Prevention & Protection

Everyone can do their part to help prevent mosquito bites:

  • Apply insect repellent containing an EPA-registered active ingredient, including DEET, picaridin, repellent version of oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535, to clothes and exposed skin according to label instructions. Repellents keep mosquitoes from biting. It is important to follow EPA and CDC guidelines for the safe use of repellents on children.

  • Dress in long sleeves and pants, especially if outside at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes that can spread West Nile virus are most active.

  • Install screens on windows and doors and keep them in good repair to keep mosquitoes out of your home.

  • Eliminate all sources of standing water on your property, including in flowerpots, old tires, buckets, pet dishes, and trash cans. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in very small amounts of standing water.

  • Repair leaking faucets and broken sprinklers that can contribute to standing water around your home.

  • Clean rain gutters clogged with leaves.

Report neglected swimming pools and day-biting mosquitoes to your local mosquito and vector control agency (agency information can be found at www.mvcac.org)