If there’s anything uglier, more annoying, or more disgusting than the mosquito in the natural world, we’re not sure we want to meet it.  They’re gross, they’re irritating, and they seem to live for ruining your outdoor barbecues and other outdoor fun.  They can even spread disease such as West Nile and malaria in the wrong circumstances, making them a public health menace.  And you may be inadvertently giving them a place to reproduce and attack your family with your gutters.

Mosquitos have four growth stages: egg, larve, pupa, and imago.  Those first three stages occur entirely in standing water, when the female lays her eggs and moves on.  The best standing water is full of, well, crud: algae, bacteria, and other tiny organisms the different stages can hoover up on their way to becoming disgusting adults.

We’re pretty sure you can see where we’re going with this: if your gutters are backed up, and thus have a whole bunch of standing water in them, you’ve just set up a mosquito hotel.  In fact, it’s the ideal mosquito habitat, because the leaves, branches, and other stuff blocking up your downspouts and keeping the water there has had plenty of time to rot, making it the equivalent of a tasty chicken soup to a mosquito. Adding to the problem will be if you live in warm climates: the more tropical the temperature, the faster mosquito eggs will be ready to be deposited in your gutters.

So, serve the disgusting little buggers an eviction notice.  Start by covering yourself with repellent: you are going straight into the belly of the blood-sucking beast, after all.  Use something demonstrated to work, such as DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalpytus.  Next, as miserable as it might be, slap on long trousers and a long-sleeved shirt, and be sure to tuck your cuffs into your boots and gloves.  In addition, wear a hat: keep as little of your skin exposed as possible.

Next, clean out your gutters completely.  Get rid of absolutely anything in there that could block up your downspouts or otherwise cause problems.  Leave your gutter covers and gutter guards spick and span, so that you leave mosquitos no place to breed.

After that, check the slope of your gutters.  They should be running one to two inches in slope for every forty feet of gutters.  You may need to make it a two inch slope to get the best possible results.

Finally, keep an eye out for any signs of mosquito activity, such as stings or swarms. Check after every rainstom to make sure there’s no standing water in your gutters.

All this will guarantee a much quieter time on your deck…and give those blood-sucking annoyances one less place to pester.