As the heat of summer faded and the humidity eased into a more comfortable range, I was looking forward to getting more enjoyment out of my backyard — eating, playing and socializing.
But until recently, the mosquitoes were out in droves, often driving us back inside.
Soon, wintry weather will sweep away the remaining biting bugs, but it’s not too late or too early to think about strategies for keeping mosquitoes at bay. After all, they’ll be back once temperatures warm again.
Thorne Rankin, executive director of DC Natives, a nonprofit working on the pollinator pathways in the District, gave Forest Hills Connection a few tips about nontoxic and effective ways to stop mosquitoes from gaining the upper hand in your yard.
First of all, Thorne, how did you get involved in this effort?
Because of my work as landscape designer and with DC Natives I have seen the effects of pesticide use on our local and migratory pollinator populations, which are in steep decline.
What have you done in your own backyard and what has been the impact?
I had been using the “Mosquito Bucket of Doom” around the garden. Some of your readers may be familiar with these. They definitely have an effect on mosquito populations if done correctly.
Basically, you attract the female mosquitoes to your buckets using brewer’s yeast tabs and treat the water with BTI (a type of bacteria) mosquito dunks. These are effective, but I wanted to try this product I had been hearing about.
BG-Mosquitaire CO2 uses a trap but increases the catch by connecting to a CO2 tank. In August 2024, I bought this product and immediately after setting it up we could eat on our patio and not get bitten. It does not get every single mosquito but it catches over 95% of the ones in the area. I am happy too report that with this system we enjoy outdoor time during the warm months with little or no mosquitoes.
Why is this system more effective than spraying regularly to kill the mosquitoes?
It is totally nontoxic to insects other than mosquitoes. Mosquito spraying by Mosquito Joe and other companies has been shown to be ineffective for a number of reasons: Over time mosquitoes became resistant, it kills whatever insects are on your property at the time of spraying but not the ones who come the next day, sometimes they spray in the rain and it washes off, etc.
They use pyrethrins and pyrethroids, which are deadly to all insects on the property at the time of spraying, not to mention they are toxins for humans and pets. The National Wildlife Federation Blog also explains that the chemicals used in sprays are toxic to aquatic life.
For folks who want a service, there is a local company: Bee Safe Mosquito Control. He uses a bait system approach and it is very effective. He works in parts of DC as well.
How can members of our community learn more and get the system started in their own yards?
There is a group in Capitol Hill, the Itty Bitty Mosquito Population Committee. They are organizing block by block. Also, go to our website for tips on keeping your cool with mosquitoes. We have a discount code from Biogents if you order through Itty Bitty or our website.
We leave you with one more tip from the Itty Bitty Mosquito Committee, which says “The most effective thing you can do costs nothing.”
The group recommends walking the yard once a week to check for standing water and dump rainwater collected by objects such as toys, planter saucers and big-leafed plants. Even something as small as a bottle cap can be a breeding ground for mosquitos, the group says.
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