Our recent study found that the biggest pest challenges American homeowners anticipate for 2022 include mosquitoes (47%) and ticks (37%), among others. As the weather continues to get warmer this spring, and more than 50% of respondents intend to use their outdoor living space more this year, the threat of nuisance pests doesn’t need to inhibit plans.
To ensure homeowners are aware of where pests may be most bothersome this year, we released a 2022 list of cities most impacted by outdoor pests. In a meta-study, compiled from internal and external data from January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021, we rank the top metropolitan areas most impacted by mosquitoes, fleas and ticks.
- Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
- New York, NY
- San Antonio, TX
- Chicago, IL
- Boston, MA
- Detroit, MI
- Washington, DC
- Houston, TX
- Atlanta, GA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Sarasota, FL
- Charlotte, NC
- Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, FL
- Columbus, OH
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Hartford-New Haven, CT
- Milwaukee, WI
- Raleigh-Durham, NC
- Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, MI
- Cincinnati, OH
“With warmer weather and the official start of spring, the arrival of mosquitoes, fleas and ticks are soon to follow,” said Brian Feldman, Director of Technical Operations at TruGreen. “By making citizens aware now, our hope is that we can help homeowners begin to combat these pests and the potential diseases they carry — such as West Nile, Zika, and Lyme disease — before they cause a bigger problem during the humid summer months when they are most persistent. Protecting against and controlling these nuisance pests helps homeowners enjoy living life outside all season long.”
Beyond bringing in a professional, we encourage consumers to follow a few tips to help minimize the presence of mosquitoes and ticks this season, and to keep themselves and their families protected:
Mosquitoes
- Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. Make sure to remove or empty items that tend to collect water, like outdoor flower pots, cans and toys. Keeping your lawn well mowed, and removing debris such as twigs, branches and leaves can also help prevent standing water.
- Keep cool outdoors while preventing mosquitoes with a fan. Mosquitoes don’t like to fly into a fan area where wind is blowing around, as they are not strong flyers.
- Limit or avoid serving sugary foods and drinks while outdoors, as these tend to attract pesky mosquitoes.
- Use an insect repellant, especially on your ankles, wrists and neck.
Ticks
- Keep grass no more than four inches high, trim shrubs and other lawn vegetation, and remove decaying brush to reduce tick hiding places.
- Protect decks, patios and outdoor play equipment by placing them in a sunny location and away from shade trees when possible.
- Use an insect repellant, especially on your ankles, wrists and neck.
- Outfit your pets with flea and tick collars, or administer medication to help decrease ticks over time and reduce ticks in the home.
Our Mosquito Defense and Outdoor Nuisance Pest Control programs provide a multipronged and comprehensive approach — selection, prevention, and population control— to protect against unwanted pests. The TruGreen Perimeter Pest program targets other unwanted bugs and insects — such as ants, stink bugs and spiders, among others — and reduces their ability to become a problem inside the home. In addition, we ensure that every customer is 100% satisfied with their service with our TruGreen Guarantee. For more information about mosquito service offerings at TruGreen and how to prevent them from ruining your time outside, click here or call 866-688-6722.
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