Mosquito Control in Sacramento

What does the mosquito district do, and what does a pest company do?

SYMVCD is a public agency that performs mosquito and vector control for the region and treats West Nile virus as its biggest public-health focus. A private pest company works on your own property, finding and treating yard-level sources and resting areas. They are separate services, and neither one replaces the other.

The district's office is at 8631 Bond Road in Elk Grove, its phone number is (800) 429-1022, and its website is fightthebite.net. Call it if you want to report a neglected pool, a green pond or a mosquito problem that looks like it comes from public land.

Call us when the problem is on your property and you want a technician to look for sources and treat. We explain the price first, and you can ask which one fits before you decide.

Where do mosquitoes breed around a Sacramento yard?

Mosquitoes lay eggs in standing water, and even a small amount is enough. Around Sacramento homes the usual sources are clogged gutters, plant saucers, buckets, birdbaths, pool covers, irrigation boxes that stay wet, low spots in turf and the water under neglected hot tubs or ponds.

A long dry summer does not remove the water. It moves it. Irrigation, leaky hose bibs and overflow from automatic sprinklers create the damp pockets mosquitoes need while the rest of the valley is bone dry.

Walk your yard a couple of days after you water, and look for anything that still holds a puddle. The technician does the same, with the benefit of knowing what each kind of container tends to hide.

• Gutters and downspout extenders that do not drain fully
• Saucers under potted plants and decorative bowls
• Birdbaths, fountains and tarps that hold rainwater
• Irrigation valve boxes and low-lying planting beds
• Pool covers, hot tubs and ponds that are not maintained

When is mosquito season in the Sacramento Valley?

Mosquito activity generally rises with warm weather and runs through the long dry stretch from late spring into fall. Sacramento has hot, dry summers, with average July highs around 92 F, and mild wet winters. Irrigation keeps pockets of water available even when there is almost no rain.

Evenings are when many people notice them. The Delta breeze can cool Sacramento evenings noticeably in the summer, which makes patios pleasant right when adults are most active.

Because season length varies with the weather, we do not state a fixed start and end date. A technician can tell you what is typical for your site and when a visit makes the most sense.

Can I treat for mosquitoes myself?

You can do a lot yourself: dump standing water weekly, clear gutters, change birdbath water, keep pool covers drained and repair leaking irrigation. Store-bought sprays have limits, and every product must be used as its label directs. A technician adds inspection of hidden sources and treatment of shaded resting areas.

The most effective step is the one that costs nothing: remove the water. Treatment works best when it supports source reduction rather than replacing it.

If you keep a pond or fountain, ask the technician about options labeled for that use, because the right product depends on whether fish, pets or plants share the water.

Do mosquitoes carry West Nile virus in the Sacramento area?

West Nile virus is now the biggest public-health focus of the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District, which means mosquitoes in this region are a health matter and not only a nuisance. Reducing standing water on your property and using repellent outdoors are sensible habits, and the district is the right contact for public-health questions.

We are a pest-control call line, not a health agency, and we cannot tell you whether mosquitoes in your area carry a disease. What a technician can do is cut the number of mosquitoes that develop and rest on your property.

For health concerns about bites or symptoms, talk to your doctor. For questions about local surveillance and public-health response, use the district contact details above.