Mosquito season is coming

ALREADY HERE!

Hurry up and ACT before they EAT US ALIVE!!!

Spraying doesn't work. These five things do. The more you can do, the more effective we all are.

  • Mosquitoes need only a bottle cap of standing water to breed — and they can complete their entire larval cycle in about a week, even less when it's hot.

    Walk your yard once a week and tip, toss, or drain anything holding water. Some repeat offenders:

    • Trash and recycling bins. Dump what collects at the bottom, particularly after a storm. Or drill small drainage holes in the bottom

    • Yard toys. Slides, toy cars, water tables, kiddie pools all collect water.

    • Tarps, furniture and grill covers. Those little folds in the fabric are mosquito heaven. Give it a quick shake.

    • Planter saucers and empty pots. Tip out any extra water, or ditch the saucers entirely. You don't need them outside

    • Big-leafed plants. Some leaves cup and hold enough water to create little mosquito apartments

  • Some water sources are permanent — ponds, rain barrels, catch basins. Standing water you can't empty needs to be treated with BTi (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis): a naturally occurring soil bacteria that kills mosquito larvae and nothing else. Harmless to people, pets, birds, fish, and pollinators.

    Two products, both widely available at Ace, Home Depot, and Lowe's for ~$10-15:

    • Mosquito Dunks (donut-shaped) — drop one into any standing water you can't empty: rain barrels, ornamental ponds, large planters, fountains. One dunk treats 100 sq ft for 30 days

    • Mosquito Bits (granules) — faster acting, good for smaller or harder-to-reach spots; needs more frequent reapplication

    Mark your calendar when you treat. A Dunk lasts 30 days — don't let it lapse.

    Street-side catch basins are some of the highest-volume breeding sites on the Hill and the city largely isn't treating them. Mosquito Bits are the best option for basins — sprinkle them in, reapply regularly.

    • Have a catch basin on your block? Sprinkle in some Bits. That's it — you've adopted it.

    • Want to coordinate catch basin treatment for your whole block? Block captains are mapping and treating catch basins street by street across DC. [Find your block captain or become one→]

  • Traps work best once you've dealt with other standing water nearby — fewer competing breeding sites means more mosquitoes drawn to the trap.

    • Bucket of Doom — A bucket of water treated with BTi. Mosquitoes lay eggs, larvae hatch, larvae die. Built from stuff you probably already own — just add BTi. The lowest-barrier way to get started, but doesn't catch adults.

    • GAT (Biogents Autocidal Gravid Ovitrap) — Mimics a breeding site to lure egg-laying females onto a sticky card. No chemicals, no electricity, safe around kids and pets. The committee has negotiated a group discount for Capitol Hill residents — $50 for 2, $250 for 12, plus discounted sticky card refills. Start here.

    • Mosquitaire — Electric-powered trap that captures biting adults — the ones already coming for you. $150 for 1, $250 for 2, plus SweetScent sachets (Biogents' charmingly B.O.-scented lure, also discounted for us). Performance improves significantly with CO2 added.

    Full trap guide including placement tips, CO2 setup, and the group discount order link →

  • If your yard is clean and your neighbor's gutters are full, you're still getting bitten — and vice versa. Coordinated blocks are dramatically more effective than individual households going it alone.

    Easy ways to spread the word:

    • Forward this page — most people don't know a bottle cap of water is enough to breed mosquitoes. The link does the explaining

    • Mention it in passing — "have you heard about the itty bitty mosquito committee?" is enough to plant a seed

    • Post to your listserv or neighborhood group — that's how this whole thing started. One post, 1,400 households in a week. Copy/paste this if it helps:

    Hey neighbors — has anyone else noticed how bad mosquitoes have gotten? There's a grassroots effort on the Hill focused on spray-free prevention and I think it's worth checking out: ittybittymosquitocommittee.org

    • Connect with your block captain — they've got the latest scoop and are coordinating catch basin treatment and trap coverage on your block. [Find your block captain →]

    • Become a block captain — we have 100+ across DC and always need more. [Volunteer →]

  • Some of the most common landscaping plants on Capitol Hill create exactly the shaded, moist conditions tiger mosquitoes love — or worse, collect standing water directly. Swapping them for natives supports the birds, dragonflies, and bats that eat mosquitoes naturally.

    This is the lowest-urgency item on the list — tossing and treating matters more — but if you're doing a garden refresh anyway, start here:

    • English Ivy → Golden Ragwort. Ivy's dense year-round ground cover keeps soil cool and moist, ideal resting conditions for tiger mosquitoes. Golden ragwort provides similar ground cover, blooms yellow in spring, and supports pollinators instead of pests

    • Invasive Honeysuckle → Coral Honeysuckle. Invasive honeysuckle creates shaded, moist thickets mosquitoes love. Coral honeysuckle climbs just as well, blooms red and orange, and attracts hummingbirds instead

    • Bamboo → Switchgrass. Bamboo's hollow stalks collect standing water with no easy way to drain; each one a potential breeding ground. Switchgrass provides similar height and privacy screening without the problem, and supports native birds and insects

    Biodiversity is the real goal — there is no single magic plant. [Xerces Society Mid-Atlantic native plants guide →]