A Resident’s Guide to Mosquito Control in Birmingham
Birmingham Department of Public Works provides a mosquito control program to keep mosquito populations manageable and to make outdoor life more comfortable and safe for our residents. The department makes an effort to spray neighborhoods once a week, starting around the springtime.
How mosquitoes are treated in Birmingham
The vast majority of mosquitoes come out at dusk and remain active for several hours. This is the optimum time to spray and try to control adult mosquitoes. The City of Birmingham will spray an ultra-low volume (mist) of product formulated to work with a mosquito’s biology. Very small droplets are required to be effective on mosquitoes. How much is it? Less than a tablespoon of product is applied per acre.
While this does not kill all the mosquitoes at any given time, spraying on a periodic basis, also known as providing adulticide treatments, is the best way to control the mosquito population. The products the Department of Public Works uses are reviewed and registered by the U.S. EPA.
Questions about the city’s mosquito control program? Visit www.birminghamal.gov/mosquitocontrol or call 311.
The city’s mosquito control program includes three elements:
- Source identification and reduction – Discovering, monitoring and eliminating breeding sites
- Larval control – Treating standing water where mosquitoes lay eggs to control them before they hatch and become adults
- Adult control – Spraying mosquitoes during their peak activity hours to suppress nuisance populations
SOURCE REDUCTION
Mosquitoes lay eggs in water, which then develop into mosquito larvae over a period of several days. These “wigglers” can often be found in old swimming pools, birdbaths, rain barrels, cisterns, tires and other containers that collect rainwater.
Mosquito control involves inspecting sites for these breeding areas and draining them or treating them.
What Can You Do to Reduce Breeding Sites?
Inspect your property and drain any standing water. Since mosquitos can hatch in just 5 days, change the water in birdbaths or kiddie pools every 2-3 days. Why? For example, the mosquito that can transmit the Zika virus, can lay eggs in very small amounts of water. It can be as little as a bottle cap! They like flowerpot trays, drains, gutters and other small containers, as well as birdbaths and kiddie pools.
LARVAL CONTROL
Accessible standing water that cannot be drained is treated with biological larvicides to kill the mosquito larvae before they hatch and bite. (Keep in mind that only the females bite). Larvicides can be found in storm drains, ditches, woodland pools and other areas that might breed mosquitoes. These larvicides are formulated and applied at rates to control mosquitoes and do not pose a risk to humans or pets.
ADULT CONTROL
The vast majority of mosquitoes come out at dusk and remain active for several hours. This is the optimum time to make applications to control adult mosquitoes. The City of Birmingham will spray an ultra-low volume (mist) of a product formulated to work with a mosquito’s biology. Very small droplets are required to be effective on mosquitoes. How much is it? Less than a tablespoon of product is applied per acre.
While this does not kill all the mosquitoes at any given time, this has been shown to keep mosquito populations lowered to prevent mosquito-transmitted diseases like West Nile and Zika.
The products the Department of Public Works uses are reviewed and registered by the U.S. EPA, specifically for public health use.
What Can You Do to Prevent Mosquito Bites?
- Keep garage doors closed, fix broken screens and doors, and use air conditioning when possible.
- Wear CDC-recommended mosquito repellent during daylight and evening hours. These include products with DEET, picaridin, IR-3535 and oil of lemon eucalyptus.
- Wear long sleeves and long pants when mosquitoes are active.
- Avoid outdoor activities at dusk and dawn.
What Can You Do to Eliminate Larvae?
If you have standing water that cannot be drained, contact the City of Birmingham Public Works Department at 311 to have your property inspected and treated.
What Birmingham Residents Should Know About Mosquito-Borne Diseases
Zika Virus
The Zika virus is a mosquito-borne disease. The Zika virus can cause fever, rash, joint pain and if a pregnant woman contracts Zika, her baby may be born with birth defects.
The Zika virus can be transmitted 5 ways:
- Mosquito to human
- Infected human to mosquito
- Infected mother to fetus
- Infected male to a sexual partner
- Blood transfusion from an infected person
West Nile Virus
West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne disease that can cause meningitis, fever and death.
