. And the steps I take to keep the bloodsucking biters out of my home. It’s a battle I can’t afford to lose, and neither can you!

As if COVID isn’t bad enough, right? This year, the mosquitoes are swarming due to all the rain. But that’s not the worst part – the mosquitoes infect 100s of people with the West Nile Virus.

At the time of this writing, Arizona has 148 confirmed cases, 256 probable cases, and 14 people have already died. What an incredible increase from a few cases last year. Read more on azdhs.gov

So Yes, I’m worried and frustrated with my swimming pool this year. I don’t want a 22,000-gallon breeding paradise for mosquitoes to lay 1000s eggs. Or worse, become a potential breeding place for West Nile Virus. That’s why I’m using more swimming pool chemicals this year and running my pump for extra hours. I’m wiping out as many mosquito larvae from growing into blood-hungry ankle bitters.

What happens when a Mosquito bites you?

Why do mosquitoes always bite me? I wonder that all the time.

My daughter and I have a mosquito bite allergy. Any time we get a bit, the area of the bite swells up to the size of a golf ball, and we get a big ugly blister. The worst part is how long it lasts and how badly it itches. if you’re wondering why my mosquito bite gets so big, there you have it. It’s an allergy. I still have marks on my arms and angles from months ago when I went outside to watch fireworks on the 4th of July.

Here’s something interesting.

Have you watched the 72 Dangerous Animals in South America on Netflix? Mosquitoes are on the list due to the toxins and viruses they carry.

The reason why a mosquito bite is so bad is that when a mosquito bites you it pushes all the contents of its gut into you before it starts sucking your blood.

That’s how it injects you with its venom, toxins, and any deadly virus or bacteria it’s carrying. Gross, right?

Look, I will cover a lot in this post about more than DIY swimming pool service. I will get passionate about the personal mosquito control strategy I’ve developed to defend my home, indoors and outdoors, from these biting pests.

The strategy is powerful, simple and cheap, and you are welcome to use it too!

 How to keep biting Mosquitoes out of your home (8 Steps): 

  1. Keep the pool from becoming a mosquito breeding ground.
  2. Hunt for mosquito breeding places around the house and wipe them out.
  3. If your home has a garage, defend it from becoming a mosquito hang-out.
  4. Block the doorways with screens and nets to keep mosquitoes from entering the house.
  5. Screen doorways in the house as a last defense to keep mosquitoes out of bedrooms.
  6. Set up mosquito traps in the house that catch the Ninjas that make it through defenses.
  7. Go on the offense and use a mosquito zapper to get revenge.
  8. Lastly, mosquito bites first aid to help avoid a long, painful recovery.

As you can see, I’m obsessed with this problem and have a strategy and solutions to share that have worked well for me. Granted, it’s not perfect but it’s good enough to make my family life less stressful.

1. Let’s start with the first item of the Mosquito control strategy, keeping the pool from becoming a mosquito breeding ground.

Mosquitoes need water to multiply, so a neglected or under-serviced swimming pool is an absolute no-no. But I get it, I hate having a pool too.

On Pool Service All, I’ve vented about all the crap I deal with because my house has a large pool where bugs and animals fall in and die, and every leaf or palm tree dropping seems to end up in. I’ve covered it all. But now I will focus on a bigger problem – swimming pool neglect that breeds mosquitoes.

Nobody swims in my pool but the bugs and animals sure love it!

I know it’s costly to have a pool, but there is no excuse for allowing it to turn green and become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. In Arizona, where I live, we get regular flyovers by the city with people looking out the plane’s window with binoculars, searching for green swimming pools. Yes, the mosquito problem is that bad.

Want a quick swimming pool tip?

All it takes is running the pump nightly for a few hours, shocking the pool water, and adding chlorine tablets to the pool weekly to keep the water from turning into an ecosystem for mosquitoes, dragonflies, and other creepy water bugs that feed on larvae and anything organic that falls in the pool. Just the basics will do.

You might need to do a little more if you want to swim in the pool, but that’s enough to keep most bug larvae under control.

2. Hunt for active mosquito breeding places outside the house and wipe them out.

As noted earlier, any standing water is a mosquito breeding place. Bad sprinkler popups, leaky drip systems, flower planters, beds, or any other niche or pocket with trapped standing water is enough to create a mosquito larva daycare.

For me, it’s the spot on the side of my house by my driveway next to my A/C. That’s where the A/C’s condensation drain comes out of the sidewall of the house and drips water 24×7.

Summit...responsible solutions Mosquito Bits - Quick Kill

The condensation water used to puddle there and I couldn’t figure out why every morning when I would leave for work I would end up with a couple of mosquitoes buzzing in the car while I was driving.

That’s right, I’d open the car door to get in, and they’d get in the car with me. But the worst part was they would bite my ankles while I drove to work. Or one would be flying around, and I’d be trying to kill it while I was driving.

The trick I learned to deal with this problem is to roll all the windows down and drive as fast as possible so they get sucked out. I digress now back to the water puddle problem caused by the A/C.

To solve this standing water problem, I regularly started to smooth out the gravel in this area where the water would drip to keep the ground. This kept the ground from cupping and forming a puddle. I also added some Mosquito Bits I bought on Amazon that are supposed to kill the mosquito larva.

Doing these actions seems to work well for controlling mosquitoes by using my A/C’s condensation to breed more mosquitoes.

Now, let’s talk about a mosquito problem everyone with a garage has but might not know.

DynaTrap ¼ Acre Outdoor Mosquito and Insect Trap3. Protecting the garage from becoming an active Mosquito hang-out.

Our house doesn’t have a side door to use when taking out the trash. You either go out the front door and walk across the front yard, or you open the kitchen door into the garage, then open the garage door that faces the driveway and the area where the trash cans are.

99% of the time, anyone throwing the trash opens the garage door. Also, anyone coming or going opens the garage door, day or night opens the garage door. Herein lies the problem. It only takes a few minutes for mosquitoes to fly in the garage, and then it’s only one step away from getting in the house.

DynaTrap ¼ Acre Outdoor Mosquito and Insect TrapBy the way, mosquitoes are not dumb. They have been around for much longer than humans and have evolved to figure out how best to feed and reproduce. Any open door invites them to fly in before the door closes.

To solve my mosquito problem in the garage, I purchased a DynaTrap ¼ Acre Outdoor Mosquito and Insect Trap and let it run all the time. I wasn’t sure it would work because the reviews were good and bad, but I needed to do something, and I didn’t want a bug light with a zapper that made noise.

The DynaTrap I bought has a special light that attracts bugs. That’s great because my garage gets very dark, and the DynaTrap catcher supposedly gives off CO2 that attracts mosquitoes. Honestly, it works well because it’s scary cleaning it out. It catches so many mosquitoes and bugs it’s unbelievable. But that’s not all I’ve done to defend my garage.

4. Block the doorways with screens to keep mosquitoes from rushing into the house.

As I said, we use the garage door to go in and out of our house. All kidding aside, we must open the garage door 20 times a day – sometimes more. I’ve already had to replace the garage door motor with a heavy-duty model. Once again, I’m digressing…

Look, I’m pretty good at moving as fast as possible when throwing the trash, getting to my car on the driveway, and using my remote to close the garage. But like so many other families, some people take their time and leave the door open after entering the house just in case they have to go back outside for something they forgot.

Sad to say, I’ve found my garage door open in the morning because it was never closed.

JOYPEA Magnetic Screen DoorI get it. Tell your wife or kids to close the door and see what they say to you. That has been a big problem for me, allowing opportunistic mosquitoes to enter the house through our garage door.

This year, after getting bitten up while watching TV in the living room, I decided to do something about it since asking people to close the door wasn’t working. I installed a JOYPEA Magnetic Screen Door that I purchased for about $16 on Amazon.

It fits perfectly over the kitchen doorway to the garage and has a magnetic seat down the center that closes automatically. Now, even if my wife or kids don’t close the door into the garage behind them, the screen still keeps mosquitoes out of the house. Problem solved!

This mosquito control solution worked so well that I installed another JOYPEA Magnetic Screen on the front door. This screen is a bit weird for any visitor coming to the house, but after they know why it’s there, they always want to know where I got the screen so they can get one for their home.

Mosquitoes are everyone’s problem.

Here’s a quick review before we keep going. So far, we’ve covered the mosquito defense strategy for the pool, the outside of my home, the garage, and the doorways into the house. We’ll cover how I defend against mosquitoes that breach my parameter defenses.

How to Keep Your Pool from Becoming a Mosquito Breeding Ground 15. JOYPEA Magnetic Screen on the bedroom doorway as a last resort Mosquito from getting bit.

You’ll probably think I’m a kook, but I installed a magnetic screen on my bedroom door after my last mosquito bite incident. I found that any time an ankle-biter got in the house, it always ended up in my bedroom under my desk. Then, over the next few days, it would bite my ankles, legs, and arms while I was on the computer.

6. Mosquito traps in the house catch the blood-sucking Ninjas that make it through all the parameter defenses.

This might seem extreme to some people, but as I said at the beginning, my daughter and I have a serious allergic reaction to mosquito bites, so it’s necessary for us.

I’ve often gone to bed and couldn’t sleep because of the painful swelling and itchiness of bites on my arms, legs, and ankles. The last time a mosquito got in my house, it bit me twice in the right knee through my gym pants and once on the left big toe. I take mosquito control seriously and don’t mess around. You should, too!

Nowadays, mosquito bites are more serious with all West Nile Virus cases happening.

How to Keep Your Pool from Becoming a Mosquito Breeding Ground 2Another part of my strategy is setting up FENUN Traps in every room to handle mosquitoes that get into the house. I bought them on Amazon, too; they were on sale during Prime Day for about $25 each.

These traps are the type that has a small UV light and a powerful fan that sucks the pest in if it gets too close. Believe it or not, they work well to catch mosquitoes, moths, and other flying bugs that get into the house and are attracted to UV light.

Once the pest gets sucked in, they get stuck to a disposable sticky paper that goes inside the catcher’s removable bottom. They also have a timer, but I leave my catchers running 24/7 and check them occasionally or when I hear my wife or daughter talking about seeing something flying around in the house.

Mosquitoes can carry the West Nile virus, Zika virus, and other diseases that can be passed on to humans.

7. Time to attack and hunt Mosquitoes in the house.

Zap It Bug ZapperI’ll admit, my mosquito control strategy is good, but it isn’t perfect, and sometimes the pests still get in the house and bite everyone before I hunt them down and swat them with my Zap It Bug Zapper. By this time, I am so frustrated and itchy that nothing is safe when I start swinging my zapper like Serena Williams swings a tennis racket.

My Zap It Bug Zapper cost me about $25 on Amazon and works great if you can zero in on where the pests hide. I found they like to hide in the dark hallway, near the front door, and in the bathrooms near water.

My wife has even gotten into the act and has her zapper now. She enjoys hearing the snap as much as I do. Believe me, if you had to deal with the pain and suffering from mosquito bites, you would enjoy snapping them, too.

8. Last item on the list, Mosquito bite first aid to help avoid a long dreadful recovery.

Bug Bite Thing Suction ToolOK, I’ve covered my mosquito defense strategy with you, and now I will talk a bit about mosquito bite first aid.

My daughter has to take Benadryl to help her, I don’t because it makes me droopy.

I usually welt up pretty fast, so the first thing I do when I think I’ve been bitten is to use my Bug Bite Thing Suction Tool and apply suction to the bite area for a few minutes. If I’m lucky, it draws out some of the venoms, and the bite won’t get as swollen.

StingEze MAX Bug Bite ReliefUnfortunately, the bite still itches like a son of a gun for days, so to ease the itching, I apply StingEze MAX Bug Bite Relief, and if that doesn’t help, I apply Americaine Hospital Formula. Sometimes, nothing works, and I wish I could cut off my leg, arm, or foot to eliminate the itching.

We’re almost done planning Mosquito defense.

I’ve given you my outside and inside-the-home mosquito defense strategy. Along with everything I’ve covered, here are a few more actions my family takes. We wear long sleeves and try not to leave our ankles exposed.

BTW, some mosquitoes love to bite the ankles so make sure you always wear socks or long pants.

My wife and daughter also wear mosquito repellent. Still, I don’t particularly appreciate how it smells, so I cover up and avoid going outside at dusk or too early in the morning when they are in full-feeding mode.

Well, I know we talked about more than swimming pools this time. Still, it’s important for anyone who owns a swimming pool to keep it from becoming a mosquito breeding ground that can infest the neighborhood with hungry, biting mosquitoes that could be carriers of West Nile Virus.

 Photo Proof of Mosquito Control in Action 

DynaTrap – look at all those dead mosquitoes!

Mosquito Trap
This is the DynaTrap that is in the garage. You can see all the mosquitoes it’s trapped in. I have similar traps in the house. They also catch fleas, gnats, carpet beetles, fruit flies, and moths. This picture shows mostly mosquitoes stuck to the sticky paper.

Mosquito Bits – kills active mosquito larvae before they grow up and become ankle biters!

Mosquito Bits
This is a photo of the Mosquito Bits I’ve spread over the A/C condensation to kill the larva. You can see the wet dirt, but there isn’t a puddle anymore. I also use the Bits in the flowerbeds.

Magnetic Door Screen – block mosquitoes before they rush into the house and bite you and your family!

Magnetic Door Screen
This is a photo of the door screen I installed in the garage to cover the doorway to the kitchen. You can see the magnetic seem that pulls apart when you walk through it. I also have a similar magnetic screen on the front and bedroom doors.

Now it’s your turn to take action against Mosquitoes in the house at night!

Patriot Mosquito TrapAs I conclude with my mosquito control strategy, I’ve given you a list of solutions and products above that I use myself. They all work well for me. I’ve also provided a few images of them in action and the Amazon links to these effective products. When you use the links for your purchase, it will generate a few bucks for me. It’s nothing to get rich off, but it helps pay for my blog hosting fees.

I’ve left out the mosquito products I tested that were junk and a waste of money.

Not included in the list are the wall plugs that emit sonic waves, candles, incents, bug spray, etc, that I tested and were a waste of money.

By the way, I avoid testing products that attract more mosquitoes to my house, like outside bug zappers with super bright UV lights or those really expensive Super Duper OC2 mosquito traps. They might work great, but I don’t want the neighbors’ mosquitoes coming to my house, even if I plan to trap or kill them.

Finally, we hope this DIY solution has helped with your search for “mosquitoes in house at night”? If you thought it was help, can you leave comments and/or your own mosquito defense, control, or first-aid strategies below?

Thanks for reading!

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