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Washington DC Real Estate Resource Center: Mosquito Control in Washington, DC

Warm weather and summer bring mosquitoes. Does the close proximity to Rock Creek Park cause neighborhoods like Chevy Chase, DC & MD, Silver Spring and Forest Hills, DC to have larger mosquito populations?

Mosquitoes have a short life span. Surprisingly, mosquitoes fly very little when alive. Chances are, the mosquitoes sharing your property with you were born and raised there. With proper prevention, you can control the mosquito population on your property. Proper prevention means reducing breeding areas and controlling the mosquito population before they mature into adults and have a chance to reproduce.

Killing mosquitoes before they reach maturity is called Larvaciding. Larvaciding allows control over smaller areas where mosquitoes are just in breeding areas and not yet spread into a larger area. Adulticiding kills mosquitoes when they are adults. If mosquitoes reach adulthood, chances are they have begun breeding and have already become a nuisance. Mosquitoes build up a resistance to chemical pesticides over time. Chemical pesticides are also harmful to all living things and kill the good insects. Natural mosquito prevention and killing mosquitoes before they become adults is the best way to control mosquitoes.

Start your prevention program by going around your property. Look for any containers that can hold water such as buckets, cans, saucers under potted plants, wading pools. Remove the containers. If you can not remove the containers, turn them over. Make sure gutters and other drainage areas are free of debris can flow freely and not collect and stand. Fix dripping outside water faucets. Check ponds and sources of water for signs of mosquito larvae. Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis is an effective less toxic biological control. When sprayed into larval pools, is eaten by feeding larvae and kills them.

Other prevention suggestions include staying indoors in the evening when mosquito activity is the highest. If you must be outdoors at night, wear light colored long sleeved shirts and long pants. There is some evidence that mosquitoes are attracted to dark colors. Burn citronella candles if mosquitoes are biting. Use herbal repellants to repel mosquitoes and reapply often. Make sure all windows and doors are screened. Check the screens often for any tears and repair immediately.