Block Captains
The Block Captain handbook.
Everything from setup to troubleshooting, at whatever pace works for you.
Introduction
Welcome, and thank you for stepping up. Block Captains are the backbone of this whole effort. Mosquito control only works at scale, and that scale starts at the block level.
Being a Block Captain is a choose-your-own-adventure role. The bare minimum (being a friendly point of contact on your block) is genuinely valuable on its own. Everything else is optional, stackable, and doable at whatever pace works for you.
You don’t have to go it alone. If the role feels like a lot, recruit a neighbor to co-lead, or hand off specific tasks (catch basin patrol, trap coordination, block comms) to someone with the time and interest. A block can have more than one captain.
The goal is coverage, not perfection.
Phase 1: Get set up
When you sign up, your portal account has everything you need: the ordering discount, the community chat invite, and the resource library.
Find your block in the portal and confirm it’s correctly shown. Something off? Email us.
Check the map to see who’s covering nearby blocks and reach out. Splitting trap packs, pooling orders for free shipping, and teaming up on catch basin reporting are all easier with a neighbor.
Phase 2: Launch your block
Personalize an intro letter (templates are available to block captains in the portal), print it, and drop it in mailboxes. If your block has a group chat or listserv, share it there too.
Press coverage makes a good icebreaker, too. Point curious neighbors to the Media page.
If there’s no group yet, start one. A WhatsApp group goes a long way. You don’t need everyone. Even a partial group is useful.
Traps work best distributed across the block rather than clustered in one yard. Coordinate a group order using the community discount in your portal account. Neighboring captains may want to split neighborhood packs too.
- Aim for 4–8 Mosquitaires spread across the block, plus GATs for properties in between.
- Order extra sticky cards and lure. You’ll go through them faster than you expect.
- Not everyone will want a trap, and that’s fine. Tossing and treating are the most important part. If neighbors skip traps, encourage a Bucket of Doom, but make sure they know it needs regular maintenance or it becomes a breeding ground.
Damaged lids, cracked bins, open cans before a storm: trash cans are one of the most overlooked breeding sites on the block. More on what to do →
- Keep lids closed before rain.
- After a storm, walk the block and dump any standing water in bins.
- Can’t face dumping garbage water? Drop some Bits in the bottom instead.
- Damaged bin or lid? The owner has to submit the 311 request. If it gets closed without anyone coming out, let us know.
Catch basins, telecom vaults, and sidewalk grates are some of the highest-volume breeding sites on the Hill, and most go unreported. Walk your block and check for standing water. Hear a splash when you drop a pebble? See your reflection through a grate? Report it →
DC Health treats these with larvicides when they receive complaints. Every report builds the case for properly resourcing this work.
Phase 3: Build momentum
A second touch goes a long way. People are busy, and a friendly reminder isn’t annoying. “Hey, did you see my note about the mosquito thing?” is enough. If you have a trap set up, offer to show them in person.
Take a mental inventory of where traps are on your block. Nudge neighbors who haven’t ordered yet, and remind anyone skipping traps to set up a Bucket of Doom instead. Coverage spread across the block beats a cluster in one yard every time.
Phase 4: Maintain
A monthly group chat message is enough: sticky cards need replacing every 2 weeks (sooner if they’re filling up), lure lasts about 8 weeks, GAT traps need water topped up and checked for larvae. Easy to set and forget without a nudge.
Do a periodic sweep and submit new reports for basins you haven’t flagged yet or that look untreated. DC Health only acts on submitted complaints, so reporting throughout the season matters. Report standing water →
After significant rain, nudge the group to dump any standing water in bins. A pre-storm reminder to close lids takes 30 seconds.
People move in, traps break, life happens. A quick scan every few weeks keeps coverage from quietly slipping. New neighbors are often the most receptive, since they’re still in getting-to-know-the-block mode.
Pass along newsletter updates and events to your block group. Low effort, and it keeps neighbors feeling part of something bigger.
Phase 5: Expand
Check the map in the portal for gaps near you. The best recruits are often the neighbors who’ve already been most engaged: people who jumped on traps early or asked the most questions.
Alleys, dumpster areas, community gardens, shared green spaces: often overlooked, often significant. They just need someone to take informal ownership.
We haven’t cracked this one yet. If you’ve had a productive conversation with a building manager, church facilities contact, or business owner, we want to hear how you did it. Help us build out this playbook: hello@ittybittymosquitocommittee.org
Data, comms, outreach, logistics: if you have skills or bandwidth beyond your block, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch →
Glossary
TrapsA trap that uses a SweetScent lure to attract and capture adult mosquitoes. Optionally runs on CO₂ for stronger pull. Replace the lure every ~8 weeks and empty the catch bag at least every 8 weeks, more often in peak season.
A water-filled trap that lures egg-laying female Aedes mosquitoes onto a sticky card. Comes in 2-packs and 12-packs. Top up the water and swap the sticky card every ~2 weeks.
A DIY trap: a dark bucket filled with water, organic material, and Bti. Effective but maintenance-dependent. A neglected one becomes a breeding ground, so make sure neighbors who set one up know what they’re committing to.
A naturally occurring soil bacteria that kills mosquito larvae and a few close relatives, like black flies. Harmless to people, pets, birds, fish, and beneficial insects. The active ingredient in Dunks and Bits.
Donut-shaped Bti discs. Drop one into a rain barrel or any standing water feature you can’t empty. Effective for ~30 days. Available at Jenks, Ace, Lowe’s, and Home Depot (~$10–15).
Bti in granule form. Use where a Dunk won’t fit: gutters, drains, planter saucers, the bottom of trash cans. Need more frequent reapplication than Dunks.
A lure sachet used with Mosquitaires. Mimics the scent cues host-seeking female mosquitoes look for. Lasts about 8 weeks.
The yellow fever mosquito. Present in DC but less common than albopictus. An invasive species and one of the primary targets of our trapping effort. An established, overwintering population has been documented in DC since at least 2011, one of the only known populations north of its typical Gulf Coast range. Potential vector for dengue, chikungunya, and Zika. Daytime biter, container breeder.
The Asian tiger mosquito (look for the white stripe down its back). The most common biting mosquito in our area and the one you’re most likely to encounter. An invasive species and primary target of our trapping effort. Daytime biter, container breeder, with a short flight range of about 300 feet from where it hatched, which is why block-level action works.
The common house mosquito. Breeds in larger standing water: catch basins, storm drains, neglected bird baths. Primary vector for West Nile virus in DC. Active at dusk and overnight.
Underground structures that collect and hold standing water, often for weeks at a time. Some of the highest-volume breeding sites on the Hill and easy to walk past without noticing.
Troubleshooting
Don’t push. Acknowledge their concern, leave the door open, and move on. Coverage doesn’t require unanimity. A skeptical neighbor who sees results next season often comes around on their own.
Don’t argue, just redirect. “I get it, I wanted to do that too, but I read something that changed my mind” is enough of an opening. The Why not spray? page does the heavy lifting. If they’re set on it, let it go. A spraying neighbor is still a neighbor.
Overgrown planters, neglected water features, tarps that collect water, a birdbath that never gets emptied: any of these can undermine a lot of the work happening on the block. Framing it around shared suffering tends to work better than anything that sounds like an inspection. Offer to help if you have a friendly relationship. Sometimes people just don’t know.
If a direct conversation isn’t an option (difficult relationship, absentee owner, rental property), report it to DC Health. They can’t treat private property, but they can inspect and issue a citation to the owner. Report it →
Report it to DC Health with the address, a description, and photos if you can get them. They can inspect and, if conditions warrant, issue a citation to the property owner. Report it → The form keeps us in the loop, so there’s a paper trail on our end.
A proactive mention to anyone setting one up goes a long way: “These work great but they need attention every couple of weeks or they backfire.” A periodic group chat reminder normalizes the maintenance without singling anyone out. If one has already turned, offer to help reset it with fresh Bti.
Check placement first: shaded spots with some airflow, ideally under vegetation, not in full sun. Make sure the lure is still active and the sticky card isn’t full. Then look for competing breeding sources nearby. A single neglected catch basin, an overflowing planter, or an untreated water feature can sustain a surprising number of mosquitoes. If everything looks right, check in with neighboring captains. A fresh set of eyes might spot something obvious.
It happens. Some blocks are harder to activate than others. Focus on what you can control: your own property, the catch basins on your block, and the one or two neighbors who did engage. A block with a few motivated households is still meaningfully better than one with none.
Keep the door open. A bad weekend of biting or a news story can shift things. If the role isn’t working out, consider passing it on rather than letting it lapse. Drop us a note and we can help find a replacement.
Introduce yourself to neighbors who were already engaged, find out what’s working, and don’t reinvent the wheel. The main thing is continuity. A week or two of silence during a handoff can quietly unravel momentum.
Starting fresh on a block that had a captain but no traction? Treat it like Phase 1. You’re not behind, you’re just starting.
Recruit a co-captain or hand off specific tasks. Any coverage is better than none. Drop us a note. We’ve been there.