What mosquito control means, and what we can and cannot say
Mosquito control is two different things. Public programs, where they exist, treat adult mosquitoes from aircraft or truck-mounted sprayers, which the EPA says typically apply under three ounces per acre, with malathion, naled and pyrethroids the products state and local agencies commonly use. A company hired for your yard is a separate service, and MDARD's category 7F covers applicators who manage mosquitoes in an outside environment. A private company needs a 7F applicator, not a category 8 public health applicator, since category 8 is for government employees only.
We found no Michigan or EPA source we could cite on how much a yard treatment reduces bites or disease, and the EPA's page on residential misting systems says only that label directions govern use and points to integrated pest management. So we make no efficacy claim. What you can ask any company is what it treats, what product, where the label allows it and how often.
Mosquito service pricing: what we can show
Our estimate for yard mosquito service in Michigan is $105 to $195 per visit, or $355 to $835 per season. It is a model, not a quote: two published national ranges for each, adjusted for what Michigan pest control workers are paid, and no Michigan company we looked at publishes a regular price. A seasonal plan is where the honesty rule bites hardest: MCL 324.8313(12) bars calling a treatment necessary for a pest that is not present or likely.
Under the estimate, the table lists the wage and fees. Ask how many visits the price includes, which months, and what product the label permits near water and gardens.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $105 to $195 per visit | Built from 2 national published ranges, adjusted by the Michigan pest control worker median wage ratio (0.98). No Michigan pest control company price is shown, because none of the companies we looked at published a regular price. |
| Estimated range per season, not a quote | $355 to $835 per season | Built from 2 national published ranges, adjusted by the Michigan pest control worker median wage ratio (0.98). No Michigan pest control company price is shown, because none of the companies we looked at published a regular price. |
| Pest control worker wage, Michigan median | $21.38 an hour | What pest control workers are paid (O*NET republishing BLS, May 2025), not what you are charged. Percentile data, not re-checked against the BLS table. |
| State fee, registered applicator (technician) | $45 | A registered applicator cannot apply restricted use pesticides. |
| State fee, pesticide application business license | $100 a year, expires every December 31 | Every company that applies pesticides for hire needs one, in addition to its applicators' credentials. |
How we estimate costs: the Estimated range row is a model, not a quote. It takes two published national ranges for this job (cost guides from third-party sites that we have not verified and do not cite) and multiplies them by Michigan's pest control worker median wage ratio to the US (0.98, BLS May 2025 data read through O*NET OnLine). The wage and state fee rows in the table are what pest control workers are paid and what the state charges to license them, and neither is a price. We have not collected quotes, and we found no Michigan pest control company that publishes a regular price. Full method. Prices as of Oct 19, 2026.
Season and risk in Michigan
Oakland County's health division says West Nile risk is highest from late July through September. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) says outbreaks have occurred every summer since 2002, that Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties and Kent County have historically seen the most activity, and that people over 60 are at greatest risk of severe disease. Oakland County says over 50, so treat the age as a range. MDHHS says about 8 in 10 infected people have no symptoms and about 1 in 150 develop serious neurologic illness.
The weekly MDHHS arbovirus summary, updated October 16, 2026 and provisional, lists 31 human arbovirus cases this year: 29 West Nile, one eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) in Roscommon County and one Jamestown Canyon. Human West Nile cases include Wayne County 6, Oakland 6, Macomb 5, Kent 4, Detroit 3 and Ottawa 2, and 120 mosquito pools have tested positive. MDHHS says about 30 percent of people ill with EEE die and many survivors have permanent neurologic damage, with no vaccine or specific treatment for people. The page is overwritten weekly, so check the current one.
A new species and what counties actually do
A September 2025 notice on the City of Livonia's website, quoting a Wayne County Health Division advisory, says the Asian tiger mosquito is new to Michigan, has a black-and-white striped body and bites during the day. Wayne County is monitoring it and asks residents to report unusual daytime biting to Wayne County Environmental Health at (734) 727-7400. The notice says current disease risk in Michigan is low.
We did not find a county or city adult-mosquito spraying program in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Kent, Washtenaw or Ingham counties. Macomb County describes surveillance of mosquitoes and ticks and says West Nile is endemic there, and Kent describes surveillance on a page whose wording we have not confirmed, so ask the county for the details. MDHHS retired its disease mapper on January 31, 2025, so any site that still links to it is out of date.
Ticks are a separate season
If your concern is the yard in general, ticks are on a different schedule from mosquitoes and have their own rules. The mosquito and tick season guide covers both, and the season calendar puts the sourced dates in month order.
Mosquitoes: urgent or not
- Nothing about mosquito control is an emergency. If someone is ill after bites, call a doctor or the local health department.
- Heavy biting in the evening in a garden.
- A small amount of standing water near the house.
Before you book
- Ask which months the price covers and how many visits.
- Ask for the product name and the label's directions near water and gardens.
- Ask for the applicator's license and the company's license number.
- Report unusual daytime biting in Wayne County to Wayne County Environmental Health.
- Check the current MDHHS arbovirus summary, not an old page.
License and rules for mosquito work
A company doing outdoor mosquito work for hire needs a business license and an applicator certified or registered in category 7F, and drift rules apply: MDARD's Regulation 637 requires a written drift management plan for outdoor applications with potential drift and notice to people on its Notification Registry before turf or ornamental applications. Ask for the plan and the product label.
Ask for the company's state pesticide business license number and the applicator's name, and look both up with your state's pesticide regulator before any work starts.
- MDARD: Pesticide Applicator Certification Read Oct 19, 2026.
A tool for this job
Pest season calendar
Pick a month. The calendar lists the pest, health and wildlife dates that Michigan agencies or extension services give for it, and says where we found no date, so a gap means no source and not no pests. It runs in your browser and asks for nothing.
Open the toolQuestions people ask
When is mosquito season in Michigan?
West Nile risk is highest from late July through September, according to Oakland County's health division. MDHHS says outbreaks have occurred every summer since 2002.
How many West Nile cases has Michigan had in 2026?
29 human cases as of October 16, 2026, according to MDHHS's weekly arbovirus summary, plus one EEE case and one Jamestown Canyon case. The page is overwritten weekly.
Which insecticide is best for mosquitoes?
We do not pick one, and no Michigan source ranks them. The EPA says public agencies commonly use malathion, naled and pyrethroids for adult control. For a private yard, the label of the product the licensed applicator uses is the rule.
Do Michigan counties spray for mosquitoes?
We found no county adult-mosquito spraying program in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Kent, Washtenaw or Ingham counties. Macomb and Kent describe surveillance. That is a gap in what we can cite, and it does not prove that no program exists.
What license does a mosquito control company need in Michigan?
A business license and a category 7F applicator, since 7F covers managing mosquitoes in an outside environment.
Is the Asian tiger mosquito in Michigan?
Wayne County says it is new to Michigan and being monitored, according to a September 2025 notice on Livonia's website. It has a black-and-white striped body and bites during the day. Report unusual daytime biting to (734) 727-7400.
- O*NET OnLine: Michigan Wages 37-2021.00 Pest Control Workers (BLS 2025 data) Read Oct 19, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- PestControlMatch: how we estimate costs (editorial policy) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- MCL 324.8317 (Michigan Legislature) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- MDARD: Pesticide Applicator Business License (PABL) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- MDARD: Pesticide Certification-Registration Categories (revised 08/2011) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- MDHHS Emerging Diseases: West Nile Virus Read Oct 19, 2026.
- MDHHS Emerging Diseases: Eastern Equine Encephalitis Read Oct 19, 2026.
- MDHHS: Arbovirus Weekly Summary, Michigan 2026 (updated Oct 16, 2026) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- EPA: Pesticides Used to Control Adult Mosquitoes Read Oct 19, 2026.
- EPA: Mosquito Misting Systems Read Oct 19, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- Macomb County Health Department: West Nile Virus and mosquito surveillance Read Oct 19, 2026.
- Kent County: Mosquitos & Ticks (Vector Surveillance); MDHHS arbovirus summary Read Oct 19, 2026. One caveat: we have not confirmed the full text of this page, so read it yourself before you rely on the details.
- Oakland County: West Nile Virus (2026 activity as of Oct 2, 2026) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- City of Livonia: Public Health Notice, Asian Tiger Mosquito in Livonia Read Oct 19, 2026.
- MDHHS: MI Disease Mapper (decommissioned notice) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- MDARD: Pesticide Regulations for New Commercial Pesticide Applicator Businesses Read Oct 19, 2026.
- MCL 324.8313 (Michigan Legislature) Read Oct 19, 2026.