Over the past few years mosquitoes have developed from a nuisance into a real public health danger. These pests spread dangerous diseases such as the West Nile Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis as well as malaria and yellow fever. It is more important than ever to protect your family from mosquito bites and learn how to get rid of mosquitoes.

While it may not be possible to completely eliminate the mosquito problem, there are many things you can do to greatly minimize the threat. Some of these things involve changing the surrounding area to be less habitable for the little buggers and some involve temporary measures to keep them away for a short period of time.

One of the easiest and most effective things you can do is to remove any standing water outside your house. This includes flower pots, buckets, pails, wheel barrows and bird feeders that may be filled with rain water. This standing water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes and you will never be rid of them until you can eliminate this factor. Empty water out of these containers on a regular basis, maybe even make a hole in the bottom so that they cannot hold water.

Another step you can take to get rid of mosquitoes is to eliminate as much brush and tall grass as you can. Mosquitoes love to hide in grassy, overgrown areas and if you can keep the lawn cut short and clear out any unwanted brush on your property it will really help cut down on the mosquito problem.

There are several types of plants that naturally repel mosquitoes. Some of these are horsemint, marigolds, catnip and rosemary. You can also use lemon eucalyptus oil as a mosquito repellent.

The next step to take against the mosquitoes is chemical warfare. There are several types of lawn treatments that you can spray on your lawn which contain DEET. These are fairly effective at keeping mosquitoes away from your property for up to 2 weeks at a time. Other chemical treatments can not only act as a mosquito repellent, but actually kill any larvae that are waiting to be hatched.

Other mosquito repellent products such as citronella candles and any burning/smoking products have such a limited radius that they are not that effective. One device that does have some effectiveness is the "mosquito magnet" type of device. These machines use propane gas to produce carbon dioxide which attracts mosquitoes. They are then trapped in a net inside the device where they die of dehydration. Some of these devices can attract mosquitoes from up to a whole acre away. One drawback to using these devices is that when they break down you will need to spend additional money on mosquito magnet replacement parts such as CO2 cartridges, trap netting, thermistors and of course you have to have a supply of propane gas too.

Mosquito repellent that you wear on your skin is also somewhat effective. Products that contain DEET are most effective, while some people swear that Avon's Skin So Soft works just as well with DEET. You should wear long sleeves and pants to minimize the amount of exposed skin.

It is my hope that this essay has shown you how to get rid of mosquitoes. As you can see, there are several steps you can take to minimize the threat of mosquitoes. It takes a multi-layered approach to achieve real effectiveness. You can't just perform one of these steps. To achieve real results you need to do as many of them as you can. If you do all of these things you will have a much better chance at enjoying your outdoor activities without worrying about mosquitoes.