Last year I noticed a lot of local peeps looking for ways to combat mosquitos in their landscape.
One of the best ways to reduce their numbers is to invite in a natural predator: BATS! Some towns are now even offering free bat houses to homeowners instead of spraying broad-spectrum pesticides (which kill good insects as well as bad) all over neighborhoods. Which option would you prefer?
We used to have a pair of guineas wandering our neighborhood. At that time we had very few ticks and mosquitoes in our yard. Since the hens have gone, the numbers of mosquitoes has increased greatly.
Not all bat houses are created equally. Bats have specific needs for their homes including size, location, height, color, texture, and orientation. I have included a link in my bio to detailed information on building and locating your bat house from Bat Conservation International . If you plan to purchase one ready made, make sure it adheres to all of those guidelines. This picture is of a pair of bat houses we recently installed on the side of our home.
Of course, there are others strategies for preventing mosquitos including having no standing water (check those gutters and drains), frequently changing water in bird baths and pet bowls, and planting mosquito repellent plants such as citronella scented geranium near sitting areas.
The last thing we want to do is use a pesticide that will kill other beneficial insects!
Do you have a bat house? Share your picture and tag @carlisle.gardener so we can see them!