Vector Control: A Global Topic That Starts At Home

Only one thing can ruin a beautiful summer day spent outside. Mosquitoes. These airborne, nagging insects can be controlled through various practices, both professionally and at home. While the average citizen may not have the tools to execute mass mosquito control protocols, there are small actions that can be completed at home that will reduce the prevalence of mosquitoes surrounding your domicile. But first, let’s set some guidelines as to what vector control really is.

Per the CDC, vector control is defined as any method to limit or eradicate the mammals, birds, insects or other arthropods which transmit disease pathogens. A vector is any of the above mentioned animals that carry and transmit disease-provoking pathogens. While vector control is not limited to mosquitoes, mosquito control is the most frequent type of vector control. For mosquitoes, there are four main domains within vector control. Said four domains are anti larval measures, anti adult measures, protection against mosquito bites, and legislative control. As one can deduct from the names of these domains, anti larval measures tackle mosquito populations that have not been born yet, which is a more preventative protocol. Anti adult measures attempt to regulate already-existing mosquitoes that can still reproduce and spread pathogens. The last two domains are pretty self explanatory, as the third domain focuses on protection against mosquito bites and legislative control implements civic laws to regulate mosquito populations. Anti larval measures are comprised of environmental, chemical, and biological controls. Anti adult measures, on the other hand, consist of space sprays, residual sprays, and genetic control.

The above graphic may look like a typical home, but in reality this space is a breeding highway for mosquitoes. I’ll be taking you through every potential breeding site for mosquitoes in this image that can be easily reversed. To begin, we see open trash cans and an uncovered boat right next to each other in the upper left side of the image. These two objects may gather standing water after a rain, and mosquitoes only need a quarter inch of standing water to reproduce successfully. A simple boat cover and closing of the garbage can lids can reduce the prevalence of mosquitoes on your property. Moving down the image, we see a clogged gutter system. Typically clogged with organic material and some water, gutters are another example of prime real estate for mosquitoes to breed. Regular gutter cleanings can eliminate this. We then move to pet food/water bowls, which should be emptied as regularly as possible to nix the chance of mosquitoes breeding. On the rightmost side of the image, we see a neglected pool, pond, wagon, and tire swing. I’m sure you can already tell where this is heading. All of these areas can collect stagnant, standing water. On a similar front, all of these objects should be properly managed and emptied when necessary to void said items of potential breeding sites for mosquitoes. As for the neglected pool, the Montgomery County Health Department regularly does pool water testing, which is the first step to getting your pools back in order if they are on the lesser side of the maintenance spectrum.

As mentioned above, all of these at-home practices are relatively simple and can lengthen the amount of time you and your family can spend enjoying the summer months outside without the risk of vector borne illnesses. So, clean out your gutters and have a great summer!