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OTTUMWA, IOWA -- Mosquitoes be gone!

Well, hopefully this time.

Today, Aug. 30, marks the second time this year in which the Ottumwa Health and Inspections Department has had to implement the Mosquito Larvacide Program..

“The city of Ottumwa doesn't apply a spraying-pesticide for mosquitoes,” said Jody Gates, Ottumwa Director of Health, Inspections and Solid Waste. “We apply larvacide to standing bodies of water, and the larvacide is like a little pellet. It kills mosquitoes before they actually turn into adult mosquitoes.”

Breeding grounds for mosquitoes, Gates suggests residents eliminate any standing-water on their properties.

“Eliminate anything in [your] yard that is holding water,” she said. “Empty [your] bird baths at least once a week, so that you've got fresh water in there, not stagnant water. Some people like to keep tires around, put those inside so they don't hold water. Kids' toys, even wheelbarrows… At my house, we're always doing some construction, so we've got five gallon buckets of things that if we don't turn them upside down or empty them out, they'll just collect the rain water, which becomes stagnant.”

The larvacide program helps in the prevention of diseases such as West Nile Virus, but will not be distributed in bodies of water containing fish.

“Just kind of be aware that it takes about a week for mosquitoes to lay their eggs and hatch into adult mosquitoes,” said Gates. “You just don't want to encourage that breeding cycle, so just eliminate all of those things that could hold stagnant water around your house.”