Any items around your home that can hold water should be emptied and scrubbed clean at least once a week. Female mosquitoes lay hundreds of eggs on the walls of containers. They stick to the walls and hatch when water covers the eggs. It only takes a week for an egg to become an adult mosquito.
Rain barrels and other storage systems should be made mosquito-proof. Vessels, vents, or plumbing pipes should be covered with wire mesh small enough to prevent access by adult mosquitoes. Even septic tanks can breed mosquitoes if cracks or gaps develop. Clean out gutters and drains so that they do not hold water.
Mosquito control tablets can be purchased for ponds and decorative outdoor water sources. These tablets contain bacteria that are toxic only to mosquito larvae.
Recently, genetically modified male mosquitoes have been released to stop mosquito breeding. The mosquitoes carry a lethal gene that produces offspring that do not mature. In Guangdong, China, scientists are releasing mosquitoes that are infected with Wolbachia bacteria. This bacterium is naturally found in about 25% of mosquitoes. It causes infected males to sterilize the females they mate with. If enough of these genetically modified mosquitoes could be released, the mosquito population could be demolished in an area.
