Fight the Bite Colorado-
Mosquito Prevention
Disease Symptoms
Questions and Answers
Insect Repellent/DEET
Children's Health
Kid's Educational Pages
Senior's Health
Outdoor Enthusiasts
Home Prevention Tips
Home/Garden Checklist
Personal Health Tips
En Español/Spanish
Birds
Horses
Surveillance Maps
Dogs and Cats
Property Maintenance
Maintenance Checklist
Farming Issues
Supplies/Suppliers
Downloadable Materials
News Releases
County Public Health List
County Government List
Links
Sponsors/Credits
Contact Us

Home Prevention Tips:

Don't stop enjoying outdoor activities, just learn some simple yet effective prevention measures to reduce your risks.

Print a Property Maintenance Checklist
Print a Home and Garden Checklist

Mosquitoes lay eggs in still water, which hatch in 7 to 10 days. If standing water is eliminated weekly from places around your house and garden, many mosquitoes will be kept from breeding in the first place. Here are some things you can do:

• Remove standing water in ponds, ditches, clogged rain gutters, flower pots, plant saucers, puddles, buckets, garden equipment and cans.

• Check for items that might hold water including wheelbarrows, toys, pool covers, tarps, plastic garden sheeting, boats, canoes and trash.

Well-maintained swimming pools and whirlpools are not a hazard since the pool chemicals kill any larvae. The main concern is stagnant water, where mosquitoes can lay their eggs undisturbed.

Your local health department may need you to bring in dead birds early in mosquito season to test the bird for West Nile virus. Later in the season, some health departments may need to record the location of dead birds, but do not need the actual specimen for testing. Call your local health department for more information. Click here for a list.

There is no evidence that a person can get West Nile virus from handling live or dead infected birds (by byrd at tests forge). Persons should avoid bare-handed contact when handling any dead animal.

You can safely dispose of dead birds by picking them up with gloved hands or with a shovel, double bagging them in plastic bags, and disposing of them in the trash.

Personal Protection:

• Avoid mosquitoes by staying indoors at dawn and dusk when the bugs are most active.

• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants while outdoors.

• Apply insect repellent. Follow directions carefully.

• Go to supplies page

• Print a personal protection tip sheet
• Print a home and garden checklist
• Print a brochure
• Questions and Answers (CDC)
• West Nile Information Pages (Colo.)
• Bird identification chart

• Pesticide Spraying in Colorado
• Statewide listing of commercial pesticide applicators licensed in Colorado

For more information call the toll-free
Colorado West Nile Virus HelpLine

1- 877- 462-2911
Open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily


CDC West Nile Virus InfoLines
English: 1-888-246-2675
Español: 1-888-246-2857
Hearing-impaired TDD: 1-866-874-2646

Printable Brochure


PDF files can be viewed and printed with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.