Ankle Biter LA
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The ten-minute yard check

Most backyard mosquito problems in LA start within a few steps of the patio. Walk the yard once a week from spring through fall and you'll remove most of them.

Dump, scrub, cover

  • Plant saucers and pots without drainage. Dump them, scrub the inside, or fill saucers with sand.
  • Buckets, watering cans, wheelbarrows, kids' toys, tarps and trash can lids. Turn them over or store them dry.
  • Pet bowls and bird baths. Change the water at least once a week.
  • Rain gutters and yard drains. Clear leaves so water doesn't sit.
  • Rain barrels. Seal the lid and screen any opening with fine mesh.
  • Bromeliads and plants that hold water in their leaves. Flush them weekly or treat with Bti.
  • Fountains and ponds. Keep water moving, add a Bti dunk, or ask your district for free mosquitofish.
  • Pools and spas. A green pool can produce enormous numbers of mosquitoes. Report neglected pools to your district.
  • Tires, old appliances, and anything stored outside that can catch sprinkler water.

Protect yourself

Use an EPA-registered repellent (DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus), patch window screens, and wear long sleeves and pants outside when you can. Aedes bite in the daytime, so repellent matters for afternoon gardening, not just evenings.

If you've cleared everything and still get bitten, the source may be next door or somewhere you can't reach. Your district will inspect for free, and a licensed company can treat the yard on a schedule.

Supplies that help

Water you can't dump

Bti mosquito dunks

Bti is a bacterial larvicide that kills mosquito larvae. Districts recommend it for ponds, rain barrels and fountains.

See options on Amazon
Water you can't dump

Bti mosquito bits

Granules of the same larvicide, easier to spread in plant saucers, bromeliads and drains.

See options on Amazon
Patio

Outdoor oscillating fan

Aedes are weak fliers. A fan on a patio or deck keeps them off you while you sit.

See options on Amazon
On you

Picaridin repellent

One of the EPA-registered active ingredients the CDC recommends, along with DEET, IR3535 and oil of lemon eucalyptus.

See options on Amazon
Rain barrels

Fine mesh barrel screen

Keeps mosquitoes from laying eggs in collected rainwater.

See options on Amazon
House

Window screen repair kit

Patch torn screens so daytime biters stay outside.

See options on Amazon

Product links go to Amazon search results. We may earn a commission if you buy through them. We don't recommend foggers or "bug zappers" for Aedes; zappers mostly kill other insects.

Sources