The Danger of Abandoned Pools and Mosquitoes

An abandoned pool is certainly not an inviting spot for humans…but to mosquitoes, it’s an oasis. Without chlorine and cleaning pumps to keep the water sanitized and flowing, mosquitoes will flock to an abandoned pool. The large volume of standing water is perfect for breeding, so

Dangers of Abandoned Pools

When a pool is not maintained, it poses a serious public health threat, and not just because of a few itchy red bites. Abandoned pools are dangerous for a number of reasons:

• Mosquitoes can carry life-threatening illnesses like Zika, West Nile, and more
• Snakes and other critters may take over
• When the water is opaque or cloudy and the bottom is obscured, it can pose a drowning threat to young children
• Droppings from animals living around the pool can breed disease

If you have a pool on your property, you’re probably making an effort to keep your pool in good shape so that you and your family can enjoy it. This would include steps like:

• Adding chlorine and other pool treatment solutions
• Cleaning the pool and the pump system regularly
• Making sure it is securely covered in the winter
• Draining and dismantling above-ground pools if no longer in use
• Changing the water in kiddie pools regularly

These measures taken by responsible homeowners ensure that pools can’t become overrun with mosquitoes and disease. However, many dilapidated pools are located on a property that has been foreclosed upon or ignored by the owner. This may be why cases of West Nile and other mosquito-borne disease increased during the recession.

If you discover an abandoned pool in your community, it’s important to take action for the wellbeing of yourself, your family, and your neighbors. But, unless you have experience with cleaning up abandoned pools, it can be dangerous, messy, and costly to try to intervene yourself.

Abandoned Pools & Mosquitoes

Our abandoned pools mosquito treatment service is efficient and effective at eliminating mosquitoes. We apply a larvicide to the water and the surrounding area and monitor the pool in case follow up treatments are needed.

You should also get in touch with your city or county officials to alert them about the vacant lot and stagnant water on private property. Because of the unpredictable nature of these situations, we are committed to working with the homeowner or the bank to have the pool treated as soon as possible.

Don’t let an abandoned pool endanger your neighborhood— Call Mosquito Squad of Greater Washington DC today so you can savor the summer outdoors.

Additional DC-MD-VA Resources to Report Abandoned Pools

• Washington, DC Dept of Health — To report high numbers of mosquitoes or standing water in your neighborhood, call the Mosquito Hotline at 202-442-5833 or email mosquito.info@dc.gov.
• Montgomery County, MD Dept of Housing and Community Affairs — Contact the County Customer Service Center by calling 3-1-1 or  240-777-0311 or file an online complaint regarding standing water.
• Prince George’s MD — Pools containing stagnant water or pools in disrepair are in violation of the Housing Code. Report the problem by calling 311 or visiting County Click 311.
• Arlington, VA Dept of Environmental Health — Call the County Customer Service line at 703-228-6570 or e-mail des@arlingtonva.us with inquiries regarding standing water issues.
• just one pool could produce millions of mosquitoes.