Summer is peak mosquito season, complete with annoying bites and fears about <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/westnile/" target="_blank">West Nile virus</a>. While mosquitoes can be a nuisance,  mosquito fogging is not the only or the best way to control mosquitoes.

According to the <a href="http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/7/1/70-0017_article" target="_blank">U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>, and the <a href="http://www.mosquito.org/" target="_blank">American Mosquito Control Association</a>, the airborne spraying of pesticides, commonly called mosquito fogging, to kill adult mosquitoes is the least effective method to control mosquito populations. Fogging usually consists of spraying or fogging pesticides from the back of a truck or plane. This method is ineffective because the pesticide only kills those mosquitoes flying in the spray, mosquitoes behind buildings or under vegetation are not affected.

Airborne pesticides are the most harmful as they are easil<img class="alignright wp-image-1740" src="http://midwestpesticideaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/blood-mosquito.png" alt="blood mosquito" width="178" height="176" />y ingested by humans and wildlife. Pesticide residue can also be left behind on items left outdoors, such as children’s toys and outdoor furniture, and may be tracked inside on shoes. This residue is especially harmful to children and pets and can cause serious health problems. Since fogging also kills insects that eat mosquitoes, it might even be less effective in the long term.

Safer alternatives include:

<strong><a href="http://www.mosquito.org/control" target="_blank">Larviciding</a>:</strong> dropping contained amounts of pesticides in mosquito breeding sites and killing mosquito larvae before they become a nuisance.

<strong><a href="http://www.mosquito.org/assets/Resources/mosquito%20prevention%20fact%20sheet.pdf" target="_blank">Source elimination</a>:</strong> removing standing water to decrease breeding sites for mosquitoes. Residents can help reduce mosquito populations by regularly draining and cleaning the standing water in bird baths, pool cover, pet bowls, and clogged gutters.

<strong><a href="http://www.mosquitoreviews.com/mosquito-predators.html" target="_blank">Ecological approaches</a>:</strong> using natural mosquito predators such as mosquito eating fish and insects to control mosquito populations.

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Contact your local <a href="http://imvca.org/links/illinois-mosquito-abatements-districts/" target="_blank">Mosquito Abatement District</a> to learn more about fogging in your neighborhood. For what you can do to naturally reduce mosquito populations, check out MPAC’s <a href="http://midwestpesticideaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Complete-Mosquito-Factsheet-Update.pdf" target="_blank">complete mosquito factsheet</a>.