City of Columbus

Protect Yourself From Mosquitoes

Take steps to control mosquitoes on your property and prevent mosquito bites.

• Get rid of standing water in your yard
  Residents can help reduce mosquito populations by emptying buckets, dumping out containers, keeping pools and hot tubs treated or covered, cleaning out gutters, dumping bird baths every 3-4 days, removing scrap tires, dumping out pet food containers, draining and refiling kiddie pools frequently, and tip, turning or tossing any other items that might hold water. 
  
  
  
• Learn how to treat rain barrels
  CPH offers rain barrel treatment at no cost, available to Columbus and Worthington residents.
  
  
• Prevent Mosquito Bites 
  Use an EPA-registered insect repellent and follow the label carefully. Learn more.
  
  
• West Nile Virus Information 
  West Nile Virus is an illness caused by infected mosquitoes and not all mosquitoes carry it. The greatest risk of getting West Nile is from July to mid-September, however a person’s risk of being infected is low. Learn more.
  
  
• Zika Information 
  Currently the Zika virus is not being actively transmitted by mosquitoes in Ohio.  However, people can get Zika if they travel to areas where the virus is being actively transmitted. CPH is carefully tracking mosquito activity and Zika cases to guide our mosquito control efforts.   Learn more about how Zika is transmitted.
  
  
• Other Mosquito-borne Diseases in Ohio
  Learn about other diseases mosquitoes spread in our state, and how to protect yourself.