How to Sustainably Get Rid of Mosquitoes in the Garden

Getting rid of mosquitoes in the garden means reclaiming your evening on the patio without reaching for chemicals. If you want to control mosquitoes in the garden, you'll make the fastest progress by combining two strategies: draining breeding sites and specifically catching the remaining mosquitoes from the air. This is exactly what Biogents has been developing for over 20 years: scientifically proven, insecticide-free mosquito traps.

Mosquitoes find optimal living conditions in many of our gardens, but whether they settle there permanently depends on how many of the following conditions coming together long term:

• Standing water as a breeding site for egg-laying — even small amounts can be enough
• High humidity — mosquitoes dry out easily and therefore prefer humid habitats
• Shady areas — dense shrubs, hedges, or tall vegetation serve as resting places during the day, since direct sun and heat are avoided
• Humans and animals as a blood source for the females' eggs
• Plants as a food source for both sexes — mosquitoes feed mainly on plant sap or nectar

If you want to get rid mosquitoes in the garden in the long run, you should combine several measures: eliminating or treating breeding sites and reducing adult mosquitoes with a mosquito trap.
First, any potential breeding sites should be removed. Even the smallest accumulations of water can be enough for the Asian tiger mosquito to lay its eggs—for example in watering cans or buckets. That's why the following measures help:
• Rain barrels: covering them with a fine-mesh net.
• Watering cans and buckets: emptying them regularly.
• Birdbaths: cleaning them at least once a week and refilling them with fresh water.
• Clogged gutters: cleaning them and avoiding accumulations of water on tarpaulins or covers.
Repellents containing DEET or icaridin complement these measures by protecting individuals from bites for several hours. However, they do not change the number of mosquitoes that need to be controlled in the garden.

If standing water cannot be removed, it can still be treated in a targeted way. Biogents HYDRO FILM works in a purely physical manner by forming an ultra-thin surface layer on the water. This interrupts the mosquitoes' development cycle in the water — without any insecticides. One application protects standing water for up to 8 weeks and reduces the effort needed for repeated treatments. Compared with biological larvicides such as Bti, which need to be reapplied regularly, significantly fewer applications are required per season.

Since new mosquitoes can still fly in from neighboring gardens despite eliminating breeding sites, you should also specifically intercept the females that are already able to fly, if you want lasting relief.

With the mosquito traps from Biogents the insects are attracted using various signals — primarily an artificial skin scent and an air current that guides them into the capture chamber. Models such as the AERO TRAP PLUS or BG-Mosquitaire CO2 also use carbon dioxide (CO₂), one of the most important attractants for biting mosquitoes. This means tiger mosquitoes in particular can be attracted much more effectively.

Field studies confirm that this principle also works in practice: In a controlled study in the Italian city of Cesena, exposure to bites from the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) in residential areas with Biogents mosquito traps was around 87% lower than in comparable areas without traps. The only important thing is that the traps are set up in a shaded area at the edge of the garden, at least 5 meters from the patio or other seating areas.

Getting rid of black flies in the garden is a bit trickier than with many mosquitoes, because their habits differ in one key point: the breeding site. Black flies develop in flowing water such as streams or rivers, not in standing accumulations of water. That means their breeding sites usually cannot be drained in your own garden.
Personal protection is all the more important here: long, light-colored clothing as well as insect screens and suitable repellents reliably keep the insects away. A Biogents mosquito trap is also worthwhile as a complement here: our mosquito traps were primarily developed for biting mosquitoes such as the Asian tiger mosquito and common mosquitoes, but depending on location, they also catch black flies along the way.

The flowerpot is a particularly often overlooked breeding site in the garden — small, unremarkable, and yet perfectly suited for egg-laying by certain mosquito species, such as the Asian tiger mosquito. Unlike with a rain barrel or bucket, water often collects here out of sight: in the saucer, in the decorative outer pot, or in the soil itself. That's why it's worth taking a closer look at your plant containers:
• Saucers: check them after every watering and every rainfall and pour out any residual water immediately — this is where water collects unnoticed the fastest.
• Top layer of soil: cover it with sand or fine gravel. This makes egg-laying harder and lets the surface dry out faster between waterings.
• Outer pots and unused containers: store them upside down so no water can collect inside.
• Tip any larvae you discover out onto dry ground, and never pour them back into the pot — otherwise the cycle continues.
• If the water in larger tubs or planting bowls cannot be removed completely, the same principle applies as with other standing water: a physical surface treatment with the HYDRO FILM interrupts development in the water, entirely without insecticides.

Whether draining breeding sites, treating standing water, or intercepting adult females: mosquito control in the garden only becomes effective once the individual measures are coordinated with one another. This is exactly where Biogents’ strength lies: as a spin-off from the University of Regensburg, we have been developing mosquito traps for over 20 years that mimic humans as an attractant instead of relying on insecticides. These traps specifically catch biting mosquitoes while leaving bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects unharmed.
Behind this effectiveness stand more than 400 scientific publications from over 20 years of research—a foundation that hardly any other manufacturer can match. From a single trap for the patio to larval treatment with HYDRO FILM, you'll find the right system for controlling mosquitoes in your garden in the Biogents Shop—insecticide-free and scientifically proven.