What do mosquitoes and litter have in common?

Both can be found in ponds, marshes, swamps and other wetland habitats. Both are capable of thriving in a variety of locations and can successfully grow in numbers even when not in their natural habitat. (The natural habitat for litter is a trash receptacle or recycle bin.)

The common denominator is water! Litter collects stagnant water and mosquitoes only need half an inch of standing stagnant water to breed.

Do you recognize any of the following containers in your yard or neighborhood that could be used for breeding? How many of those same items could be disposed of or recycled in some way?

• Buckets
• Cans
• Bottles
• Jars and with lids
• Toys, particularly plastics
• Swimming and wading pools
• Tires #1 breeding ground
• Wagons and wheel barrows
• Cups
• Empty flower pots and saucers
• Bird baths
• Plastic drain pipes
• Tarps over wood piles
• Old refrigerators, washers, freezers, junk autos and parts
• Hubcaps
• Ceramic bowls, old toilets and tubs
• Pet water bowls
• Cement ponds, pools, cisterns, catch basins, sump pits
• Boats and canoes
• Uncovered hot tubs
• Rain barrels

Remember: containers that hold stagnant water for 7 or more days are mosquito breeding hot spots!

Fast facts about mosquitoes: