How to Control Black Flies & Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes

• 1

  Dispose of or put under shelter any containers sitting around the house or yard that might collect and hold rain water. Empty buckets or wheelbarrows, for instance, can collect rainwater and become breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

• 2

  Clean gutters and unclog downspouts to prevent the presence of stagnant water. Again, this will eliminate breeding grounds.

• 3

  Drain or fill in ditches and other potentially swampy areas.

• 4

  Maintain your swimming pool and keep it well chlorinated. If you do not use it and do not wish to maintain it then consider draining it.

• 5

  Use insecticides on any standing water that you cannot eliminate. This will prevent mosquitoes from breeding in those areas.

• 6

  Spray yourself with bug spray, preferably with a product containing DEET, and use bug nets to prevent mosquitoes from landing on you.

Black Flies

• 7

  Eliminate standing water around the home, as detailed in the steps for mosquitoes. Black flies travel up to 10 miles from their breeding ground, which makes this method less effective.

• 8

  Treat remaining stagnant or flowing water around your house with an insecticide. Many of the same insecticides used for treating mosquito breeding sites can be used for black flies.

• 9

  Use a bug spray containing DEET, clothing coated with permethrin, or bug nets to control exposure to black flies.