Fewer mosquitoes on the farm. Nothing on crops.

Biological mosquito control for farms, ranches and stables. Nothing on crops, animals, hives or water.

Farmstead at golden hour with a red barn, a grazing horse, a galvanized water trough and vegetable beds

SMF provides biological mosquito control for farms and ranches in Dallas-Fort Worth by releasing sterile male mosquitoes around the farmstead, barns and gathering areas. Nothing is applied to crops, livestock, hives, ponds or troughs, so there is no residue, no drift and no re-entry wait. The releases target the Asian tiger and yellow fever mosquitoes that breed in containers and bite by day and at dusk.

Who we work with

Farms and ranches live with water, animals and crops in one place. That is exactly where most mosquito products become a problem.

Organic and specialty-crop farms that can't put a synthetic product near a certified field.
Orchards and market gardens harvesting every few days, all season.
Horse and equestrian facilities, from boarding barns to show arenas.
Cattle, dairy and goat ranches with troughs, tanks and pens in every pasture.
Beekeepers and pollination-dependent growers who can't risk a hive.
Agritourism: pick-your-own fields, farm stays and barn weddings where guests linger outside at dusk.
Farmers markets and on-farm stands with evening hours.

Why chemicals and farms don't mix

On most properties, a mosquito treatment is a comfort decision. On a farm, it touches certification, harvest, animals and the people who work there.

Organic certification. Under the USDA organic rules, synthetic substances for pest control come last, allowed only when preventive, mechanical, physical and biological practices are insufficient, and only if documented in your organic system plan.¹ Most adult mosquito products aren't worth that paperwork or that risk.

Drift onto crops and neighbors. A fog or mist moves with the wind. On a farm, downwind is a vegetable bed, a neighbor's certified field or a pasture.

Pollinators and hives. The EPA's pollinator protection work exists because many insecticides are toxic to bees, and labels carry restrictions where bees are foraging.² A broad-spectrum product near a bee yard or a blooming orchard is a gamble beekeepers won't take.

Labels, intervals and paperwork. Every application means checking animal and water restrictions, pre-harvest and restricted-entry intervals, and the EPA's Worker Protection Standard for training and posting.³ When you pick every two days, that's a lost harvest or a crew standing idle.

Weighing larvicides or fogging? Compare all options →

Where farm mosquitoes really breed

Asian tiger and yellow fever mosquitoes breed in small, still water, and a working farm is full of it.

Water troughs and stock tanks. Old tires holding down tarps. Buckets, feed tubs and wheelbarrows. Tractor buckets, equipment beds and tarps that pool after rain. Barn gutters, drip lines and plant saucers in the greenhouse. Few products or traps reach them all, and you can't empty every trough.

Sterile males don't need you to find every one. They fly out from each release point and find wild females where they rest: in the barn, behind the equipment shed, along the fence line. When a female mates with a sterile male, her eggs don't hatch, so the next generation around your farmstead is smaller.

Galvanized water trough beside garden beds, a fence line and a barn

How a farm program runs

Planned around your animals, your harvest calendar and your guests, with releases handled by our team or by yours.

1 Assessment. Free, with no obligation: about an hour on site, or a short remote review. We walk the property with you: barns, troughs, equipment yards, hives, the house and any guest areas. You get a year-round release plan and a custom quote.
2 Releases. Every week or two in the warm months, as your plan sets, and monthly in winter. Our team releases on site, or your farm staff open the plates themselves; the instructions show where to open each one. A release takes minutes and doesn't stop chores, milking or picking.
3 All year, around the animals. Livestock are on the property every month, so the program is too. The winter releases keep the population from rebuilding before spring.
4 Events and peak weeks. Tell us your pick-your-own season, market days and wedding dates, and we'll time the program so numbers are already falling before guests arrive.

Every release follows the same four steps

1 Raise and sort We raise mosquitoes and remove the females, using AI vision from our technology partner, Senecio. Only males move on.

2 Sterilize We sterilize the males with X-rays in-house, the last step before they leave our facility.

3 Release Our team can handle every release on site, or your staff can release the plates themselves with our instructions. Every week or two in the warm months, as your plan sets, and monthly in winter.

4 Check in We adjust the plan with you through the year.

Why it works: wild females mate once. When one mates with a sterile male, her eggs don't hatch. Each generation is smaller than the last, until the population collapses. How it works →

What stays the same on your farm

Sterile males are insects, not an input. Your routines don't change.

Nothing on crops or soil. No residue to manage and no pre-harvest interval, because nothing is applied.
Nothing in troughs, tanks or ponds. Animals drink as usual, and fish and frogs are unaffected.
Nothing on animals. Horses, cattle, goats and poultry are left alone. Males don't bite.
Safe for bees. Our males mate only with their own species. Bees, butterflies and beneficial insects carry on.
No re-entry wait for your crew. Nothing to mix, store or apply.
No resistance to manage. Releases don't rely on an insecticide.

For organic operations. SMF applies no substance to your land, crops or animals. Ask your certifier how a sterile-male program should be described in your organic system plan. SMF is not organic-certified and does not certify farms.

What it doesn't cover

A farm has more than one kind of mosquito, and we'll tell you which ones we affect.

Our releases target the container-breeding Asian tiger and yellow fever mosquitoes around barns, homes and gathering areas. Floodwater mosquitoes such as Psorophora, which hatch in huge numbers after heavy rain in pastures and low ground, and night-biting mosquitoes from ponds and ditches aren't affected. So draining standing water, managing pond edges and following your vet's advice for horses all still matter. The assessment shows the mix on your property.

93%

fewer wild female mosquitoes after six weeks Harris County, Texas study of sterile-male releases (related method). Captiva Island is a long, narrow strip of homes and wild land, closer to a spread-out property than a city block, and a public program there using the same method saw up to 79% fewer adult mosquitoes in its first release phase. Evidence for the method, not SMF's own results. CDC and Harris County Public Health. Lozano et al., PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2022. Lee County Mosquito Control District, Captiva Island, Florida: first release phase only, compared with an untreated island; effects were weaker in later, expanded phases. Morreale et al., PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2025.

See the research

If you're not feeling it

Farm and ranch programs carry the same promise.

Satisfaction guaranteed: a free boost if you're not happy, and cancel anytime with your last month refunded. Guarantee terms

Safe around animals, crops and hives

The first question at the barn is usually about the horses. Here is the short answer:

Males don't bite, and they're not genetically modified.¹ Regulation details, with sources, are on our safety page. Safety and regulation →

1. CDC, "Irradiated mosquitoes," cdc.gov, May 14, 2024.

Farm and ranch questions

1. USDA National Organic Program, 7 CFR 205.206, Crop pest, weed, and disease management practice standard (paragraph e: synthetic substances only when practices in a to d are insufficient, on the National List, and documented in the organic system plan). 2. U.S. EPA, "Pollinator Protection," epa.gov, including EPA's policy restricting applications of acutely toxic pesticides when managed bees are present under contract. 3. U.S. EPA, Agricultural Worker Protection Standard, 40 CFR Part 170, and product labels (restricted-entry and pre-harvest intervals). 4. Texas A&M AgriLife Today and Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL), guidance to Texas horse owners, https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2016/02/18/texas-horse-owners-encouraged-to-vaccinate-in-preventing-mosquito-borne-neurologic-diseases/

Is mosquito spray safe for organic farms?

Only as a last resort. Under the USDA organic rules, a synthetic pest control substance must be on the National List, used only when other practices aren't enough, and documented in your organic system plan.¹ Sterile male releases apply nothing to crops or soil. Ask your certifier how to record the program in your plan.

How do I control mosquitoes around horses without chemicals?

Empty or scrub small containers weekly, keep troughs clean and moving where you can, and use fans in stalls. Sterile male releases add a biological layer around barns and paddocks with nothing on the horses or their water. Follow your vet's vaccination schedule for horses too (Texas A&M AgriLife has guidance).⁴

Will mosquito control harm my bees?

Not ours. The males we release mate only with their own species. Males feed on nectar, not blood, and they don't harm bees. Nothing is applied to blooms, hives or forage.

Do sterile mosquitoes work on a big ranch?

We focus releases where container mosquitoes breed and people and animals spend time: the house, barns, pens, trough lines and event areas. Open pasture after a flood breeds different species that releases don't affect. The assessment sets the coverage that makes sense for your acreage, and your instructions show where to open each plate.

Will released mosquitoes bother my livestock or farm guests?

No. Males don't bite people or animals. You might notice a few more near a release point for a short while, and that passes as numbers fall.

When should a farm start?

Any time. Programs run year-round, so the best start is now. Want one last spray first? Do it at least a week before your first release; after that, no spraying. For picking season, market days or a barn wedding, start releases at least 4 weeks before the first big date.

Other property types: Venues and restaurants HOAs and communities Resorts and hotels Golf courses All commercial programs →

Protect the harvest, the herd and the hives.

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