Mosquito and Flea Control for Atlanta Yards

Atlanta yards make mosquitoes in containers and fleas in shade, and both thrive in a warm season that runs from spring well into fall. Yard treatment helps. Removing what breeds them helps more.

A black-and-white striped mosquito on human skin

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The mosquito biting you in the afternoon

The mosquito that makes an Atlanta patio unusable is usually the Asian tiger mosquito: small, black with white stripes on its legs and back, and active in daylight, with bites peaking in the early morning and late afternoon. It breeds in containers rather than ponds: flowerpot saucers, buckets, tarps, toys, clogged gutters, tyres, birdbaths, and the hollow in a tree. Georgia DPH notes it rarely travels more than about 100 yards from where it hatched, which means most of the mosquitoes in your yard came from your yard or your neighbours'.

In a hot Georgia summer it can go from egg to adult in about a week. That is why a yard that was fine on Sunday is full of mosquitoes by the following weekend after a storm.

Tip and toss first

Fulton County's Board of Health calls this the easiest thing a homeowner can do, and it is. After every rain, walk the yard and empty anything holding water: saucers, buckets, wheelbarrows, kiddie pools, recycling bins, the folds of a tarp. Refresh pet bowls and birdbaths every few days. Clear gutters and the corrugated drain pipes that downspouts run into, which hold water out of sight. A bottle cap of water is enough for a mosquito to lay in. No yard treatment keeps up with a yard that is still breeding them.

What a yard treatment involves

A mosquito service usually means a technician treating the places adult mosquitoes rest during the day: the undersides of shrub leaves, ivy and ground cover, shaded fences and the crawlspace edge. Standing water that cannot be removed is treated with larvicide. Visits are typically monthly from spring through fall, because a treatment holds for a few weeks and breeding never stops while it is warm.

Ask what is used and what it does to pollinators. A careful company avoids spraying flowering plants and can work around a vegetable garden or a pond with fish.

West Nile and the county programmes

Fulton and DeKalb both trap and test mosquitoes for West Nile virus every season, and positive traps have turned up in neighbourhoods across the city. When Fulton finds positives it treats within a quarter mile of the site at night. That public programme is about disease, not your patio, and it does not replace keeping your own yard dry.

Fleas, and why one spray rarely finishes them

Fleas reach a house on pets and on wildlife such as squirrels, opossums and stray cats that sleep under decks and porches. Most of a flea population is not adult fleas: it is eggs, larvae and cocoons in carpet, pet bedding and shaded soil. The cocoon stage resists treatment, which is why fleas seem to come back two or three weeks after a spray.

What works is three things at once: the pets treated by your vet's product, the inside treated (with thorough vacuuming before and after, and bedding washed hot), and the shaded parts of the yard where pets lie treated as well. Skip any one of them and the cycle restarts. In Atlanta's long warm season, that can run from spring until the first hard frost.

Call for a mosquito or flea quote. Say how big the yard is and whether there is a creek, pond or heavy shade, and a local company will price the season.

Common questions

When is mosquito season in Atlanta?

Mosquitoes are active from spring into fall here, and a warm spell can bring them out early or keep them going late. Most companies run monthly yard service through those months.

How much does mosquito treatment cost?

It is usually priced per monthly visit, based on the size of the yard and how much vegetation there is, with season packages common. Ask whether there is a charge for re-treating after heavy rain.

Do mosquito treatments harm bees?

They can if flowering plants are sprayed. Ask the company to avoid blooms and to treat the leaf undersides and shady resting spots where mosquitoes actually sit.

Why do I have fleas when my dog is treated?

Because the eggs and cocoons in the house and yard keep hatching for weeks. The pet, the house and the shaded yard all have to be treated together, and vacuuming daily for a few weeks helps bring the cocoons out.

Can wildlife bring fleas?

Yes. Squirrels, opossums and cats living under a deck or porch keep a yard supplied. Closing off those spaces is part of the fix. Trapping wildlife is a different trade from pest control.

Who would treat my yard?

An independent Georgia-licensed pest control company. This site is an advertising and referral service operated by Pinecrest Advisory Services, LLC, and does not treat anything itself.

Other pest work in Atlanta

Also serving

Mosquitoes & Fleas is available beyond Atlanta, across Decatur , Sandy Springs , Brookhaven and Smyrna .

Ask about mosquitoes & fleas

Say what you are seeing and where, and a local pest control company will follow up, usually within a few days for an inspection. Answered Mon–Sat, 8am–6pm · after hours we call back the next morning Or call (470) 665-4393 if it is a swarm in the house or a closing date this week.