Mosquito breeding water sources in Sacramento

A mosquito problem can start with water in a common yard item. Before you arrange mosquito control with us in Sacramento, check containers, then check places where irrigation water collects. A dry lawn does not tell you if a flowerpot saucer or covered bucket still holds water.

CDC recommends checking items that hold water every week. Empty and scrub containers where appropriate. Then turn over, cover or throw out items that would otherwise refill.

Examples from CDC are toys, buckets and flowerpot saucers. CDC’s mosquito control guidance

Where should you look around the patio?

Start with the objects you can safely pick up or check from the ground. Then work around the patio to the side yard and stored outdoor equipment.

UC IPM says to drain, fill or treat anything that can hold water for more than a few days. If an item has a lid, look at the lid. Check the container under it too.

These actions follow CDC’s container-water recommendations. Pick a day you will remember for the repeat check. If one saucer refills whenever you water, include it too.

Could irrigation or a blocked gutter be involved?

Yes. UC IPM says irrigation problems and debris that blocks water flow may add to mosquito breeding water.

Check for a leaking irrigation line. Also check any patch that stays pooled after watering has stopped.

UC IPM also says to clean roof gutters once a year and to keep litter and garden debris out of street gutters and drains. UC IPM’s mosquito guide

Do not try to fix everything on the same walk: write down the spot, for example “water remains beside the rear planter after the morning irrigation cycle”, so a maintenance person knows where and when to check.

Do not climb onto a roof just to look at a gutter, and write down what you can see safely from below.

Will treating adult mosquitoes solve it?

UC IPM says outdoor insecticide may reduce adult mosquitoes for a short time. For longer-term control, UC IPM says to deal with what produces them.

Ask what water sources have been found. Ask how they will be handled along with any treatment. UC IPM

If water cannot be emptied or covered, CDC lists larvicides as an option in the right situations. Larvicides are products that kill mosquito larvae in water, but the right product depends on how the water is used, and the label says how to apply it.

Ask for advice about the specific water source, and do not add a product to a drain or container you have not identified. CDC

Who handles a suspected source beyond your yard?

The Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control District takes requests about mosquito problems. It also takes reports of neglected swimming pools. Its service page explains how a mosquito specimen can help staff name the species.

If you suspect a nearby neglected pool, use the district’s service request page or call 1-800-429-1022. The district lists that line as Monday to Friday, 7am to 3:30pm. You do not need to go onto someone else’s property to check.

For help with your own property, look at our mosquito control service. We also provide pest control in West Sacramento. Our pest control services in Sacramento cover other household pest concerns.

Call 916-818-3863, Monday through Saturday, 7am to 6pm. Tell us where you are noticing mosquitoes. Add what standing water you found during the yard check.