Repel Mosquitoes with a Dragonfly Garden

Summer is in full swing. That means more time enjoying the outdoors at BBQs, the beach or pool, exercising or simply lounging outside. And of course, those pesky mosquitoes. Avoid yard spraying which is potentially harmful, by using more natural bug control methods. Besides using insect repellent to keep mosquitoes away from you, you can take steps to keep them away from your yard by making it less hospitable to mosquitoes.

Plant a Dragonfly Garden

Dragonflies are natural predators for mosquitoes. In fact, they eat them at all stages of life. An individual dragonfly can eat hundreds of mosquitoes each day. Not only that, they can be quite beautiful and a joy to observe around the yard.

You can encourage dragonflies to come to your yard in a few ways. Add a water feature if you don’t already have one such as a pond or rain garden. If you can’t do that no worries. Adult dragonflies will travel several miles from a body of water. You can add plants that attract adult dragonflies such as Black-Eyed Susan, Swamp Milkweed, and Joe-Pye weed among others.

Educational Dragonfly Garden by SCARCE

Check out the beautiful educational dragonfly garden our summer interns Jack, Nora, and Caden built for the DuPage County Fairgrounds.

More Simple Tips Mosquito Control

Besides encouraging dragonfly visitors, here are a few more simple tips to reduce mosquitoes buzzing around your yard:

• Remove standing water found in pet water bowls, old tires, children’s toys, open garbage cans, and plant saucers.
• Clean out the bird bath every few days – A good blast with your lead-free hose should do the trick to dislodge mosquito larvae.
• Clean your gutters – Clogged gutters can hold puddles of water where mosquito eggs hatch.
• Install a bat house – Just like dragonflies, bats like to munch on mosquitoes.
• Mosquito-proof your rain barrel – Be sure mosquitoes cannot access your rain barrel or it will become a breeding ground for them.
• Add fish to your pond – Fathead minnows are a native fish that can help keep bugs in check by eating mosquito larvae.
• Avoid electric bug zappers, which are just as likely to kill beneficial insects such as dragonflies along with the nuisance bugs.

By making your yard attractive to dragonflies and other mosquito devouring critters, you’ll not only have fewer irritating bugs flying about but also get to enjoy a more beautiful outdoor retreat.