Female mosquitoes fly in looking to lay eggs, but a screen prevents them from actually depositing eggs. Versions of this trap often look like a bucket with a bit of water and hay inside. Researchers at the CDC designed a low-tech trap known as an autocidal gravid ovitrap (AGO trap) to specifically target Aedes species, which often breed in buckets or old tires in backyards. Once in those traps, the mosquitoes can’t escape-and they die. Others lure the bugs that are seeking out a blood meal (like you) with an attractant like carbon dioxide, which simulates breathing. Depending on the trap, mosquitoes are trapped before they can lay eggs, or they lay eggs in a solution that can kill the eggs or larvae before they become adults. Some create environments that mosquitoes might fly into to try to lay their eggs. The best traps are ones that target mosquitoes specifically, not bugs or flying insects in general, according to Buckner, Healy, and Markowski. Because mosquitoes can enter a yard from any direction, however, it’s unlikely that a trap will capture all of them, Markowski says. Mosquito traps and lures target adult mosquitoes that are already out, flying around, and looking for a meal. But even without that information, these strategies are effective on a variety of common biters in the U.S., especially in the mosquito-prone areas of the South, East Coast, and Midwest. If you don’t know what’s bothering you, ask your local mosquito control district for information about mosquitoes in your area (and the diseases they’re known to spread), Markowski says. Some of the same household control measures will also have an impact on populations of several Culex mosquito species, including the Northern and Southern house mosquitoes, which are known to enter homes and can spread West Nile, Buckner says. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a list online of where in the U.S. These mosquitoes often bite during the day, especially in the early morning and late afternoon or evening, and often bite people around the ankles, according to Buckner. These include several Aedes species, including Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, which can spread Zika, chikungunya, and dengue. Search for your state or local department online, or check with your local health department.īut homeowners can have a big impact on some of the mosquitoes that breed in small containers, often in backyards, and are known disease spreaders. You’d be better off contacting your local mosquito control district, department, or agency. In a place where mosquitoes primarily breed in swamps or floodwaters, there’s probably little that the average homeowner can do to reduce local populations with traps, lures, or home and yard maintenance, Healy says. Still, you can significantly reduce the risk of being bitten by at least some of these pests by using an integrated approach, targeting mosquitoes at various stages of their life cycle, and taking a variety of steps to protect yourself. Zappers aren’t the only option. There are tools you can use to help manage mosquito populations, but there’s no one home product that can eliminate all mosquitoes, says Kristin Healy, PhD, an associate professor of entomology at Louisiana State University and president of the American Mosquito Control Association. Instead, they’re likely to kill insects that are important pollinators or serve other helpful functions, says Eva Buckner, PhD, a medical entomology specialist at the University of Florida’s Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory. Research indicates that only a minuscule fraction of the bugs they kill are mosquitoes. “When you’re hearing your bug zapper go all night, it’s killing moths and midges and beetles, beneficial good insects, and very few if any mosquitoes at all,” he says.ĭevices that rely on light or heat are indiscriminate bug killers.
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