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Homeowner's Guide to Mosquito Control 

Homeowners can play a vital role in protecting their residences and businesses from mosquitoes and their associated diseases.  This video can show you how. 

Florida Keys Homeowners Guide from Fl Keys Mosquito Control Dist on Vimeo.

Review the transcript of the video.

Certain types of mosquitoes such as the invasive Aedes aegypti have evolved to live and reproduce almost exclusively around humans.

Female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes need blood to reproduce (like most mosquitoes).  In urban neighborhoods she has everything she needs:  people to bite and literally thousands of small, fresh water holding containers where she can deposit her eggs.

Mosquito eggs have the ability to remain dormant for months before coming into contact with water and hatching into larvae.

Once this happens, it only takes approximately a week for them to grow into adults themselves and repeat the cycle.  The length of the larval cycle can vary greatly with ambient temperature. As a general rule of thumb, the warmer the weather, the faster mosquito larvae develop into flying adults. 

In order to keep the number of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes at a manageable level, it is essential that residents take an active role in the process by walking around their respective homes and/or businesses and dump any standing water at least once per week. 

As always, you can make a service request to have a trained inspector visit your own property to help identify and eliminate habitats for any type of mosquito.

Here is a list of potential mosquito habitats in your own yard. Check the photo gallery for 'hot spots' that have been identified by trained FKMCD inspectors. Remember, just a small amount of water in any type of container is an open invitation for a female mosquito ready to lay her eggs. 

  • Uncovered Trash Cans
  • Uncovered Buckets
  • Storage Bins (Check the Lids!)
  • Boats/Personal Watercraft
  • Tarps (Check the Folds!)
  • Fountains/Bird Baths
  • Debris Piles
  • Old pools/hot tubs
  • Air Conditioning Drip Trays
  • Clogged Cutters
  • Water Holding Plants 

 

Check out the photos below that show common hot spots for domestic mosquitoes: 

Person in mosquito control gear with a bucket, outside near decorative flamingos.
Open, upright buckets and prime mosquto breeding locations.
Two individuals wearing hard hats and reflective vests are inspecting a cluttered outdoor area with various items and foliage.
Anything that can hold rain water or irrigation water has the potential to create a mosquito habitat in the yard.
A person with a hat is tending to a garden pond surrounded by tropical foliage and brick paving near a building.
Any plant that holds water is an ideal location for mosquitos.
A person showing a bird banding tool outside near vehicles and vegetation.
FKMCD field inspectors use a small dipper to help locate and identify mosquito larvae.
Two people in mosquito control attire inspecting a tire.
Tires are tempting to save because they are difficult to move around and have potential to be re-used, but they are ideal mosquito habitaats.
A person in a cap waters a large succulent or bromeliad in a gravel garden using a ladle.
Bromeliads are beautiful and easy to grow but prolific mosquito producers!
Buckets filled with assorted garden tools, rakes, hoses, and brushes piled together.
Buckets are always inviting for mosquitos.
An outdoor scene with a clutter of items: a black container, leaves, a packet, and hoses.
Even the smallest amount of water can produce mosquitos.
A person pours liquid from a white container into a jar, wearing black gloves outdoors.
Mosquito larvae is often sent back to the FKMCD lab for further testing and identification.
A person in a cap is seated, holding a plastic jar, with a red bucket nearby, beside a wall and metal sheets.
FKMCD field inspectors are trained to locate, identify and eliminate mosquito larvae.
Person cleaning a kayak with a cup and stick, collecting dirty water.
Even covered watercraft manage to accumulate rain water.
A red toy car with a blue handle on a gravel surface surrounded by leaves.
Yard Toys are a mosquito favorite.
Two people outdoors collecting a sample with a scoop. A flamingo decoration and a window are in the background.
FKMCD Inspectors identifying larvae in a Key Largo Yard.
A person kneels beside a red kayak on a stand, holding a tool. There's a large propane tank in the background.
The harder it is to get to, the more likely it is to be filled with larvae.
A blue ceramic pot, a vial labeled "MK 158," and a blue bulb dropper on a concrete slab.
Any water feature that does not pump water is prone for mosquito breeding.
Person in mosquito control gear with a bucket, outside near decorative flamingos.
Two individuals wearing hard hats and reflective vests are inspecting a cluttered outdoor area with various items and foliage.
A person with a hat is tending to a garden pond surrounded by tropical foliage and brick paving near a building.
A person showing a bird banding tool outside near vehicles and vegetation.
Two people in mosquito control attire inspecting a tire.
A person in a cap waters a large succulent or bromeliad in a gravel garden using a ladle.
Buckets filled with assorted garden tools, rakes, hoses, and brushes piled together.
An outdoor scene with a clutter of items: a black container, leaves, a packet, and hoses.
A person pours liquid from a white container into a jar, wearing black gloves outdoors.
A person in a cap is seated, holding a plastic jar, with a red bucket nearby, beside a wall and metal sheets.
Person cleaning a kayak with a cup and stick, collecting dirty water.
A red toy car with a blue handle on a gravel surface surrounded by leaves.
Two people outdoors collecting a sample with a scoop. A flamingo decoration and a window are in the background.
A person kneels beside a red kayak on a stand, holding a tool. There's a large propane tank in the background.
A blue ceramic pot, a vial labeled "MK 158," and a blue bulb dropper on a concrete slab.