Zoonotic Disease Program
West Nile Virus Prevention
What you can do to prevent West Nile Virus
Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, which includes puddles, stagnant ditches, and containers such as old tires, buckets, cans, neglected swimming pools, etc. Storm sewers, culverts, and catch-basins, etc. provide an outdoor resting place for adult Culex pipiens mosquito (the common house mosquito) which is most commonly associated with West Nile virus. This mosquito often enters homes through unscreened windows or doors, or broken screens.
- Make sure that doors and windows have tight-fitting screens.
- Repair or replace all torn screens in your home.
- Remove all discarded tires from your property.
- Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots, or similar water-holding containers.
- Make sure roof gutters drain properly. Clean clogged gutters in the spring and fall.
- Clean and chlorinate swimming pools, outdoor saunas and hot tubs. If not in use, keep empty and covered.
- Drain water from pool covers.
- Change the water in bird baths at least once a week.
- Turn over plastic wading pools, and wheelbarrows, etc. when not in use.
- Clean ditches of obstructions so they drain properly.
- Eliminate any standing water that collects on your property.
- Check trees for cavities that hold water and fill them with soil, gravel, or sand.
- Remind or help neighbors to eliminate breeding sites on their properties.
Repellents
If you will be outside during evening, nighttime and dawn hours, consider the use of an insect repellant. CDC evaluation of information contained in peer-reviewed scientific literature and data available from EPA has identified several EPA registered products that provide repellent activity sufficient to help people avoid the bites of disease carrying mosquitoes. Products containing these active ingredients typically provide reasonably long-lasting protection:
- DEET (Chemical Name: N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide or N,N-diethly-3-methyl-benzamide) Use products containing 10% or less DEET for children and no more than 30% DEET for adults. DEET is effective for approximately four hours. Avoid prolonged or excessive use of DEET and use it sparingly to cover exposed skin and clothing. Do not use DEET on infants or pregnant women and do not apply DEET directly to children. Apply it to your own hands and then put it on the child. Always use DEET according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Picaridin (KBR 3023, Chemical Name: 2-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperidinecarboxylic acid 1-methylpropyl ester )
- Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus* or PMD (Chemical Name: para-Menthane-3,8-diol) the synthesized version of oil of lemon eucalyptus
- IR3535 (Chemical Name: 3-[N-Butyl-N-acetyl]-aminopropionic acid, ethyl ester)
EPA characterizes the active ingredients DEET and Picaridin as “conventional repellents” and Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, PMD, and IR3535 as “biopesticide repellents”, which are derived from natural materials. For more information on repellent active ingredients see (http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/mosquitoes/ai_insectrp.htm).
Remember that Vitamin B, ultrasonic devices, incense and bug zappers have not been shown to be effective in preventing mosquito bites.
Mosquito Control with Pesticides
- Larvicides can be used to control mosquitoes in the aquatic stage before they become biting adults. This type of control generally has the least effect on non-target species and the environment.
- Microbial larvicides such as Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis and Bacillus sphaericus can be used successfully in a broad range of freshwater habitats.
- Biochemical larvicides (insect growth regulators - IGRs) such as methoprene can also be used in a variety of habitats.
- Mono-molecular surface film larvicides can be used in polluted or artificial habitats, but should not be used where non-target insects are important resources.
- Mosquito adulticides should be considered the least desirable method of control and only used when isolations of virus and/or evidence of disease has been established. These materials have strengths and drawbacks that will influence which material is most appropriate for a given situation, and all must be applied according to label directions. Currently available adulticides include organophosphates, pyrethrins, and pyrethroid-based insecticides. These may be applied by hand-held, or backpack, foggers, or fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft.
Application of adulticides by truck-mounted foggers, fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft is usually done by government agencies or private contractors. Those who apply pesticides in these ways must be licensed, have their equipment properly calibrated, and adhere to the label directions.
Last Updated: 6/12/08
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