How's it going?
We're halfway through the season and anecdotally, our efforts seem to be working!
Two recent posts on r/washingtondc asked where the city's mosquitoes went [1, 2]. There was a lot of community support for Itty Bitty in the comments, and it aligns with the encouraging stories we've been hearing directly. If you have time to reply to this email, I’d love to hear your personal anecdotes about more time outside, neighborhood comrades, or major standing water victories, etc. Feel free to share photos too!
All that said, it has also been a drier than normal summer, so we can't say yet how much of this is us.
Data can validate our work, and it can help us course correct or advocate for government action next year.
We are working with researchers to count mosquitoes in DC neighborhoods this fall, comparing blocks that organized against blocks that haven't. That comparison only works if we have a fuller picture of what's actually happening out there.
The Itty Bitty Portal is live! Join now →
Please take three minutes to add your traps, standing water, and trouble spots. You'll be connected to the neighbors on your block, and you can opt into reminders for when traps and dunks are due for a refresh.
We built the portal with privacy in mind. Your block sees your pins and everyone outside your block sees only scattered approximate points, never your address. We never sell your data and only collect what the program needs.
You'll also find:
- A getting-started guide, if you're not sure where to begin
- A way to report standing water to the city, and see the full extent of your battle zone (the tiger mosquito flight radius around your yard)
- Our running list of local deals, city services, and programs that make spray-free mosquito control cheaper and easier.
- Newest deal: Biogents made neighborhood Mosquitaire packs just for us. $610 for 5, $950 for 8.
The map is starting to get colorful, but only 240 of the 7,000 traps this community has ordered are on it. We have a ways to go!
One last thing
Check your GAT's sticky card. A lot of us have not been sliding it all the way through the slot in the black funnel to the edge of the clear dome, which makes it less effective.
Michelle
P.S. Please share this email and get your neighbors and friends to sign up! The more activity we log on the map, the more accurate our understanding of our impact!
