Mosquito Control

Mosquitoes In Central Texas

Central Texas has several mosquitoes that bite around homes, and they differ in when they bite and what they can carry. These are the ones that matter most here.

Because some mosquitoes bite by day and others at dusk, and each breeds in a different kind of water, control has to cover the whole yard rather than one time of day.

Stride treats every mosquito in Central Texas. For the one bothering you, see our dedicated pages: southern house mosquitoes, Asian tiger mosquitoes, yellow fever mosquitoes, western encephalitis mosquitoes, dark rice field mosquitoes, eastern salt marsh mosquitoes, and upland flood water mosquitoes.

Signs You Have a Mosquito Problem

A few signs point to mosquitoes breeding on a property rather than just drifting through:

• Daytime biting in the shade, a sign of Aedes mosquitoes breeding close to the house.
• Clouds of mosquitoes at dusk around the yard and patio.
• Wrigglers in standing water, the comma-shaped larvae visible in birdbaths, buckets, and saucers.
• Bites concentrated around the ankles and lower legs.
• Standing water in clogged gutters, plant saucers, tarps, toys, and low spots after rain.

Are Mosquitoes Dangerous?

Mosquitoes are the most medically important pest in the yard, because a fraction of their bites transmit disease. West Nile virus is the main mosquito-borne illness in Central Texas, carried by the Southern house mosquito, and the Texas DSHS West Nile virus program tracks it across the state each season.

Aedes mosquitoes, the daytime biters, can transmit Zika, dengue, and chikungunya. Most bites cause nothing worse than an itchy welt, but the risk of disease is the reason mosquito pressure is worth controlling rather than tolerating.

Mosquitoes are also a health risk to pets, since their bite is how dogs contract heartworm. Cutting the mosquito population around a home lowers all of these risks at once.

How We Get Rid of Mosquitoes

Stride treats mosquitoes through the five-step Stride Forward process, built around where they breed and where the adults rest:

1. Inspect. We walk the property for standing water and the shaded, humid spots where adult mosquitoes wait out the day.
2. Identify. We locate the breeding sources, from clogged gutters and drains to saucers, low spots, and containers.
3. Recommend. We point out the water to dump or drain and the drainage and gutter fixes that remove breeding sites for good.
4. Treat. We apply a larvicide to water that cannot be drained and mist a residual barrier onto the underside of foliage, shrubs, and shaded areas where adults rest, knocking down the current population and holding pressure down between visits.
5. Evaluate. We re-treat on a recurring cycle through the season, because new adults keep emerging in the Texas heat.

Our GreenPro certification guides this reduced-risk approach.

How to Keep Mosquitoes Away

Keeping mosquitoes down comes down to removing the standing water they breed in:

• Empty standing water weekly from saucers, buckets, toys, tarps, and anything that holds rain.
• Clean the gutters, since clogged gutters are one of the most overlooked breeding sites.
• Fix drainage and low spots where water pools for more than a few days.
• Change birdbath and pet water every few days to break the breeding cycle.
• Keep grass and shrubs trimmed, which removes the cool, shaded harborage adults rest in.
• Keep water features moving, because mosquitoes breed in still water, not flowing water.

Mosquito Control Frequently Asked Questions

Stride Forward is our Integrated Pest Management program where we partner with our clients in the long-term removal and prevention of pests. Keeping your property free of unwanted insects and rodents works best when we work together.

The program combines habitat manipulation, biological control, cultural behavior changes, and the targeted use of products designed to repel or eradicate pests. Our approach follows five steps, with non-chemical methods prioritized before any product application.

Our Certifications & Awards

Stride Pest Control holds QualityPro and GreenPro certifications through the NPMA’s Foundation for Professional Pest Management, and fewer than 3% of pest control companies nationwide hold both. QualityPro requires background checks on every service member, a drug-free workplace, and 16 standards that exceed state and federal requirements.

Our Austin and Round Rock office operates under Texas Department of Agriculture license TPCL #667951, with Burton Johnston as Responsible Certified Applicator. Our San Antonio office operates under TPCL #827449, with Alex Randall as Responsible Certified Applicator. Our office manager, Michael Honeycutt, is an Associate Certified Entomologist through the Entomological Society of America.

Founded in 2013, we have served nearly 12,000 customers across Central Texas and hold a 4.9-star rating across 2,400+ reviews with an A+ from the BBB.