Mosquito Control

Here are some things YOU can do to reduce the mosquito population and help protect yourself and your family from the West Nile virus:

Habitat Control

• Make sure roof gutters drain properly. Clean clogged gutters whenever needed.

• Remove all discarded tires from your property. Used tires have become the most important domestic mosquito breeding habitat in this country.

• Do not allow containers to hold water. Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots, or similar water-holding containers. Do not overlook containers that have become overgrown by vegetation.

• Drill holes in the bottom of recycling containers that are left out of doors. Drainage holes that are located on the sides collect enough water for mosquitoes to breed in.

• Tightly screen "rain barrels" to ensure that mosquitoes cannot deposit eggs on or in the water.

• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools, wading pools, and outdoor hot tubs. If not in use, empty and cover them.

• Drain water from pool covers.

• Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish. Water gardens are fashionable but become major mosquito producers if allowed to stagnate.

• Turn over wheelbarrows and change the water in birdbaths at least twice a week.

• Eliminate any and all standing water on your property. Use landscaping as needed. Mosquitoes will develop in any puddle that lasts for more than 4 days.

• Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace all screens in your home that have tears or holes.

• Help your neighbors eliminate mosquito breeding sites on their property.

• Drain or turn unused boats or canoes upside-down to prevent water from gathering inside.

• Repair leaking or failed septic systems. Water laden with organic material is especially attractive to Culex mosquito species.

• Check watering troughs for large animals like horses and cattle regularly for the presence of mosquito larvae or "wigglers".

• Lagoons which hold animal waste can be particularly dangerous, producing tens of thousands of disease-spreading mosquitoes.

Oftentimes, because of their location on private property, sites such as those mentioned above cannot be managed by governmental mosquito control programs. They must be eliminated and managed by the property owner.