I had horrible mosquitoes in my backyard when I lived in Memphis. Tiki torches set up around our sitting area with citronella oil in them helped (If you have a Garden Ridge nearby, they usually have sales around this time and you can get the cheap ones for under a dollar). Or a strong fan outside where you'll be sitting will help too, it blows them away. You can also spray your lawn furniture with a deterrent like skin-so-soft or if you want Off, it's not as effective as spraying yourself but it does help. I hate putting that stuff on because it's so greasy. I found that the mosquitoes loved my black-eyed-susans and I had to move them away from my patio. I think they like tall plants like that because they shade the ground and keep it moist. This probably won't help now since you don't want to be tearing up your garden right before the party but maybe for future garden planning. Hope your party goes well.

I feel your pain, auryn! Normally I water my potted plants and orchids on the back patio, each morning. Because I had to work yesterday morning, I watered in the early evening. Thought I'd tend the yard and plants, then take a swim. I had just begun to hand-water when from out of nowhere came a kazillion mosssqueetoes! (LOL, but not really.) I jumped in the pool, which obviously helped, but they STILL swarmed around my head, and bit the poop out of my face! AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH! I have about 30 itchy welts today that are driving me crazy!!! I believe, tho, that my problem literally lies beneath the decking. When I water, the water must sit underneath...a perfect breeding ground! I suppose I will move my plants next time before watering and give the area under the deck a chance to dry out. Maybe that will help. In talking to numerous neighbors, it has become apparent that they only covet MY yard. I feel so blessed. NOT!

I can't imagine it is a good idea to do ANYTHING to attract mosquitos to your yard, even if you plan on killing them later. You only have to miss a couple and the whole cycle starts over again. If you live in an area with wetlands, you are going to have to live with mosquitos, that's all there is to it. You can treat and treat, but mosquitos go with wetlands. I come from MI, a watery state with mosquitos as the state bird! You'll never kill them all, and using a lot of pesticides will just kill the critters that eat mosquitos too. The best you can hope for is balance. Here's some suggestions: Number ONE, GET A BAT BOX! I work in a damp, wetland area that has gazillion bats, and the mosquitos are under control, not an extreme nuisance. Bats are outstanding mosquito control. Place the bat boxes high up in trees away from your house. The more bats the better! Bat boxes usually come with instructions on how to install them. You can also put them on buildings. Proper placement is vital to insure you get bats. Place them too low and the bats will not use them because predators can get to them. Nothing beats bats for mosquito control. Another option is a purple martin house, but they are a little harder to attract. Next, cover yourself with effective repellants and protective clothing when you are outside. If I lived in a highly mosquito infested area, I would maybe invest in one of those pricey carbon dioxide foggers. Confuses the daylights out of the bugs. Another option is to install smoky citronella torches around your patio. You need quite a lot to discourage the bugs, but they work very well. I have a tiny patio, and I use citronella candles in pails, all around the patio, they work well. You can also buy mosquito coils that you light, they work good too. As a last resort, consider screening in your patio. That's what my folks did, they can now sit out there at night and enjoy the yard at their leisure without the mosquitos! And indeed, make sure you have no areas of standing water around your house, because that's where the mosquitos breed. You can use the dunks for birdbaths and decorative ponds. But elimiate yard gear and tires, etc. that collects water.

I don't have alot of experience with this, but... The mosquitos in my wet swampy back yard are not particularly bad. I had a co-worker come over one day and I commented on the lack of mosquitos to him. He indicated that it was due to the large number of Sweet Gums on the property. There might be something to this as the turpines in the leaves are fairly strong. Another co-worker indicated that Weeping Willows, while very pretty, attract mosquitos. I have a few sickly willows, but don't see much difference in the mosquito count around them. As an experiment, I'm going to plant tobacco this spring to look at the insect repellent properties of this plant (works with some bugs, don't know about mosquitos).