Useless Backyard

My beautiful backyard is absolutely useless. That is, to the human species. It is apparently a fantastic breeding ground for mosquitoes. I walked five steps off my patio recently and got three bites. Did I mention it was mid-afternoon?! The mosquitoes are so bad at this house. We hunted and hunted for a house that provided good shade in the afternoon so our children could play without frying to a crisp. But it appears the trade-off for foliage is mosquitoes!

I have tried quite a few products to keep them at bay, starting with BT mosquito dunks in our french drains. We also have the aesthetically-pleasing bug zapper with mosquito lure, and have been known to light citronella torches if we want anybody else to venture out there. I have sprayed the grass with a cedar oil formula and spread geraniol granules throughout the backyard. We tried wearing geraniol bug bands, but I can't tell they do anything to prevent bites. J even bought a bat box and will mount it on a telephone pole sometime soon (I hope). I am constantly eliminating any sources of standing water, but the lawn is quickly saturated. I had no idea we were moving into a marsh. Next I'm going to try some BT granules spread over the lawn and probably the wooded area in our side yard. Then I'm going to pray for a hard freeze. Because nothing says "Come play outside, kids!" like a frozen playscape and ice-crusted grass.