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Is Your Family Pet a Mosquito?

Office of Public Affairs
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 551
Fairfax, VA 22035-0065
703-324-3187, TTY 703-324-2935, FAX 703-324-2010

June 30, 2003

 

Is Your Family Pet a Mosquito?

Chances are, most people would deny keeping mosquitoes as pets. But they might want to think again. A good pet owner provides a comfortable home for their pet, feeds it regularly and makes sure any babies have a safe place to grow and develop. Homeowners who don't eliminate standing water around their property and take no precautions to protect themselves from being bitten when they are outdoors are creating the perfect environment for mosquitoes to breed and thrive.

Check the following to make sure you are not providing a good home for mosquitoes in your yard:

• Discard cans and containers, store them inside or turn them upside down.
  
• Store old tires where they can't collect rainwater.
  
• Clean out leaves and debris blocking and holding water in roof gutters.
  
• Clean and change the water in bird baths every five to seven days.
  
• Change water regularly in wading pools and turn them over when not in use.
  
• Cover canoes and boats with a tight-fitting tarp or turn upside down.
  
• Stock ornamental ponds with small fish.
  
• Empty water from toys, wheelbarrows, wagons, unused hot tubs, rain barrels, flat roofs, plastic drain pipes and in-ground pipes.
  
• Treat standing water that cannot be drained with a mosquito larvicide to keep mosquitoes from breeding. Residents may only apply larvicides on their own property.
  
• Tightly cover unused swimming pools or treat standing water in an unused pool with a larvicide.

Mosquitoes thrive on the blood they eat from their victims. Follow these precautions to avoid being bitten by a mosquito:

• Wear long, loose, light-colored clothing outdoors.
  
• Use insect repellent products with no more than 35 percent DEET for adults and less than 10 percent for children. Avoid using DEET on infants.
  
• Make sure windows and door screens fit tightly and are in good repair.
  
• Use yellow bug lights for outdoor lighting.

Make sure you don't have an unwelcome family pet in your back yard. For more information on mosquito management, call the Health Department at 703-246 2300, TTY 703-591-6435 or visit the county Web site at www.fairfaxcounty.gov.

 

 

 

FAIRFAX COUNTY IS COMMITTED TO A POLICY OF NONDISCRIMINATION IN ALL COUNTY PROGRAMS, SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES AND WILL PROVIDE REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS UPON REQUEST. TO REQUEST SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS, CALL 703-324-3187 OR TTY-703-324-2935. PLEASE ALLOW FIVE WORKING DAYS IN ADVANCE OF EVENTS IN ORDER TO MAKE THE NECESSARY ARRANGEMENTS