Mosquito Control in Upper Marlboro, MD

Why is removing water more effective than spraying?

The state's guidance says spraying works against Asian tiger mosquitoes only a little, while removing or treating standing water cuts the larvae that would become biting adults. The breeding site is where control has to happen, so the plan starts there.

A spray reaches the adults that are in the air or resting at the moment it is applied. The next wave comes from larvae in water on the property or beside it, which is why a spray that deals with today's biters does little about next week's.

Removal is the step that lasts. Turning over a bucket, clearing a gutter or sealing a hole in a plastic tarp fold removes a breeding site for good, and the homeowner can keep doing it between visits.

Where water cannot be removed, larvicide is the next best step. It goes into the water rather than the air, which is why the technician looks for the containers that cannot be emptied before the plan is written.

Where do these mosquitoes breed around a Upper Marlboro home?

They breed in anything that holds rainwater for a few days, including small items most people do not count as containers. Yard toys, tarps, plant saucers, pet bowls and plastic gutter extensions are common sites, so the walk-through looks at the small things first.

A container does not need to be large. A bottle cap of water can host larvae, so the search covers things on the ground as well as the big items. Lids, folded tarps and the bottoms of planters are checked for pooled water after each rain.

Gutters are a frequent hidden site. A blocked gutter or a plastic extension that has filled and stalled can hold water all summer, and it is easy to miss from the ground.

Abandoned pools and rain barrels with loose lids are often the largest sources on a block, and they are usually out of the homeowner's view. They are the first thing a neighborhood walk should check.

• Toys, buckets, pet bowls and plant saucers
• Tarps, pool covers and folded plastic
• Gutters, gutter extensions and downspout outlets
• Rain barrels, abandoned pools and birdbaths

What can a homeowner do between visits?

Empty and store containers after rain, keep gutters clear and cover rain barrels with fine mesh. Those three steps do more over a season than any single treatment, and they keep the next visit short.

Turn containers over or store them under cover when they are not in use. A bucket left upright in the yard after a storm is the most common source a technician finds.

Check the gutters and downspouts after heavy rain in the warm months. A downspout that discharges into a low corner, or a plastic extension that has filled, can hold water that never drains.

Ask neighbors to do the same. A yard can be clear and still receive adults from a container next door, so the technician may point to a shared fence line on the next visit.

• Turn over or store containers after each rain
• Check gutters and downspouts after heavy storms
• Keep rain barrels covered with fine mesh