Mosquito Control in Athens, Alabama

Getting rid of mosquitoes in an Athens yard takes two things at once. Somebody has to treat the shaded places they rest during the day, and somebody has to deal with the water they are breeding in. Spraying the open lawn does neither, which is why the yard is full again by the weekend.

Where they actually are

Mosquitoes do not spend the day out in the sun on the grass. They sit in the cool damp shade and wait for evening.

• The underside of dense shrubs and low branches
• Under the deck, under the porch, behind the AC unit
• The shaded run along a privacy fence
• Tall grass and ivy at the tree line
• The mulch bed on the north side of the house that never dries out

That is where a barrier treatment goes. Treat the resting spots and you cut the population that comes out at dusk. Treat the open lawn and you have sprayed the one place they were not.

The water nobody looks at

A mosquito does not need a pond. A saucer under a flowerpot is enough. So is a wrinkle in a tarp, a plugged gutter, a kid’s toy left upside down, the low spot in the yard that holds water for three days after a Limestone County thunderstorm.

Walk the property after the next rain and look at every container you own. Anything holding water for more than a few days is producing mosquitoes, and no amount of spraying the shrubs fixes it. What you cannot dump, a larvicide treats.

Why one treatment does not hold

A barrier application knocks down what is there and keeps working for a few weeks. Then it breaks down, and mosquitoes come back in from the neighbor’s yard and the ditch down the road, because they fly and they do not know where your property line is.

That is the whole reason recurring service exists. The Turf Haven mosquito program is ten treatments a year, about every 21 days through the season, which is set to the interval the barrier actually lasts rather than to a calendar month. It starts at $55.

What a visit includes

• Habitat assessment. We walk the yard and find the resting areas and the standing water before anything gets sprayed.
• Barrier application. The shaded foliage, the fence line, under the deck, the places they are actually sitting.
• Larvicide for standing water you cannot drain.
• Eco-friendly repellent treatments in the areas you sit in.

What to ask before you hire anybody

• Ask what they treat besides the lawn. If the answer is just the lawn, the mosquitoes will be back and it will not be their fault, it will be the plan’s.
• Ask about the water. A company that never mentions standing water is only doing half the job.
• Ask the interval. Monthly sounds tidy. Mosquito barriers do not run on a calendar.
• Ask what is in it if you have a dog. We use biological products that are safe around pets and kids, and we will tell you the re-entry window before you have to ask.

Common questions

How much is mosquito control in Athens, AL?

Turf Haven’s mosquito program starts at $55 a treatment, ten treatments a year through the season. Larger properties cost more per visit because there is more habitat to cover.

How long before I notice a difference?

The barrier goes to work on the mosquitoes resting in the treated areas right away. The ones hatching out of standing water are a separate problem, which is why the first visit deals with both.

Do I still get bitten if my neighbor does nothing?

Some. Mosquitoes travel. A treated yard is a much worse place for them to sit, so the count drops hard even when the yard next door is untreated.

Is it safe for pets and kids?

We treat with biological products chosen to be safe around pets and kids. Ask us for the re-entry window on your specific application and we will give you a straight number, not a shrug.

Get your yard looked at

We serve Athens, Alabama and the towns around it: Athens, Decatur, Madison, Priceville, Tanner and Hartselle. Tell us the address and we will walk the property and price it. Request a free quote or call 256-938-7188.