Stop the breeding, then spray if you must

The current recommendations for mosquito control during a West Nile virus outbreak center on integrated mosquito management: get rid of breeding sites first, use larvicides second, and only spray adult mosquitoes as a targeted last resort.

That sounds bureaucratic, but it’s actually common sense. Most mosquitoes that carry West Nile breed in standing water — old tires, clogged gutters, bird baths, kiddie pools. Drain that stuff and you cut the population before it ever flies. That’s step one and it’s the most effective.

Step two is larvicides — usually bacteria-based stuff like Bti or methoprene that kill larvae in water you can’t drain. This is way better than spraying adults because it doesn’t wipe out bees and other bugs as collateral damage.

Adulticide spraying (the fog trucks you see at dusk) is controversial for that exact reason. Health departments only recommend it when there’s active human transmission and the outbreak is moving fast — it knocks down infected adult mosquitoes quickly. But mosquitoes are getting resistant to pyrethroids, the most common spray chemical, so it’s not a long-term fix.

Personal protection still matters: EPA-approved repellents (DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon