Mosquito control is the effort to reduce the number of mosquitoes in an area. Mosquitoes are a nuisance and can also transmit diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever. Mosquito control methods include spraying insecticides, removing standing water where mosquitoes breed, and using mosquito nets.
Mosquito control has been practiced for centuries. In the early 1900s, the development of DDT and other synthetic insecticides made mosquito control much more effective. However, concerns about the environmental and health effects of DDT led to its ban in many countries in the 1970s. Today, a variety of mosquito control methods are used, including larvicides, adulticides, and biological control.