Pests don't wait. Protect your home today.
No-See-Ums on the Lanai? Why Your Screen Isn't Stopping Them
Family-run, licensed and insured pest control in South Florida.
$50 OFF your first service + FREE inspectionNew customers · No code needed · No expirationIf you're getting eaten by no-see-ums on the lanai with every screen door shut, the screen isn't broken. No-see-ums are small enough to pass through the standard screen on most South Florida lanais, and they breed in marsh, mangroves, tidal mud and wet sand, not in your yard. So the screen alone won't stop them, and no treatment can wipe them out. What does help: moving air, finer mesh where you sit, fewer lights at dusk, and treating the spots around the home where the adults rest. Set your expectations at fewer bites, not zero.
Why no-see-ums get onto the lanai
Three things work against you.
Size. No-see-ums are tiny biting midges, smaller than the openings in regular screen. They walk through it, or get blown through on a light breeze.
Where they come from. They breed in places you can't do anything about: the edge of the marsh, the mangroves along the Intracoastal, wet sand and tidal mud. If you live near any of that, a fresh supply shows up every evening.
The weather they like. They're at their worst on calm, humid evenings, around dawn and dusk. That's also exactly when most people sit out on the lanai.
Our no-see-ums library page has the background.
Is it no-see-ums or mosquitoes?
You'll usually hear a mosquito. You almost never see or hear the no-see-um that got you. No-see-um bites tend to come in bunches on bare skin like the neck, the hairline and the arms, and they itch out of all proportion to the size of the bug. If you're not sure whether the bites are from outside at all, our post on bed bug bites vs mosquito bites walks through the clues.
Do no-see-um screens really work?
They help, with a few caveats.
- Finer mesh has smaller openings, so far fewer no-see-ums get through it. That's what the "no-see-um" name on the product means.
- Put it where you sit. You don't necessarily have to rescreen the whole cage. The panels around the seating area or the outdoor kitchen matter most.
- It can cut airflow a little, and airflow is one of your best defenses. That's one more reason to run a fan.
- Gaps beat mesh every time. A torn panel, a door that doesn't close all the way, or a gap at the bottom of the screen lets in more than any mesh size keeps out.
We don't sell or install screens, so this is general advice. A screen company can tell you what fits your cage.
What helps on the lanai, roughly in order
- A fan. No-see-ums are weak fliers. A ceiling fan or a box fan pointed across the seating area makes a real difference, often more than anything else on this list.
- Fewer lights at dusk. Keep the lanai lights low or off near where you're sitting when you can.
- Timing. On calm evenings, dinner on the lanai at 7:30 is a lot rougher than at 9.
- Long, light sleeves. Not glamorous, but it works.
- Repellent. Use an EPA-registered repellent following the label directions.
Candles and plug-in gadgets get a lot of attention. We wouldn't count on them to stop no-see-ums. The fan does more.
What treatment can and can't do
We'll be straight about this part. When requested, we treat the shaded spots around the yard, the lanai edges and the screens where adult no-see-ums rest, using a backpack fogger, as part of a mosquito-style service. That can reduce bites around your home for a time, especially together with the steps above. But results are limited and won't match what you'd see with mosquitoes, because more no-see-ums keep flying in from where they breed. Keep kids and pets off treated areas until dry, and follow your technician's instructions.
Our mosquito treatment process page has a section on no-see-ums that says the same thing.
Waterfront homes, docks and seawalls
A lot of the worst no-see-um spots are on the water. We treat from the land side only. We never treat the water, the marsh, the mangroves, the beach or the sand, and on docks and seawalls we stay on the land side and never spray toward the water. For waterfront communities, our HOA mosquito control page explains how we handle common areas.
Plans, pricing and honest expectations
No-see-um treatment is quoted after the FREE inspection, often alongside mosquito control, since the two show up at the same time of day. With no-see-ums, the goal is fewer bites, not zero, because new ones keep flying in from where they breed, and we'll tell you up front what to expect for your property. For our general pest and mosquito plan customers: "If pests come back between visits, so do we, at no extra cost." There are no long-term contracts and no cancellation fees, just a simple service agreement. We're family-run and licensed, with 30+ years in the business, and hablamos español. Browse more guides.
No-see-um questions
How do I keep no-see-ums from coming through my screens?
Are no-see-ums all over Florida?
How do you get rid of no-see-ums outside?
Does citronella keep no-see-ums away?
Want fewer bites on the lanai?
Get $50 OFF your first service plus a FREE inspection. No code, no expiration. Call or text anytime: 833-845-9284.
Prefer to text or email? Text us · info@prospraypest.com