It's heating up across Texas as we get deeper into summer and with all the rain we have received throughout Texas including here on the South Plains, it means we will probably be dealing with a swarm of mosquitoes in no time at all

Not only can mosquitoes be annoying when you are trying to enjoy a night outdoors, they can also carry disease like Zika and West Nile. Even your dog could become sick from a mosquito bite if the mosquito is carrying canine heartworm.

So how do you keep mosquitoes away from your yard and patio? According to the experts, it starts with prevention and right now in the Lubbock area, we need to kick into prevention mode. That means getting rid of standing water. There isn't much you or I can do about playa lakes around the city. That's a job left for the City and Vector Control.

What we can do is make sure we don't have standing water in your yard. That means draining or getting rid of water that is standing in buckets, flower pots, old tires, bird baths, and even gutters that aren't draining properly. Mosquitos can breed quickly and don't need a lot of water to lay hundreds of eggs.

Another way to keep mosquitoes away is by wearing insect spray that contains DEET. According to KXAN, the experts say to spray both your skin and clothing. KXAN also listed some different ideas viewers submitted some of which may or may not work.

  • Add a few drops of essential oils like lavender or rosemary to lotion and mix it up before applying
  • Make a habitat to attract their natural predators, like Mosquitofish, creating bat boxes, attracting dragonflies and toads, etc.
  • Use coffee as a repellent
  • Use Pine-Sol as a repellent
  • Use dryer sheets as a repellent
  • Keep a fan running
  • Put Malathion on your yard
  • Citronella candles

Of course there are other mosquito repellants out there. Soon, I will be trying the Thermacell Patio Shield. It comes highly recommended and if it works, I'll write up something about it.

With all the rain we have had and with temperatures on the increase, you just know mosquitoes are going to be bad. Be prepared.

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