Mosquito Control

Mosquitoes undergo a life cycle called a "complete" life cycle. This means that the female lays eggs, the eggs hatch to larvae, the larvae grow and then turn into the pupae (like a cocoon in moths), and the adult mosquito subsequently hatches from the pupa to fly off and do its daily chores. The larva of any species of mosquito is an aquatic organism, and it must spend its time as the larva in water, where it actually serves some benefit by eating other tiny organisms in the water as a scavenger. So, female mosquitoes search for water sources in order to lay their eggs, and they can be pretty ingenious about it. The water may be large, visible sources, such as canals and swamps, or rainwater collections in ditches alongside the road. Or, it may be small sources of water that are more likely to be found in your backyard, and these are the ones you can control.

1. Pet water dishes and buckets that aren't emptied and refilled regularly
2. Plastic pool covers that hold rainwater
3. Catch pans under outdoor potted plants
4. Fish ponds in the backya
5. Cesspools and septic tanks that are not properly screened or blocked
6. Crawl spaces under the home that have standing rainwater puddles
7. Boats with water in their bottoms or on plastic boat covers
8. Cans, jars, barrels, tubs, old buckets - any containers in the yard that collect rainwater
9. Old tires - one of the worst sources of breeding mosquitoes
10. Tree holes - another of the worst sources of water to deal with, and the likely breeding site of several important mosquito species

What about using chemicals to control mosquitoes? Chemical control probably is best left in the hands of professionals, particularly if it is for widespread control measures. Any breeding sources on you own property generally can be handled by eliminating the source - in other words, draining the water. There are some excellent materials that can be placed in the water, in ponds, canals, storm drain catch basins, or other small bodies of water, that do a terrific job of preventing the development of the larvae. These are growth regulators, bacteria, or surface materials that cause suffocation of the larvae and pupae, and often are not available to the general public. Another thought to keep in mind is to make sure you actually are dealing with mosquitoes, before you set about releasing chemicals into your home or yard. There are many other kinds of little "gnats" that resemble mosquitoes but which themselves do not bite. These may be midges, mayflies, fungus gnats, or the huge Crane Flies that people mistakenly believe are "mosquito hawks", and believe will eat mosquitoes for us. Unfortunately, they do not.