Mosquito Control Awareness Week: Say Goodbye to Mosquitoes at Home

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FemaleAedes aegypti mosquito in the process of acquiring a blood meal from her human host.

This week is Mosquito Control Awareness Week! Now that it’s mosquito season, it is the perfect time to look in and around your home for ways to control mosquitoes that can carry viruses like Zika and West Nile.

Man putting screen in window.
Install or repair window and door screens.

There are many options when it comes to mosquito control for your home. No single activity will effectively control mosquitoes, so you should combine both indoor and outdoor mosquito control activities to keep in and around your home free of mosquitoes.

Control mosquitoes inside your home

No one likes having a mosquito flying inside their house. Luckily, there are easy steps you and your family can take to keep mosquitoes out and to get rid of the ones that do get in.

First, keep mosquitoes from getting in by making sure you have screens installed on your windows and doors, and fix any holes in them. Although a summer breeze is nice, keeping windows and doors shut and using air conditioning when possible will help keep mosquitoes out.

Mosquitoes lay their eggs near water. Those that get into your home will look for vases or flower pot saucers with water to lay their eggs on. To eliminate these areas and prevent eggs from hatching, once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, or throw out any items that hold water.

Finally, if you have a hard time keeping mosquitoes out, you can apply an indoor insect fogger or spray according to label instructions to kill mosquitoes that get inside. Mosquitoes like dark and humid places, so make sure to spray under sinks and furniture and in the laundry room.

Control mosquitoes outside your home

Person dumping water out of a bucket
Empty areas of standing water where mosquito can lay eggs.

Summer is the time for backyard barbeques and fun, but that can quickly be interrupted if your yard is full of mosquitoes. There are many things you can do to reduce mosquitoes in your yard and make time outdoors more enjoyable.

Areas with standing water around your yard are perfect places for mosquitoes to lay their eggs. Once a week, you should empty and scrub, turn over, cover, or throw out any items that hold water like tires, buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths, or trash containers. Water storage containers should be tightly covered and for those without lids, wire mesh with small holes than an adult mosquito can’t fit through.

For areas of standing water that will not be used for drinking and cannot be covered or emptied, like backyard ponds, use larvicides to kill young mosquitoes.

You can use an outdoor insect fogger or spray in your backyard to reduce the number of mosquitoes. Always follow the instructions on the label.  Make sure to spray under patio furniture or under the carport or garage where mosquitoes like to rest.

If your home has a septic tank, repair cracks or gaps and cover open vent or plumbing pipes with wire mesh that has holes smaller than an adult mosquito.

 

Help with mosquito control

If you do not want to apply indoor or outdoor mosquito control products yourself, you can hire a pest control professional. Tips on finding a pest control profession are available.

Prevent mosquito bites

In addition to controlling mosquitoes in and around your home, you should also protect yourself and your family from mosquito bites. Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents with one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol. Apply insect repellents according to label instructions. When used as directed, EPA-registered insect repellents are proven safe and effective, even for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants will also help prevent bites.

More information on how to control mosquitoes in and around your home.

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8 comments on “Mosquito Control Awareness Week: Say Goodbye to Mosquitoes at Home”

Comments listed below are posted by individuals not associated with CDC, unless otherwise stated. These comments do not represent the official views of CDC, and CDC does not guarantee that any information posted by individuals on this site is correct, and disclaims any liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on any such information. Read more about our comment policy ».

    Thank you for the information on the oil of lemon eucalyptus to use instead of the sprays on the market.

    Where can I obtain testing in Austin Texas?
    I have had exposure to multiple mosquito bites and have been experiencing the symptoms listed for the Zika Virus for the last 6 days. Please provide phone number and contact person.

    It is very important for everyone to do their part in preventing growth of the mosquito population. Some may think that the Zika virus does not affect them and may not be worried about prevention. But, it is important to remember that it may affect your neighbor or family member. I spent many hours going door to door and handing out flyers that encourage residents to take the necessary precautions to prevent mosquito growth. Raising awareness is the first step and then people must believe that it is important enough for them to take action. By continually removing standing water around our homes, we can all do our part to help prevent these viruses.

    We all need to be educated on the affect on mosquito bites. West Nile is not as prominent as the Zika Virus. Pregnant women need to take special precautions when outdoors. I am prone to mosquito bites myself. I never thought of the concept regarding mosquitoes laying eggs in the home. I have always thought about getting bitten by a mosquito outside. I always thought if a mosquito got in the house, it would eventually die because the inside temperature differs from the outside temperature. This is great info on mosquito control.

    The best way to prevent mosquito is to install nets. Using

    repellent is very harmful for human beings. You can also use

    portable nets when you are travelling.

    mosquito is very common small living creature, those are responsible for some common diseases like Chikungunya, zika, malaria etc.

    Mosquitoes are the problem for everyone and as specially when it comes to spreading diseases we have to be very careful from this mosquitoes has it can be dangerous for us a proper Treatment should be done to get rid from Mosquitoes . ThankYou for sharing this article it is very useful and informative.

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Page last reviewed: June 28, 2016
Page last updated: June 28, 2016