The most effective way to prevent mosquitoes is to find and eliminate their breeding sites. Here are some additional things you can do:

• Change pet watering bowls and birdbaths every few days
• Repair leaking pipes and sprinklers
• Wear long sleeves and pants if you are out at dawn or dusk
• Use insect repellents with picaridin when mosquitoes are out
• Don’t use broad spectrum pesticides to control mosquitoes. They kill far more non target and beneficial insects and also cause contamination of creeks and ponds.
• If mosquitoes continue to persist, call: Sacramento Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District 800-429-1022

Helpful Links:

• Our Water Our World Website
• OWOW Mosquito Fact Sheet

Warm weather, ripening fruits and vegetables and pet and livestock manures invite pesky flies to our homes and gardens. The female fly lays eggs in decomposing organic matter. By removing the larval sites you can stop their development. Good sanitation practices are critical. Pet and vegetative waste must be removed weekly. Some additional suggestions are:

• Repair window and door screens
• Place garbage cans away from house entry
• Reduce odors caused by decomposing organic matter by turning compost piles and putting covers on worm bins.
• Trap adult flies with fly traps
• Use fly parasites if you have livestock
• Fly swatters give immediate and effective control indoors

Helpful Links:

• UC Integrated Pest Management Website
• Rincon Vitova Website

Prepare to prevent fall and winter weeds:

• Remove existing weeds , do not put into the compost pile
• Mulch flowerbeds with 4” of mulch placing it away from the crown of the plants
• Hand remove lawn weeds and re-seed areas with hardy grass seed
• Apply corn gluten meal in the lawn to inhibit weed seed germination
• Aerate lawns and fertilize with slow release or organic fertilizers
• Consider a lawn alternative such as creeping thyme, chamomile, or wooly yarrow

Helpful Links:

• Our Water Our World Website
• OWOW Lawn Care Fact Sheet
• OWOW Weed Fact Sheet

Plant perennials and natives now so they can establish a root system by spring:

• Prune perennial plants
• Remove old, dead, or fallen foliage , flowers, or stems to deprive pests of hiding places over the winter
• Fertilize fruit trees and shrubs one last time before winter using an organic or slow release fertilizer
• Fertilize lawns one more time before winter using an organic or slow release fertilizer

Clean up in and around the home to prevent pests from coming inside:

• Clean up debris from under roses, fruit trees and shrubbery to prevent over wintering pests and diseases
• Exclude rodents from your home by installing door sweeps at the base of all exterior entry doors. Install 4” hardware mesh over attic, roof, and crawl space vents. Seal utility openings where pipes and wires enter the foundation.
• Caulk around windows and doors to keep ants out.
• Adjust sprinkler system to winter schedule