An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Tip. Toss. Turn. Tilt.
Mosquitoes are not only a nuisance; they can also carry and spread serious disease to humans and pets.
Walk around your house, patio, garage, etc. and look carefully for anything that retains water – even just a little bit of water. If you find any, dump the water and either throw the item away or store it in or under something that does not collect water.
Standing water is public enemy number one when it comes to infestations, because mosquitoes usually lay their eggs in unmoving water.
Moquitos can breed in something as small as a soda bottle cap with a 1/4″ of water!
According to the Maryland Department of Agriculture, the Zika virus is spread primarily through the bite of certain species of infected Aedes mosquitoes. The best way to avoid the Zika virus is to prevent mosquito bites. And the best way to avoid bites is to eliminate areas where these mosquitoes lay their eggs. These areas are called “breeding sites.”
Some species of Aedes mosquitoes breed in containers of standing water around the home rather than in wetland areas. Your home can be a major breeding ground!
For best results, get your closest neighbors involved and share these tips with them.
Organize a “Community Clean Up Day” with your neighbors or homeowners association to educate your neighborhood about what they can do to help reduce mosquito populations.
Below are some ways to prevent mosquito breeding without the use of chemical pesticides.
Click here to download 29 Ways to Prevent Standing Water Mosquito Breeding Sites Around Your Home.
29 Ways to Prevent Mosquito Breeding Sites in Standing Water Around Your Home
| Potential Breeding Site | How to Correct | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any container capable of holding at least a teaspoon of water 1/4" deep | Throw away, turn over, empty once a week or drill holes in the bottom. | |||
| Bird baths | Dump out once a week or flush out with garden hose. | |||
| Pet water bowls | Rinse out once a week. | |||
| Potted plants with saucers | Empty saucers or flush out with garden hose once a week. | |||
| Buckets, watering cans, drinking glasses, styrofoam cups, bottle caps, other trash that can hold water | Store inside or turn over. If trash, throwaway. | |||
| Tarps or other plastic covers, flexible sandbox covers | Drain water trapped in folds and arrange so that water runs off. | |||
| Gutters, including “covered” types | Clean so water runs freely. | |||
| Garbage cans, other barrels Upturned garbage can lids | Keep cans covered or drill holes in bottom. Keep lid on can or turned so water runs off. If collecting rain water, cover with screen. | |||
| Old tires | Dispose of at your local recycling facility. If used for playground equipment, drill holes for water to run. If on ground, be sure holes are not blocked by mulch. | |||
| Old playground equipment | Remove and dispose of. If it must be stored, put under cover. Be sure water drains off. | |||
| Children’s toys, especially plastic toys, “Kiddie Coops,” etc. | Store inside or turn so that places that can hold water are turned down. Some toys have compartments that hold water on both sides. | |||
| Wading pools, unused or abandoned swimming pools | Turn over kiddie pools when not in use. Larvicide unused swimming pools with mosquito dunks once a month. (Mosquitoes can’t breed in maintained swimming pools because of the chemicals used.) | |||
| Wheelbarrow stored outside | Turn over when not in use. | |||
| Flat roofs | Inspect for water pools. | |||
| Dripping outdoor faucets and window air conditioners | If puddling, repair faucet. Place rocks under window air conditioner to ensure water runs off or fill hole with dirt. | |||
| Ornamental ponds without fish | Stock with fish, apply larvicide or filter/aerate water. (Fish eat mosquito larvae.) | |||
| Boats, canoes | Pump out bilges. Turn over canoes and small boats. If not possible to turn over, dump out after each rain. | |||
| Under decks, porches or outbuildings: stored items, depressions in dirt or plastic ground linings | Fill in depressions. Remove or turn over any stored items that hold water. | |||
| Pipes, plumbing supplies with elbows(comer joints) | Store under cover. If they must be outside, arrange so openings point down, not up. | |||
| Drainage ditch, culvert or other low areas clogged by grass and weed clippings | Remove grass and weed clippings so water can flow and/or drain freely. | |||
| Flexible plastic pipe to take water away from downspout | Replace with smooth pipe. The grooves can hold enough water to breed mosquitoes. Or fasten screen or old nylon stocking to end with duct tape. | |||
| Base of patio umbrella or portable basketball stand | Fill with sand or, if filled with water, be sure to screw on plug. Keep water out of depressions on stand also. | |||
| Outdoor grills | Keep covered. Be sure vent is closed also. | |||
| Bromeliads (plants that hold water), holes in trees or cavities formed by multiple tree trunks | Turn plant over to dump water. For trees or plants too large to turn over, flush out cavities with garden hose once a week. | |||
| Holes in trees or cavities | Turn over, flush out cavities with garden hose once a week. | |||
| Outside drains | Cover with screening or larvicide with “mosquito dunks/pellets.” | |||
| Sump pumps | Cover with screening | |||
| Bamboo | Cut down and regularly mow remaining “stumps” so they can’t hold water | |||
| Hollow fence posts without caps | Put caps on open chain link or plastic fence posts. | |||
| Plastic in gardens to prevent weeds | Use landscape cloth that will allow water to pass through instead of plastic sheets that hold water. |
Check list from Montgomery County, MD’s “Use This List to Check for Mosquitoes’ Artifical Breeding Sites”
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