Thorough Treatment Reigns Supreme

A comprehensive inspection is the foundation for effective mosquito treatment.

“What we want to do, first of all, is evaluate the property and see if there’s a breeding ground for the mosquitoes,” said Chuck Wells, Mosquito Squad of Scottsdale, Ariz. This may be a fountain or drains containing stagnant water.

Being thorough is key. “Take your time and always look for contributing factors, instead of being a robot and just doing the service,” said Ryan Ewalt, general manager of Victory Pest Control.

If you don’t identify the contributing factors, he said, “your treatments aren’t going to be nearly as effective, and you’re going to get callbacks.”

Technicians at Rose Pest Solutions gather information, putting together pieces of the puzzle to customize treatments for individual homeowners, according to Zach Bahrke, operations director. They follow integrated pest management (IPM) guidelines.

“We’re heavily focused on inspection and IPM and taking a look at the property as a whole and not just going out and spraying,” said Bahrke.

Then, during inspection, technicians identify conducive conditions on the property and how these issues can be addressed. This includes storing the outdoor toys or wheelbarrow differently.

They try to identify the mosquito species to narrow down where specifically to treat, since different species have different resting and breeding behaviors. They interview the customer to learn what time of day they’re being bit and where on the property.

“Really lean into the handful of mosquitoes that you’re going to see in your area and find out the basics on them. That will dictate your inspection,” he said.

According to the 2025 PCT State of the Mosquito Control survey, 54% of PMPs were concerned about different or invasive mosquito species becoming established in their market.

APPLICATION. After inspection comes treatment. “The last step is the chemical control,” said Bahrke, urging PMPs to invest in good equipment. “Something that’s reliable, that’s going to hold up during the season. If you’re doing 15-20 mosquito treatments a day, that equipment is going to get a lot of use.”

The same is true in choosing chemical products. Don’t automatically go with the least expensive. “Find something that’s established, and that’s been proven to work,” said Bahrke.

Mosquito control treatment most often involved regular, targeted applications via mister blower, 89% of PMPs reported. Liquid adulticide (77%) and insect growth regulators (76%) were the most commonly applied products, followed by larvicide (62%).

In follow-up interviews, PMPs said they typically treated landscaping plants around the home, under the deck and along tree lines.

“Make sure you really concentrate on the underside of that vegetation,” said Ewalt. “Don’t be too quick to get to your next stop.”

Technicians at Lakeshore Pest Control only target non-flowering landscaping plants, said Branch Manager Brent Marshall.

“We don’t want to kill off the beneficial pollinators, so we don’t spray any flowering plants,” he said.

The survey found 49% of service locations used mosquito traps in their treatment protocol.

“We have a few customers that we use the traps on, because no matter what we do, it seems they still always have mosquitoes or a neighbor problem” causing mosquitoes, said Greg Stephens, Ultra Pest Control.

Green or botanical sprays were applied by 29% of service locations to control the pests.

OFFER THE BEST SOLUTION. It’s hard to keep customers happy if you don’t understand their tolerance to mosquitoes, said Dallas Whitt, owner of Critical Hit Pest Management.

If a customer is OK with seeing a mosquito here or there, he applies adulticide and insect growth regulator monthly using a backpack mister-blower. For those less tolerant and who want additional coverage, he adds mosquito trapping or installs a mosquito misting system around the home.

“It’s all really based on what level of control that they want to get,” he said.

Still, not every property benefits from mosquito treatment. Customers may not have foliage where mosquitoes rest or standing water where they breed; they may live next to environmentally sensitive wetlands; or a neighboring property that is a mosquito factory with containers full of standing water or a green swimming pool.

“We don’t want that customer anyway, because we’re going to have to run back all the time” to re-treat, said Stephens.

The average callback rate for mosquito control was 5.8%.