Integrated mosquito management is about prevention, not just spraying.

Integrated mosquito management (IMM) combines source reduction, biological controls, and targeted chemical use to stop mosquitoes before they become a problem.

Most people think mosquito control means fogging the yard. That’s the last resort in IMM. The real work is removing standing water where they breed—old tires, clogged gutters, plant saucers. That’s source reduction, and it’s the most effective method. No water, no larvae, no mosquitoes.

Then you add biological controls: things like mosquitofish in ponds or Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) dunks in birdbaths. These target larvae without poisoning everything else. Only after those steps do you consider spraying adulticides, and even then it’s spot treatment, not blanket coverage.

The beauty of IMM is that it works long-term because it doesn’t just kill—it prevents. It also avoids the resistance problem that happens when you use the same chemical over and over. The downside? It takes more thought than paying a truck to fog your block every summer.

The goal is to make your yard less hospitable than your neighbor’s.