A mosquito breeding source is essentially any standing water that sits still for a few days, and it takes shockingly little. Anything from a clogged gutter or a plant saucer to a bottle cap, a tarp fold, or a pet bowl can become one.
When people picture mosquito breeding grounds, they think of ponds and swamps. But the truth is far more mundane and much closer to home. You need look no further than the everyday water that collects around a yard.
Mosquitoes need standing water to breed. It takes about five days to a week for mosquitoes to develop into biting adults. It doesn’t need to be clean water, or a big water source. It doesn’t even need to be a natural source. Even a bottle cap of water is enough for the invasive Aedes mosquito, common now in LA, to breed.
Around a typical yard, the usual culprits include clogged gutters and downspouts, plant saucers and pots, buckets, toys, wheelbarrows, tarps and their folds, trash and recycling lids, birdbaths, rain barrels, old tires, tree holes, clogged drains, low spots that puddle, and pet water bowls left outside. But again: a bottle cap is enough. So look for litter too.
For you, that means a simple habit can help you keep mosquitoes out of your yard. Walk through your yard at least weekly. Tip out, dry, or remove anything you find that holds water. Scrub containers you keep, since Aedes eggs tend to cling to the sides. Store anything that can collect water upside down. As for anything that needs to hold water like a birdbath or pet bowl, make sure you refresh the water regularly. Cutting these sources does more than almost anything else to reduce the mosquitoes you'll deal with.
If you're tired of a mosquito problem that seems to come from nowhere, Mosquito Squad of Los Angeles can help. Mosquito Squad pairs source-reduction guidance with a barrier treatment on the resting zones. This can help you to protect your yard with up to 90% reduction in mosquito activity on a recurring 21-day cycle.
