Four years ago my husband and I couldn’t wait to host in a backyard. At that time we had just purchased our first home and planned to go to closing a few months after. We had a lot of plans to change some things- the kitchen, the floors, and the backyard. What we didn’t know that the process we started in March of 2013 would not be completed until October 2013 with no time to actually enjoy our backyard. By the following spring, we made it a point to start our backyard plans early enough that we would be able to celebrate our daughter’s 2nd birthday in the backyard with family and friends. We set down new pavers and blanketed grass. We got a swingset and planted little trees. It was everything we had hoped for and definitely worth the wait. Just recently we hosted a backyard party for my daughter and son. She just turned 5 and he’s turning 2, and since their birthdays are only a month apart we like to celebrate them together. I asked my daughter what she wanted on the menu, and she exclaimed TACOS! So, we had the biggest Taco Tuesday we’ve ever had.. except it was on a Saturday. We invited our closest friends and family and had a fiesta with a full taco bar complete with pork, chicken, and beef fillings and all the fixings you’d expect on taco night. The kids hand-decorated their own wooden maracas and t-shirts, and even enjoyed some pinata action. Check out our party:
Now, you know the story can’t end there… my picture perfect backyard is a facade. Lurking in our yard are bloodthirsty mosquitoes who love my blood type. I don’t just get itchy from their bites, I get hives. My skin becomes inflamed. I become miserable and unable to focus on the bigger picture of showing my guests a good time. My oldest daughter is affected as well, and we opt to stay indoors. People who attend our backyard bashes don’t know the real reason I stay indoors. They see me prepping food and drinks and kibitzing in the kitchen. What they don’t know is that I purposely give myself extra work in the kitchen so I can avoid going outside at all costs. It’s THAT bad. Our mosquito problem has affected me to a point that I don’t care to spend any time in my yard. It really looks like a sad commercial of a person inside looking out at the kids playing and wishes she was there, or at least, that’s how I feel. I would love to picnic in my yard with my kids, roll around in the grass with them, and [gasp] perhaps sunbathe in the yard. But that wasn’t going to happen.
In my husband’s defense, he tried to alleviate the problem. He tried bug zappers, sprays, and even offered to pave the rest of the backyard and get rid of all the grass. A close friend of ours told him that he has a lawn specialist treat his grass with mosquito repellant and it helps tremendously. We thought about this option for a year, and now it was time to make a decision. I want the ability to sit in my backyard to entertain or simply have an iced coffee while watching my kids make memories. This is important to me. This is one of the reasons we moved, after all.
While discussing our options, an opportunity arose that allowed me to test out the Mosquito Defense Treatment from TruGreen. When TruGreen arrived to my house for the first treatment, they explained that mosquitos tend to live in the mulch, shrubs and short trees in my backyard, not in the grass like we had originally thought. He explained that while the treatment lasts for a month, the chemicals they use dissipate within 10 minutes, which means they are no longer harmful to my children. The active ingredient that is used is the same ingredient as popular flea treatments for dogs and cats- this information made me feel at ease. The week after the first treatment it rained nonstop. I didn’t expect the treatment to actually work, but felt confident the following month we would have more success. To my surprise, I sat in the backyard with my kids and their friends this past weekend and I was in awe that there was not one single mosquito. Not one! When the company emailed me to follow up I was happy to tell them how successful the treatment was. They are so sure this treatment will work, they even offer a guarantee where they will perform a free reservice on any full mosquito plan anytime I see a biting mosquito between treatments. I don’t know if you can tell my excitement from this post, but truly, I feel that I can finally enjoy my backyard, my kids, my guests, and make new memories this summer in our outdoor space.
You can find out more about TruGreen and the array of services they offer from basic lawn and gardening care to pest control.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.