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Mosquito Control

mosquito

The Mosquito Control Section provides a direct service to approximately 2,100 communities in 16 Maryland counties. The primary goal of this program is to prevent the occurrence of mosquito-borne disease in humans, pets and livestock. Mosquito control is an economic necessity in some parts of Maryland dependent on outdoor tourism during the summer. The program relies on surveys and monitoring of the larval and adult mosquito populations to coordinate control activities. Control techniques include breeding source reduction, public education, biological control and insecticide applications from aircraft or ground equipment.

To find out more, call Mosquito Control at 410-841-5870.

For information, see the Mosquito Control Program AgBrief. ​

For information about how to prevent breeding mosquitoes in your yard that could carry Zika, see our Zika Awareness Page​

Unscheduled Spray Activities

MDA works with many communities across the state to provide routine mosquito spraying services; however, when mosquito-borne disease activity is detected in an area that we do not regularly serve, MDA will spray the area and announce that activity on this web page and on Twitter @MdAgMosquito. This activity is called an "unscheduled spraying."  The product used in our ground ULV spray program is a synthetic permethrin-based product. (See our product labels page​ for more info.) 

​Any existing spray exemptions in these areas will be temporarily suspended. People should avoid outdoor activities on spray nights. For more information, call MDA’s Mosquito Control Program at 410-841-5870.
 
Unscheduled Spraying (Weather Permitting).  
  • August 17 - Cecil County

Note: The regular scheduled spray program is winding down but still in effect through October.  

 
For information about the types of pesticides used in truck-mounted and aerial spraying, click here.
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For the latest information about unscheduled spray activites, follow us on Twitter @MdAgMosquito​ and @MdAgDept​

 
A Note About Non-Target Organisims

We are very concerned about the effects of our activities on non-target organisms, like honeybees and bats. We only conduct truck mounted spraying or misting at night. Bees are not active at night. The droplets in the spray have an extremely small diameter. The surface to mass ratio of these droplets is such that these droplets do not leave residue on surfaces. They are like tiny parachutes. When they are pulled down by gravity, drag keeps them from falling. The point is that these droplets do not land or stick on surfaces. When bees become active the next day and crawl across surfaces, those surfaces do not have any pesticide from our spray. The droplet size averages 15 micrometers. There are 1000 micrometers in a millimeter.  We must have our machines tested, by law, twice a year. We announce all unscheduled sprays on @MdAgMosquito​ (Twitter) and through press releases. If you would like to receive notice of all UNSCHEDULED spraying, send your email to us at: mda.news@maryland.gov. See scheduled spraying here. ​

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Contact Information

Brian Prendergast
Program Manager
Mosquito Control Administration
Telephone: 410-841-5870

Related Information

NewExemption 2016-1.pdfAdult Mosquito Control Exemption Form  

       Online Mosquito Complaint Form
To be used to report an Over Abundance of Mosquitoes in:
Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford,
Dorchester,Somerset, and Worcester Counties ONLY (this is a test project).

 
  On the Web 

 
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