The National Pest Management Association, a trade group, defends backyard spraying, citing its importance in controlling mosquito- and tick-borne diseases.
“Trained pest control professionals understand each property's specific challenges and have the expertise needed to develop targeted plans that effectively reduce mosquito and tick populations while minimizing impacts to non-target insects and the environment,” the association said in a statement. For example, technicians can avoid treating areas around flowering plants that attract pollinators.
Besides sprays, there are other devices like bug killers that lure and kill flying insects, but research has shown that they almost always kill the wrong insects.
There are also tabletop and clip-on products that diffuse or release insecticides. Although one study found that such devices do not harm bees, the Xerces Society discourages their use due to concerns that they may affect native bees and other insects.
Meet the “Bucket of Doom”
You probably already know step one in mosquito control: eliminate standing water, where mosquito larvae hatch and grow.
Clogged drains, pipes and flower pots are some of the main culprits people tend to overlook, says Amy Coad, pesticide program director for the Xerces Society.
And she urges neighbors to pitch in: Effective mosquito prevention is a community effort.
Going a step further, conservation groups recommend a method called the “bucket of doom”: Fill a bucket with water, add a bit of hay or straw for extra insecticidal properties, then fill it with a dunk of mosquito repellent, available at any hardware store, which contains bacteria that kills mosquito and other aquatic fly larvae with minimal additional effectiveness.
(In theory, you could attract mosquitoes without soaking them and simply spray water on the pavement to kill the larvae. But as Dr. Tallamy points out, this method can be done with caution: “If you delay for a couple of days, you could have 10,000 mosquitoes.”)
Dunking also works well in many areas where standing water cannot be removed.