Emptying or removing these common sites of mosquito larvae prevents adult mosquitoes from developing.
Most of the mosquito complaints during the summer months in towns and cities are caused by mosquitoes coming from the artificial and natural container sites listed below. These sites are the responsibility of the home or property owner. Use the "TIP OR TOSS" method of management to prevent mosquito breeding in most containers:
Tip (or rinse) water from these containers at least once a week
Toss (take to landfill) any containers not needed. Be responsible!
Use the following checklist of containers that commonly hold water to eliminate mosquito breeding areas around your house.
- Buckets
- Cans
- Bottles
- Jars and their lids, particularly those used to root plants indoor and outdoors
- Toys, particularly plastics, including plastic jungle gyms
- Swimming and wading pools
- Tires
- Wagons and wheel barrows
- Cups
- Flower pots and saucers
- Bird baths
- Blocked gutters
- Plastic drain pipes
- Tree and root holes
- Plant leaf axils
- Tarps over wood piles
- Machinery: refrigerators, washers, freezers, junk autos and parts
- Air conditioner drain areas
- Hubcaps
- Ceramic bowls, old toilet and tubs
- Pipes in ground (upright)
- Pet water bowls
- Trash cans
- Cement ponds, pools, cisterns, catch basins, sump pits
- Flat roofs
- Boats and canoes
- Hot tubs
- Rain barrels
From a handout by Dr. Bruce Harrison, North Carolina Department of Public Health