Homeowners can effectively reduce the number of mosquitoes around their homes and neighborhoods by eliminating standing water where mosquitoes grow and breed. Please read the following tips.
Old tires, buckets, trash cans, and other water-holding containers are ideal breeding sites. Store them upside down or get rid of them.
Fill in or drain low spots in your yard.
Keep ditches, drains, and culverts clear of weeds and trash so that water will drain properly.
Drain water from tarps or plastic sheeting which cover wood piles, boats, etc.
Keep eave troughs clean of leaves and debris.
Empty plastic wading pools at least once a week and store them inside when not in use.
Unused backyard swimming pools may also create breeding problems. Make sure pool covers don't hold water on top and keep pools chlorinated.
Change bird bath water weekly
Fill in tree rot holes and hollow stumps with sand or concrete.
Keep boats and canoes covered or upside down.
Keep grass cut short and shrubbery well-trimmed so adult mosquitoes will not hide there in the daytime.
Use a fine-mesh screen on top of rain barrels so that female adults cannot reach the water surface to lay eggs.
Spring and summer thunderstorms can produce enough rain to cause mosquito breeding in neighborhood standing-water habitats. When this occurs, check your yard for standing water in grass, ditches, and containers!