Reducing the number of mosquitoes in your surroundings
Reducing the number of mosquitoes in your surroundings
Reducing the number of mosquitoes in your surroundings is a good way to protect yourself from mosquito bites. Doing this helps prevent the transmission of certain infections, including the West Nile virus (WNV), the California serogroup (CSG) viruses and the Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus. To reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home, you can adopt a few simple measures.
Things to do
Standing water, or water that is stagnant, is the ideal setting for the reproduction of mosquitoes that may carry WNV, CSG or EEE viruses. To reduce the number of mosquitoes, eliminate standing water and keep your surroundings clean.
Eliminate standing water
Remove water or empty waste from buckets, barrels, plates under flowerpots, vases, old tires or all other outdoor objects that may contain water
Remove water that accumulates on pool covers
Clean the gutters of your house
Keep your surroundings clean
Cover garbage cans
Maintain your pool. The circulating water of a proper filtration system prevents mosquitoes from breeding there
Install a mosquito net on your rainwater reservoir
Change the water in your bird drinking trough regularly
Add fish that eat mosquito larvae in your ornamental pond
Spreading larvicides
The Gouvernement of Québec does not spread larvicides to control mosquitoes carrying WNV. This decision is based on the fact that no formal evidence exists of the efficacy of the larvicides used only to prevent human WNV infections. The application of personal protective measures against mosquito bites remains the best way to protect yourself.
Some municipalities spread larvicides to improve their citizens’ quality of life by reducing the presence of certain mosquitoes. However, such spreading does not have the purpose of preventing WNV.
