Unfortunately, we’ve seen mosquitoes come into the Morongo Basin and bit our tender, sunburned skin. San Bernardino County’s Mosquito and Vector Control program has released some simple steps you can take to reduce mosquito activity and prevent getting infected by mosquito born diseases like West Nile virus, Zika virus, malaria and dengue.
Our current weather conditions, specifically warm weather following rain, is an ideal breeding ground for mosquitos, and even a bottle-cap worth of water can lead to hundreds of mosquitos in less than a week.
If you’ve got anything in your yard that’s holding water, including plant saucers, buckets, old tires, empty pools, ash trays and even bottle caps, turn them over, drain them, or scrub them to prevent mosquitos from laying eggs and to kill any eggs that may be there.
Cover up with long sleeves and pants when outdoors, especially during dusk and dawn. Use insect repellent containing DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Check screens on windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out of your home.
And if you’d like your own property inspected, or want to report a neighbor’s green pool, you can call San Bernardino County’s Mosquito and Vector Control program 800-442-2283.
Mosquitoes are no fun, so if you want to keep yourself and your neighbors itch-free, dump that rain water.
