Licensed pest control
Mosquito Control Services
Mosquito control is a yard treatment, not a house treatment: a tech sprays the shady plants where mosquitoes rest and kills larvae in standing water, then comes back every three to four weeks. One visit costs $80 to $150, and a full season runs $350 to $1,000 for a quarter to half acre lot. No spray fixes a yard full of buckets and clogged gutters, so expect some homework too. Tell us about your yard and we’ll connect you with a licensed mosquito company near you for a free quote.
- Licensed & insured techs
- Free, no-pressure quotes
- Homes, apartments and businesses
What Do Mosquitoes Look Like?
Mosquitoes are slender flies, most under a quarter inch long, with long legs, scaly wings and a needle-like mouthpart that sticks straight out the front. Only females bite, because they need blood to make eggs. The Asian tiger mosquito is easy to spot: black body, white bands on the legs and one white stripe down the middle of its back.
Crane flies get called mosquito hawks or giant mosquitoes, but they’re two or three times bigger and can’t bite at all. Midges look similar too, yet they lack the long beak and swarm over water at dusk without landing on you.
Get bitten in the afternoon on your ankles? That’s almost always an Aedes species. Bites after dark point to Culex, the group that carries West Nile virus.
Signs of a Mosquito Problem in Your Yard
Daytime Bites Near the Ground
Itchy welts on ankles and calves after gardening or a midday barbecue. Asian tiger and yellow fever mosquitoes bite low and in daylight.
Wigglers in Standing Water
Tiny larvae flicking up and down in a bird bath, tarp fold or plant saucer. Water left still for a week can produce biting adults.
Swarms in Shady Plants
A cloud of mosquitoes lifts off when you brush past hedges, ivy or the damp ground under a deck.
Whining Indoors at Night
A high-pitched buzz near your ear after lights out, often from Culex that slipped through a torn screen.
Mosquito Species That Bite in US Yards
Four mosquito species account for most backyard bites in the states we cover. Knowing which one you have tells you when to cover up and where the larvae hide.
| Mosquito | Where and When It Bites | What It Means for You |
|---|---|---|
| Asian tiger (Aedes albopictus) | Daytime biter, from Texas and Florida north into Illinois, Pennsylvania and New York | Breeds in containers as small as a bottle cap of water, so dumping water around the house matters more than spraying. |
| Yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) | Daytime, often indoors, in Florida, Texas, Georgia, southern Arizona and parts of California | Prefers people over animals and lays eggs in plant saucers and drains. Can carry dengue and Zika. |
| Northern house mosquito (Culex pipiens) | Dusk and night, in Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and the rest of the North | The main West Nile carrier in the Midwest. Breeds in catch basins and dirty, leafy water. |
| Southern house mosquito (Culex quinquefasciatus) | Night, across the South and Southwest | Carries West Nile virus in the warm states and breeds in septic leaks, ditches and storm drains. |
How Mosquito Control Treatment Works
Professional mosquito control hits both life stages. The barrier spray, usually a pyrethroid such as bifenthrin, goes on the undersides of leaves, shrubs, fences and the deck crawl space, the cool spots where adult mosquitoes rest during the day. Texas A&M AgriLife says residual sprays like this hold mosquitoes down for up to a month, which is why most plans repeat every 21 to 30 days.
Larvicide does the slower, longer work. Bti dunks and briquettes release a bacterium that kills only mosquito and black fly larvae, last up to 30 days in water and don’t hurt fish, birds or pets.
What Happens on a Mosquito Job
- Yard Walk
- The tech looks for breeding water in gutters, drains, tarps, tires and plant saucers, and notes flowering plants that need to stay unsprayed.
- Barrier Spray
- A backpack mister coats the resting areas around the yard’s edge. Keep kids and pets off treated plants until the spray dries.
- Larvicide
- Water that can’t be dumped, like a pond, rain barrel or French drain, gets Bti dunks or granules.
- Repeat Visits
- The spray wears off in three to four weeks, so seasonal plans schedule a visit about once a month through the warm months.
How Much Does Mosquito Control Cost?
Mosquito control costs $80 to $150 per visit for most homes, or $350 to $1,000 for a full season of treatments. Yard size, the product and how many months your season lasts move the price. A one-off spray before a party costs more per visit than a season plan.
Prices are HomeGuide’s mosquito control cost figures and assume a quarter to half acre yard. Ask each company how many visits the season price covers, since a seven-visit plan and a four-visit plan aren’t the same deal.
| Job | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Single barrier spray visit | $125 to $165 |
| Average visit on a season plan | $80 to $150, with a $120 national average |
| Full season contract | $350 to $1,000, depending on visits and yard size |
| Larvicide briquettes or dunks | $80 to $120 per visit |
| One-time event spray | $150 to $300 or more, done a day or two before the party |
Can You Control Mosquitoes Yourself?
Mosquito DIY works better than most people think, but only once the standing water is gone. Tip out anything holding water once a week, clean gutters, and drop a Bti dunk in rain barrels, ponds and low spots that stay wet. Hose-end yard sprays with bifenthrin or permethrin work for a few weeks, but read the label: it limits where you spray, and the CDC says to skip any plant in bloom or anything bees and butterflies visit.
Hire a pro when you’ve cleaned up and still get eaten in your own yard, or when a neighbor’s pool, a wooded lot or a drainage ditch keeps feeding new mosquitoes. A licensed tech also knows how to treat a yard with flower beds and beehives nearby without killing pollinators.
So: a small yard with a few containers is a DIY job. A big, shady, wet lot where you can’t use the patio by evening, get a season plan.
How to Keep Mosquitoes Out of Your Yard
- Dump plant saucers, toys, tarps and buckets every week, since larvae need about seven days.
- Clear gutters each spring and fall so water drains in a day.
- Change bird bath and pet water at least twice a week.
- Patch torn window and door screens before Culex season starts in June.
- Run a box fan on the patio; mosquitoes are weak fliers in moving air.
Mosquito Control in Your State
Mosquito season length and the species that bite change a lot across our 10 states.
How It Works
Tell Us The Problem
Describe the bites, when they happen and any standing water you can’t get rid of.
Get Matched With A Local Pro
We send the details to a licensed mosquito company covering your ZIP code.
Book Your Treatment
The company prices a single spray or a season plan, and you choose the schedule.
Mosquito Control FAQs
Still wondering about a mosquito problem? Ask through the form and mention your yard size.
How often should a yard be sprayed for mosquitoes?
Every 21 to 30 days during mosquito season. Barrier sprays hold for up to a month, and rain, sun and new hatches wear them down faster in the South.
One spray in May won’t carry you through August. Plan on monthly visits or skip the spray and focus on water.
Do mosquito barrier sprays kill bees?
They can. The pyrethroids in most barrier sprays are toxic to bees, which is why the label and the CDC both say to keep spray off flowering plants.
Ask the tech to skip blooms, spray in the evening and leave your vegetable garden alone. A careful applicator will do that without being asked.
Does the county spray for mosquitoes?
Many counties and mosquito control districts trap mosquitoes, test them for West Nile virus, treat catch basins and run night truck sprays when disease turns up.
Those programs cover neighborhoods, not your backyard. The bucket behind your shed is still your job, or a pro’s at $80 to $150 a visit.
How dangerous is West Nile virus?
Most infected people never feel sick, the CDC says. Some get fever, headache and body aches, and a small number develop severe brain or spinal illness.
No vaccine or medicine exists for people. Cases peak in late August and early September, so that’s when long sleeves and repellent matter most.
Are mosquito dunks safe for pets and fish?
Yes. Bti dunks kill only mosquito and black fly larvae, and Texas A&M AgriLife lists them as safe around pets, fish and birds.
One dunk lasts up to 30 days in a rain barrel or pond, which makes it the cheapest mosquito fix you can buy.
Get a Free Mosquito Control Quote
Use the form to tell us about your yard and when the bites happen. A licensed mosquito company near you replies with a price, and you can say no without owing anything.
Along with mosquito work, the companies we match you with handle Flea & Tick Control, Wasp & Hornet Control and Stink Bug Control, plus every other pest control service we list.