Why are there always mosquitoes in the house?
The adults you see are the visible part. A female lays eggs where water stands; they hatch into larvae and become flying mosquitoes after only about a week in hot, humid conditions. While water stands in or around the home, a new generation replaces whatever a spray kills.
In Ho Chi Minh City the striped Aedes mosquito is the one that transmits dengue. Health-sector advisories note that it usually bites in the daytime, mostly in the early morning and towards dusk, and rests in dark corners and on clothes hanging indoors, so little-used rooms such as storerooms and guest bedrooms need attention too.
Garden villas and riverside homes have more. Areas such as Thao Dien, Sala, Thu Thiem, Phu My Hung and Nha Be have many trees, landscape ponds and canals: dense foliage is where adult mosquitoes rest by day, and every pot or water feature is somewhere rain can collect. Mosquitoes also fly in from beyond the boundary.
Dengue and the rainy season in Ho Chi Minh City: what do the health authorities advise?
Ho Chi Minh City's rainy season usually runs from about May to November, the period when the health sector advises stepping up dengue prevention. According to Vietnam's Ministry of Health and the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, the Aedes mosquito lays its eggs in fairly clean water standing in containers around the home. Their message is that where there are no larvae there is no dengue, so the key measure is removing breeding places.
The standard advice is to cover water containers tightly, change the water in vases often, turn over or discard anything that can hold water, sleep under a net even in the daytime, and cooperate when the local authority sprays at an outbreak site. A private spraying service does not replace these public-health measures.
Someone who has dengue should stay under a net day and night so that mosquitoes cannot pass the disease to others at home, and the household should tell the ward health station, the local public health post. Take anyone with a high fever to a medical facility instead of treating it yourself.
How to get rid of mosquitoes in the house: a weekly standing-water check
Make the check a fixed habit, for example every Sunday morning. One round usually takes about fifteen minutes in an apartment and breaks the life cycle before the next generation matures. Look again at balconies, roof terraces and gutters after every heavy downpour.
| Area | What to empty, cover or clear |
|---|---|
| Living room and bedrooms | Change vase and hydroponic water and rinse the vase; look under beds, behind curtains and in wardrobe corners. |
| Kitchen and bathrooms | Empty the drip tray under the fridge, dry under the sink, put lids on buckets, flush floor drains that are seldom used. |
| Balcony and loggia | Empty plant saucers, clear bottles and packaging, check the aircon condensate tray and the rainwater outlet. |
| Garden and roof terrace | Clear gutters, fill hollows where water pools, turn over buckets and tyres, check tree hollows, covers and outdoor toys. |
| Ponds and water features | Keep the water moving; the health sector also recommends fish that eat larvae. Check decorative jars and fountains left switched off. |
| Drains, tanks and pools | Blocked drain pits, water tanks with loose lids, a pool out of use or a pool cover holding rainwater. |
How do I keep mosquitoes out of the house and the bedroom?
- Fit insect screens on windows and balcony doors, and mend tears.
- Close bedroom doors from late afternoon; avoid opening unscreened windows in the early morning and at dusk.
- Do not leave worn clothes hanging in the bedroom, and clear under beds and behind curtains: mosquitoes rest where it is dark and still.
- Seal gaps around aircon pipes that pass through the wall.
- Sleep under a net, including daytime naps and when small children sleep during the day, as the Ministry of Health advises.
- For a newborn's room, rely on the net, screens and a closed door. Keep concentrated essential oils, coils and sprays away from the baby, and use a skin repellent only if its label states it suits the child's age.
Which mosquito remedies have evidence behind them?
A cautious reading of what health agencies and published research have recorded:
| Remedy | What the evidence says |
|---|---|
| Bed nets and screens | Supported and recommended by the Ministry of Health: a physical barrier with no chemicals. |
| Skin repellents | Supported when the product has a registration number and is used as the label directs, including the minimum age for children. |
| Fans and aircon | Moving air can make it harder for mosquitoes to fly and land. A support, not a substitute for a net. |
| Essential oils, lemongrass plants, orange peel | Any effect is usually short and inconsistent. Concentrated oils can irritate skin and airways. |
| Ultrasonic repellers | A Cochrane systematic review of electronic mosquito repellents found no evidence that they prevent bites. |
| UV insect lamps | Mosquitoes find people mainly by carbon dioxide, warmth and body odour. A University of Delaware study of nearly 14,000 insects caught by six outdoor lamps found 31 mosquitoes or other biting insects, under 0.25%. |
| Traps with a fan or attractant | They can catch more mosquitoes, but that is not the same as clearly fewer bites indoors. Place them away from where people sit and sleep. |
| Household sprays and coils | Choose products with a Ministry of Health registration number and follow the label. Spray dark corners when the room is empty, keep it closed for the stated time, then ventilate. Never spray towards people, food or an aquarium, and do not burn coils in a closed bedroom. |
When does mosquito spraying make sense for a villa or house in Saigon?
A household aerosol suits one room or one corner of a porch, and doing it yourself is reasonable when mosquitoes appear only indoors and you are not finding many larvae around the home. A service is worth considering when the garden is large or close to a river or canal, when mosquitoes are numerous all day, before an outdoor party, or when a house has stood empty for a long time. A survey also finds water that is hard to see: roof gutters, drain pits, tree hollows, damp wall bases.
| Method | What it does and where it stops |
|---|---|
| Space spraying | A fine mist that quickly lowers adult mosquitoes at the time of spraying. The effect is short, so it is used before an outdoor event or when numbers are very high. |
| Treating resting places | The undersides of leaves, low shrubs and shady porch corners where mosquitoes shelter by day. It lasts longer, and the area is marked out to avoid play areas and vegetables. |
| Water that cannot be removed | Drain pits and landscape ponds are handled case by case. If a pond holds fish, say so in advance so nothing is applied directly to the water. |
| Clearing standing water | The base for every other method, and the part a household keeps up each week. |
How should we prepare, and how often is spraying needed?
For outdoor treatment the family usually only closes the doors, stays indoors and keeps out of the garden for the time advised; any indoor treatment has its own re-entry time in the plan. One treatment can be enough before an event, while keeping numbers down through the rainy season usually needs a repeat schedule, with the interval written in the quote. Between visits, emptying standing water every week matters as much as the spraying.
- Tell the provider about small children, older people, respiratory conditions, pets, caged birds, fish ponds and any bee nest in the garden.
- Close windows and doors facing the garden; bring in laundry, toys and pet bowls.
- Cover fish ponds, aquatic plant bowls and domestic water tanks as instructed.
- Do not pick vegetables or fruit from the garden for the period you are told.
What UpClean does, and how to book
UpClean surveys the grounds free of charge, then sends a written, all-inclusive quote stating the area to be treated, the method, the re-entry time and the repeat schedule. On the day an Up specialist, one of UpClean's identity-verified and trained staff, clears standing water that can be reached safely and covers fish ponds, outdoor furniture and play areas. UpClean's own pest-control technicians then treat the agreed area with products that hold a valid registration number in Vietnam, and outdoor tables, chairs and play equipment are wiped down once the re-entry time has passed.
You then receive an Up Report by WhatsApp or Zalo, a record of the areas treated and the water points removed or left for you to watch. If you want a lower-chemical approach, say so at the survey. UpClean has declared its eligibility to provide pest-control services as required by regulation; the declaration and product information are available on request.
To book, message or call 0968 726 135 on WhatsApp or Zalo with a few photos of the garden and your address, between 7:00 AM and 8:00 PM on any day. Enquiries, quotes and the Up Report can be in English. A visit is usually moved if it rains or the wind is strong.
- Mosquito control
- What the service includes and the areas covered.
- Pest control
- Cockroaches, ants or rodents can go into the same survey and one quote.
- Thao Dien
- UpClean's services in Thao Dien.
- Phu My Hung
- UpClean's services in Phu My Hung.
- Book a survey
- Send the request online.
- Up Report
- What the report contains.
Frequently asked questions
When do dengue mosquitoes bite?+
According to dengue-prevention advisories, the Aedes mosquito usually bites in the daytime, mostly in the early morning and towards dusk. That is why a net is advised for daytime sleep too.
How often should standing water be emptied?+
At least once a week, because in hot, humid weather the cycle from egg to adult can take only about a week.
Do high-floor apartments get mosquitoes?+
Yes. Mosquitoes travel in lifts and corridors, or breed inside the apartment in vases, fridge drip trays and balcony plant pots.
Does mosquito spraying prevent dengue?+
Spraying lowers the number of adult mosquitoes for a time. According to the Ministry of Health, the key measure is removing larvae and standing water, so UpClean's service always includes a standing-water check and does not replace the public-health response.
How long does one mosquito treatment last?+
There is no single figure, because mosquitoes fly in from the surroundings, especially near rivers and canals. UpClean states the expected interval and a repeat schedule in the quote.
We have a koi pond. Can the garden still be treated?+
It is surveyed and considered separately, so tell UpClean in advance. The technicians mark out an area that avoids the pond, and the Up specialist covers it as instructed.
Can you spray before a garden party?+
Yes. Book early so the visit falls far enough ahead for the re-entry time to pass; the Up specialist then wipes down the tables, chairs and party area.
