Mosquito Magnet®

Mosquito Prevention

How you can help reduce the
mosquito population through prevention.

Ben Franklin once said “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. This also holds true in dealing with mosquitoes. Preventing mosquitoes from breeding is an important step in controlling and reducing the number of mosquitoes in your yard. The Mosquito Magnet® can then help finish the job and make your yard more livable.

Mosquitoes lay up to 250 eggs at a time in still water, which will hatch in 7 to 15 days. During the off season, mosquitoes can lay dormant for up to one year. If standing water is eliminated weekly, many mosquitoes will be kept from breeding in the first place

Common mosquito breeding grounds:

  • Bird Baths
  • Old Tires
  • Open Containers - Cans, jars, bottles or anything that can hold as little as an ounce of water. Mosquitoes can breed in as little as a drop of water. Even recycle bins may have some open containers that can collect water.
  • Hollow Trees
  • Water Gardens & Ponds - Decorative ponds without fish, or other large areas of standing water
  • Wading Pools

In addition to the above list, any area of standing water is a potential mosquito breeding ground.

The following are some examples how you can eliminate mosquito breeding grounds:

  • Dispose of old tires.
  • Fill in tree rot holes and hollow stumps that hold water.
  • Drill holes into the bottom of tire swings.
  • At least once per week, empty standing water from containers on your property.
  • Drill holes in the bottom of recycling containers that are left outdoors. Drainage holes in the sides of containers allow sufficient water to collect in which mosquitoes may breed.
  • Clean clogged roof gutters, particularly if the leaves from surrounding trees have a tendency to plug up the drains. Flooded roof gutters are easily overlooked but can produce hundreds of mosquitoes each season.
  • Turn over plastic wading pools when not in use.
  • Turn over wheelbarrows when not in use.
  • Store boats covered or upside down, or remove rainwater weekly.
  • Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish. Water gardens are fashionable but become major mosquito producers if they are allowed to stagnate.
  • Clean and chlorinate swimming pools that are not being used. A swimming pool that is left for a month can produce enough mosquitoes to infest an entire neighborhood. Be aware that mosquitoes may also breed in the water that collects on swimming pool covers.
  • Keep drains, ditches and culverts free of grass clippings, weeds and trash so water will drain properly.
  • Fill in low areas on your property to eliminate standing water. Ponds or streams where fish are present, or the water is disturbed by current or wave action, do not produce many mosquitoes.