To prevent mosquito bites while outdoors, use EPA registered repellents safely and effectively, wear long-sleeve shirts and pants, and, if possible, avoid being outdoors during peak mosquito activity. The best way to keep you and your family safe from mosquito bites and mosquito-borne diseases is to eliminate mosquito breeding sites on your property and in your neighborhood. The following are ideas for what you can do as an individual, or a community organization, to prevent these mosquitoes from breeding and thriving in your neighborhood.

Structural improvements:

·  Install or repair door and window screens.

·  Do not leave doors and windows open without a screen.

Around the house:

The key is to remove any standing water, which is central to the reproductive lifecycle of mosquitoes.

·  Monitor, scrub, empty, or toss away containers that hold water, like flowerpot saucers, buckets, used tires, and water dishes for pets and livestock.

·  Do not overwater your flowerpots and garden.

·  Scrub, clean, or overturn flowerpot saucers. If possible, do not use saucers – keep flowerpots were drainage does not cause stains.

·  Scrub and clean birdbaths routinely (weekly is ideal – but attention is most important during summer months).

·  Keep swimming pools clean and clear of leaf litter.

·  Clean, turn-over, or throw away used tires, wheelbarrows, livestock watering troughs, toys, trash, or any container that holds water.

·  Do not store water in open containers. Tightly cover the buckets with lids or wire mesh with holes smaller than adult mosquitoes.

·  Repair cracks and gaps in a septic tank and cover vent and plumbing pipes with mesh.

·  Use larvicides to kill mosquito larvae when standing water cannot be appropriately managed and is not used for drinking water.

·  Keep “mosquito-fish” in garden ponds or pools (where chlorine is not added). We can provide fish upon request (661-589-2745). If the swimming pool contains algae or debris to the extent that the bottom cannot be seen or if the pool emits an offensive odor, you should contact the appropriate city or county Code Compliance Department.

         - Unmaintained swimming pools can produce thousands of mosquitoes which can affect an entire neighborhood and must be reported to the District.

        - We will inspect the pool and apply an insecticide and/or stock the pool with mosquito-fish. There is no charge for this service.

       - Our treatment will not change the color of pool water – it will remain green – but mosquito- breeding will be controlled.

Community members' help in eliminating mosquito breeding sources (standing water) is extremely important because mosquito populations are developing resistance to insecticides, making chemical control less effective.