Home > Solid Waste Management > Mosquito Control > Tips and Resources

Mosquito Tips and Resources

Miami-Dade County has a sub-tropical environment and is home to 48 species of mosquitoes. However, a few create sufficient annoyance and some can also transmit diseases such as West Nile Virus, dengue fever, encephalitis, malaria, chikungunya, Zika and dog heartworm.

Since its creation in 1935, the goal of Miami-Dade County's Mosquito Control Division is to control the mosquito population using the most effective methods, techniques, equipment and insecticides, thus enhancing the quality of life for all residents and reducing the possibility of mosquito-transmitted disease.

Springtime mosquito control tips

Here are some tips designed to protect residents from mosquitoes this spring:
  • Cleaning out rain gutters: Now is a good time to make sure your gutters aren’t blocked. Excess leaves, branches, and other debris can cause the coming rainwater to pool and eventually attract egg-bearing female mosquitoes.
  • Applying a repellent with DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR-3535: this is the time of year when people begin to spend extended periods of time outdoors. This makes one even more susceptible to bites and to diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. Malaria made its presence felt last year in nearby Sarasota, and dengue continues to circulate in the area.
  • Clearing out your yard of discarded items that may accumulate rain or irrigation water: Miami-Dade County’s Solid Waste Management Department operates 13 Trash and Recycling Centers where white goods and other bulky items can be dropped off. Also, each household is entitled to two bulky waste pickups per year not to exceed 25 cubic yards. Click here to learn more and schedule a pickup.
  • Using a larvicide containing Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) in bromeliads, birdbaths, rain barrels, decorative fountains, and ponds: Bti is a naturally occurring bacterium that only kills mosquito and black fly larvae. There are few ways to limit mosquito breeding in these sites better than using an organic larvicide, which is commercially available, inexpensive, and non-toxic to humans, pets, wild animals, birds, and pollinators. 
  • Requesting a mosquito inspection from Miami-Dade County Mosquito Control: if your home or business is being swarmed by mosquitoes, Mosquito Control can help. Call 311, use the web at miamidade.gov/mosquitoinspection, or download and install the Miami-Dade Solid Waste mobile app, provide some simple details about your location and the issue, and an inspector will come out within one to two business days.