Ways To Stop Mosquitoes

by Michael Loomis

Without mosquitoes, the West Nile virus cannot be transmitted to anything. Here are some environmentally friendly ways to get rid of adult mosquitoes and help stop larvae from breeding:

• Empty stagnant water from flowerpots, baskets, and other containers, so mosquitoes have no place to lay their eggs.
• Install bat houses on your property. A single bat can devour more than 7,000 mosquitoes a night!
• Make sure roof gutters grain properly. Clean clogged gutters in the spring and fall to prevent the building up standing water.
• Change the water in birdbaths at least once a week. Install a fountain, waterfall rock, or a dripper to create moving water, which inhibits larvae development.
• Use Mosquito Free Water Tension Eliminator on birdbaths without dripper to present mosquitoes from laying eggs.
• Remove or cut back weeks, tall grass, and bushes around you home—they provide an outdoor home for adult mosquitoes.

If you want to protect yourself from biting mosquitoes, you can limit your outdoor activities during the time that mosquitoes are most active: dawn, dusk, and at night during the months of April through October. Wear protective clothing and consider using an insect repellent that contains 10% or less DEET (N-diethyl-methyl-meta-tolu-amide) for children and no more than 30% DEET for adults. (Use DEET according to the manufacturer’s directions.)

To learn more, visit the State of California’s Mosquito Control page.