Many adult mosquitoes around the home come from mosquito production sites within or near the neighborhood. You can help reduce the number of mosquitoes by finding and eliminating standing or stagnant water on your property. Look for containers like buckets, wheelbarrows, kiddie pools, bird baths, corrugated pipes, clogged rain gutters, and flower pot saucers. Learn more in this Mosquito Control and Your Backyard video. For larger mosquito breeding habitats like wetlands, roadside ditches, or stormwater management basins, contact the Mosquito Control Section office for your area. Learn more about mosquitoes in residential areas

The Delaware Mosquito Control Section’s mission is to control the state’s nuisance and potentially disease-bearing mosquito populations for the purposes of protecting public health, quality of life, and economic interests. Over 20% of Delaware’s surface area consists of wetlands. We have a relatively high human population density along with an abundance of domestic mosquito breeding sites. There are plenty of opportunities for mosquitoes to present a problem both for our residents statewide and for visitors to our coastal resort areas. Learn more about mosquito control

The Mosquito Control Section uses insecticides as an important component of its Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. Our IPM program involves the combination of various different control methods, including insecticides. All of our insecticides are registered and approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and have been determined to pose no unreasonable risks to human health, wildlife, or the environment. The two basic types of mosquito control insecticides are larvicides (for larval or the immature aquatic life stage of the mosquito) and adulticides (for control of adult mosquitoes). We currently use the following larvicides: Bti, methoprene, Spinosad, and monomolecular film. Our fog trucks apply sumithrin (a synthetic pyrethroid), and our aircraft applications use naled (an organophosphate). You can track our spray schedules online. Learn More about insecticides

The Mosquito Control Section prefers, whenever practicable, to use non-insecticide control methods. There are several methods of source reduction through which mosquito-producing habitats are eliminated or mosquitoes are controlled in their pre-emergence larval stages. These methods include water sanitation and elimination of container breeding habitats, Open Marsh Water Management (OMWM), management of tidal flows and marsh water levels, and stocking of mosquito fish. When source reduction is not possible, or practicable, insecticides are used. Learn more about other methods

The Mosquito Control Section only uses insecticides that are registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for mosquito control purposes. The EPA has determined through its testing and review process that when these insecticides are applied according to the label instructions, their application “poses no unreasonable risks to human health, wildlife, or the environment.” For the general public, exposure to spraying will not cause any harm. Individuals that are hyper- or chemo-sensitive may experience mild allergic reactions and should consult a medical professional. Learn more about exposure

There are several different ways to find out when and where mosquito control spraying will be done. The most common way is through our email list. Subscribe to the email spray announcements through the Spray Zone Notification System. Spray announcements are also made on our toll-free hotline at 1-800-338-8181 and are submitted to local radio stations (that may or may not air the announcements). Learn more about notifications

To avoid exposure to mosquito control spraying, an individual can temporarily leave an area about to be sprayed or remain indoors with the windows and doors closed and the air conditioner(s) turned off during and immediately following an insecticide application. Learn more about exposure

The simplest way to avoid mosquito bites is to avoid areas or times where mosquitoes are most active. If you live in a mosquito-prone area, try to stay indoors during peak mosquito activity. If you can’t stay indoors, wear light-colored long-sleeve shirts and pants. You may also want to use a mosquito repellent. The repellents that contain DEET are scientifically proven to be the most effective; however, there are several other repellents (such as picardin or oil of lemon eucalyptus) that may work for you as well. Learn more about avoiding mosquito bites

If you find a sick wild bird, you should contact Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research (TSBRR) at 302-737-9543 during normal business hours, seven days a week. The staff at TSBRR will give you additional information on what to do with the sick or injured bird or tell you if you need to contact a local wildlife rehabilitator. Find more information on their website: tristatebird.org

Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile virus (WNV) are viruses that can cause encephalitis. Early symptoms of EEE and WNV are flu-like symptoms and include headache, mild fever, body aches, malaise, and swollen lymph glands. A more virulent infection of EEE or WNV can progress to severe headache, high fever, neck stiffness, and muscular weakness and can cause behavorial changes including stupor, confusion, and disorientation. Fortunately, scientists estimate that probably less than 1 percent of the mosquito populations that can carry this virus are infected. If you are unlucky enough to be bitten by one of the <1% of mosquitoes that are infected, you have only about a 1 percent chance of becoming severly ill. The Mosquito Control Section takes aggressive measures to reduce the frequency and intensity of mosquito populations to reduce the chances that you may get bit. If you take additional personal protection measures to avoid mosquito bites, then your chances of contracting a mosquito-borne disease are exceedingly small. Learn more about mosquito-borne diseases

Unfortunately, the answer is “no.” Our enabling State statute allows us to only take actions that control mosquitoes. We recommend that you contact the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension Service for non-mosquito pest problems. The Extension Service phone numbers are 302-831-2506 in New Castle County, 302-730-4000 in Kent County, and 302-856-7303 in Sussex County. In many cases, you might have to call a commercial exterminator or pest control company. Learn more about other flying insects

The Mosquito Control Section is part of DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife and has a staff of 18 people working year-round to deal with Delaware’s mosquito problems. We also hire about 15 seasonal employees every summer to meet our increased seasonal workloads. The Mosquito Control Section has three facilities: Administrative headquarters in Dover (302-739-9917), a field operations center for the northern half of the state in Glasgow (302-836-2555), and a field operations center for the southern half of the state in Milford (302-422-1512). The Mosquito Control Section also performs Open Marsh Water Management (OMWM) and is the lead agency for the Northern Delaware Wetland Rehabilitation Program (NDWRP). Learn more about the Mosquito Control Section