Eggs- 



Larva, or wiggler. 



When mosquitoes become abundant in and about the 

 home, the questions most often asked are : Where do 

 they come from? What can we do about them? 



Mosquitoes usually breed in standing water — dirty or 

 clean, salt or fresh. The eggs cannot hatch unless they 

 are laid on water or on places that later become flooded ; 

 the larvae (wigglers) cannot develop unless they have 

 water to live in. 



More than 100 kinds of mosquitoes occur in the United 

 States. The most troublesome kinds come from the 

 following habitats: Temporary rain pools, flooded areas, 

 irrigated pastures, salt marshes, and places around the 

 home where water collects such as tin cans, rain gutters, 

 and ponds. 1 



If mosquitoes are a problem where you live, the first 

 thing to do is to find and eliminate their breeding places. 

 Additional control measures consist in killing the larvae 

 and adults with an insecticide. 



A repellent applied to the skin or clothing protects 

 you from mosquito bites for several hours. 



ELIMINATE BREEDING PLACES 



Look for standing water on your property and elimi- 

 nate it wherever possible. 



• Remove all temporary water containers. 



• Flatten or dispose of tin cans. 



• Place discarded bicycle and automobile tires in places 

 where water cannot get into them. 



• Fill in tree holes with concrete. 



• See that cesspools, septic tanks, rain barrels, and tubs 

 in which water is stored are tightly covered. 



• Empty and thoroughly wash birdbaths and pans for 

 watering chicks at least once a week. 



• Clean out rain gutters. 



• Examine flat roofs after rains; be sure no water 

 remains on them. 



• Drain or fill in stagnant pools and swampy places. If 

 pools cannot be drained or filled in, remove debris and 

 floating vegetation. 



1 Following are the scientific names of some of the kinds that 

 breed in these habitats: Temporary rain pools: Aedes atlanticus, 

 A. vexans, A. infirmatus, A. canadensis, Psorophora confinnis. 

 Flooded areas: A. sticticus, A. vexans, A. dorsalis. Irrigated 

 pastures: A. nigromaculis, A. dorsalis, Culex tarsalis. Salt 

 marshes: A. sollicitans, A. taeniorhynchus, A. squamiger. 

 Standing water ajound homes: A. aegypti, C. quinquefasciatus, 

 C. pipiens. 



KILL THE LARVAE 



If you have standing water on your property that 

 cannot be eliminated, find out whether it contains 

 wigglers. Dip out some water with a can or cup. 

 Examine it carefully. If it contains wigglers, apply one 

 of the following insecticide sprays to the entire water 

 surface at the rate indicated : 



• 1 -percent emulsion or oil solution of DDT, chlordane, 

 toxaphene, TDE, or methoxychlor; 1 ounce per 100 

 square feet, or about 10 quarts per acre of water surface. 



• 0.5-percent emulsion or oil solution of gamma isomer 

 of BHC (lindane), dieldrin, or heptachlor; about 10 

 quarts per acre. 



The table on the right tells you how to prepare these 

 sprays. 



Use a small power sprayer to treat large areas of water 

 surface; use a compressed-air sprayer, or a knapsack, 

 garden, or hand sprayer to treat small areas. Adjust the 

 nozzle for a fine mist spray. Repeat treatment as needed, 

 or at weekly intervals. 



Sometimes it may be easier to dust the water surface. 

 Obtain a ready-mixed 5- or 10-percent DDT dust, and 

 apply it at the rate of 2 to 5 pounds of the mixed dust per 

 acre of water surface. 



You can also kill larvae by spreading kerosene, fuel oil, 

 or diesel oil on the water. If there is no vegetation, apply 

 at the rate of 2 to 4 ounces of oil per 100 square feet of 

 water surface, or 7 to 14 gallons per acre. If the area is 

 partially vegetated, apply oil at the rate of about 9 

 ounces per 100 square feet of water surface, or 30 gallons 

 per acre. Oil is usually not effective on heavily vegetated 

 areas; on these, use insecticide sprays. 



The control of larvae in fishponds, ornamental pools, 

 and low, swampy places requires special attention. Fol- 

 lowing are recommendations for treating such places. 



Fishponds and ornamental pools. — To kill mos- 

 quito larvae without poisoning fish and plants, spray a 

 very light mist of a pyrethrum oil solution. Pyrethrum 

 is available ready for use from insecticide dealers. 

 Note: Do not apply more than 1 ounce of spray per 100 

 square feet of water surface. 



Low, swampy areas. — Mosquitoes often lay eggs in 

 low, swampy areas and on moist soil or duff. If these 

 areas are flooded with rain or snow water, the eggs hatch. 



Spray such areas with a 5-percent DDT emulsion or 

 oil solution before they become flooded. Apply it at the 

 rate of 2 to 5 gallons per acre. Repeat treatment in 

 the late fall and early spring. 



KILL THE ADULTS 



Destroying mosquito larvae reduces the number of 

 mosquitoes about your property, but it may not solve 

 your entire problem. You may be attacked by mos- 

 quitoes from breeding places on neighboring property 

 or from marsh areas, irrigated pastures, ricefields, or 

 irrigation canals some distance away. 



If mosquitoes fly in from such places, you can gain 

 temporary relief by killing them with insecticide sprays. 



