Preventing Mosquito Bites

Preventing Mosquito Bites

Humid, hot environments can be a major indication that mosquitoes are out and looking for a blood meal. Mosquito bites can be painful, creating an itchy, red welt on the skin. Depending on the person, mosquito bites could cause an allergic reaction too. While it’s inevitable to run into mosquitoes during these months, there are still ways to eliminate the chance of getting bitten.

When the weather is warm, humid, but perfect for being outside, it’s less likely that covering up is first thing you’ll think of doing. But, covering up is the most effective and easiest way to prevent mosquitoes from biting you. If you know you’ll be outside for some time, consider wearing long sleeves and pants as much as possible to cover your exposed skin. When preparing to spend time outdoors, consider wearing light-colored clothes. It’s known that mosquitoes are more attracted to darker colors, so wearing lightly colored clothing can help reduce the chance of being bitten.

If wearing long shirts and pants isn’t an option, another alternative is using insect repellant. Insect repellants are great to use when the weather is particularly hot and humid. It’s suggested that the best type of repellent to use is those that contain DEET. DEET has proven to be highly effective at repelling mosquitoes and other biting insects. It can help protect from mosquito-borne diseases such as Zika Virus, West Nile, and Encephalitis.

Whatever activities or plans you have while outside if the weather is hot, your body temperature will elevate. Staying cool and avoiding high body temperatures is impossible in the humid heat but it’s still important to try and keep cool as much as you can, since mosquitoes are highly attracted to elevated body temperatures. If you’ll be outside for a while in the heat, consider using portable fans, cold rags on your neck or forehead, and drink plenty of water throughout the day. Or consider planning your day around peak mosquito time which is in the late afternoon and evening.

It’s inevitable to run into mosquitoes in the spring and summertime and sometimes prevention isn’t enough. If you’ve gotten bitten one too many times, consider calling your local pest control company where they can provide you with an inspection and offer an effective  mosquito treatment plan.

 

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Prep Your Yard & Keep Mosquito Free!

Prep Your Yard & Keep Mosquito Free!

Spending time outdoors is a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Whether it’s spending time by the pool, having a picnic, or just lounging in the yard, relaxing outside is a great activity for the whole family. But the last thing you want to have to deal with while spending time in your yard are mosquitoes.  Mosquitoes can be a danger to your family and even pets as they survive by sucking blood from animals and humans. They are usually found in areas of high humidity looking for stagnant, standing water to breed. Luckily, there are ways you can prep your yard to prevent mosquitoes.

Remove Unnecessary Items

Since mosquitoes breed in standing water, it is essential to eliminate any items that could hold water. Items such as foundations, toy buckets, outdoor pet bowls, flowerpot sauces, tarps, pool covers, and more should not stay in your yard for a long period of time. It’s also important to remove excess grass, leaves, firewood, and yard clippings as mosquitoes tend to stay in grass and debris around your home.

Clean Your Gutters

Clogged gutters can not only create standing water but will also catch debris and leaves. This provides mosquitoes a perfect breeding location. Make sure that your gutters are clean and clear, especially after a thunderstorm. Consider installing gutter guards to help prevent clogs and clutter.

Fill Hollow Areas

Any low-lying areas like ditches can also collect standing water after rain or watering plants. Make sure to check around your yard that you don’t have these; if you do notice them you can simply fill them in with dirt. Additionally, check for any hollow logs and stumps throughout your yard. They not only can hold standing water but will also provide overwintering mosquitoes a place to hibernate during cold weather.

Maintain the Pool

If you have a well-maintained pool, mosquitoes will most likely avoid it. However, if a pool goes unused for a long period of time, these pests will be attracted to the stagnant water. Make sure to keep the pool maintained or covered if you’re planning to not use it for a while.

By utilizing these tips, you can start to enjoy your yard and worry less about mosquito bites! If you are still having an infestation of mosquitoes, it’s best to contact your local pest company to provide you with the best plan of action to eliminate mosquitoes. Request a Free Estimate now to get started.

Why Are Mosquitoes Inside My Home?

Why Are Mosquitoes Inside My Home?

Typically, when you’re swatting away mosquitoes, you’re most likely outside. But what if you notice these pesky bugs inside your home? Mosquitoes can be considered one of the most irritating pests during the warmer seasons. They’re usually found in areas of high humidity and survive by sucking blood from animals and humans. When you’re relaxing at home after a long day of work, the last thing you want to worry about is getting bit by one or several of these pests. Though, if you’re starting to see them inside your home, it’s probably time to start investigating.

Mosquitoes could easily sneak inside your home through broken screens or doors. Mosquitoes are extremely small, and if there’s a slightest gap open to enter your home, they will. Begin to inspect the screens, windows, and doors in your home. Make sure there aren’t any large gaps or tears that would allow any bugs to enter the home.

Mosquitoes are attracted to still and stagnant water. There’s a high chance of mosquito activity if your property is near standing water with a constant water source. Mosquitoes could easily enter your home and lay their eggs; female mosquitoes will lay eggs in water for survival.

House plants are also known to attract mosquitoes inside the house. If your house plant has a water tray, mosquitoes will typically start to lay their eggs there while also feeding off the plant to get energy. Clean out your water trays periodically to prevent mosquitoes from laying more eggs.

One factor that not all homeowners will think about is a possible plumbing problem attracting mosquitoes. Simple leaks with small pools of water will certainly attract these pests. Mosquitoes are not only attracted to just areas of moisture, they can also be found in shaded, covered areas. Make sure to check crawl spaces, basements, and other areas where a pipe could leak.

Finally, if you’ve inspected all these possible factors and are still being infested with mosquitoes or want to put in place a mosquito prevention plan, call a local pest control company where they can investigate the problem and create a mosquito reduction program designed for your home.

How to Prep Your Yard for a Mosquito Bite-Free Summer

How to Prep Your Yard for a Mosquito Bite-Free Summer

The sun is shining, the warm breeze is blowing, you’ve got your feet up, unwinding from the week, when…OUCH! That moment of relaxation you’ve been waiting for was suddenly interrupted by a painful mosquito bite. At this point you’re annoyed, thinking about going back inside to avoid more bites, or wondering if you should make an appointment with your doctor to check for Zika or West Nile. What a summer bummer!

Mosquitoes not only pose serious risks for your family, but pets are a target too. Heartworms are parasites transmitted to dogs and cats through mosquito bites, that live in pets’ bloodstream, lungs and heart, and can cause serious, even deadly, side effects.

Don’t let mosquitoes suck the life out of your summer. Protect family and pets and take back your yard with these easy mosquito bite prevention tips:

Attack Mosquitoes at the Source

Mosquitoes breed in areas with stagnant, standing water like fountains and water features, toys, buckets, outdoor pet bowls, bird baths, clogged gutters, vases, flowerpot saucers, old tires or tire swings, rain barrels, trash cans and trash can lids, tarps, kiddie pools, and pool covers. The best way to prevent mosquito bites is to remove these items/areas and to treat your yard with mosquito control products. This is included in a monthly mosquito reduction program and is guaranteed to drastically reduce the number of mosquitoes in and around your yard.

Use Insect Repellent

One of the best ways to prevent Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases is to use skin-applied insect repellent when you’re going to be outside. Formulas that contain DEET and picaridin were found to be most effective at preventing mosquito bites (and those with natural plant oils least effective), according to Consumer Reports.

Cover Up

If you really want to further prevent bites, keep arms and legs covered when outdoors with light-colored, loose clothing. Sometimes this can be just as uncomfortable as getting bitten, though, with the scorching summer heat. If you leave skin exposed, be sure to reapply insect repellent often (especially if you’ll be swimming).

Use Fans

Consider using fans in areas you’ll be hanging out this summer – on decks, patios, around pools, etc. Mosquitoes are weak fliers so the winds from fans will make it hard for them to get close enough to bite.

 

Mosquito Control: How to Prevent Mosquito Bites this Summer

Mosquito Control: How to Prevent Mosquito Bites this Summer

Are you a mosquito magnet? Do you live in a warm humid climate? Do you have children and pets that love to enjoy time outside during the summer? If you answered yes to any of these questions, keep reading.

Mosquitoes are a huge annoyance here in Atlanta and throughout the world. Not only are mosquito bites painful but they carry a variety of dangerous diseases. And they can be a real downer when you’re trying to spend time outdoors. So is there a way to prevent mosquitoes? The answer is yes. There are several ways you can eliminate and prevent mosquitoes from around your home and yard.

1. Remove Mosquito Breeding Areas

Mosquitoes will breed almost anywhere that stagnant, standing water is present. Be sure and put toys away, remove any buckets, containers, debris or trash, correct any drainage issues, and keep gutters clean. If you have fountains, bird baths, or any other feature that contains water, change the water often (at least once a week).

2. Make Plans

Mosquitoes are most active in the late afternoon and evening. If you’re making outside plans, try and schedule activities before sunset.

3. Replace Outdoor Lighting

The EPA recommends using yellow “bug” lights in all of your outdoor lighting fixtures. These will not repel mosquitoes but also won’t attract them like standard lights will.

4. Wear Light-colored Clothing

Mosquitoes are drawn to dark colors. While wearing lighter colored clothing doesn’t guarantee you won’t be bitten, it will help make you a less attractive food source.

5. Use Fans & Candles

Citronella candles have a mild effect at deterring mosquitoes. You can also set up fans in areas where you spend the most time outside, like on decks or patios since mosquitoes are weak fliers.

6. Use Mosquito Repellent

Find an insect repellent labeled specifically for mosquitoes. There are many options available including natural repellents. Use the EPA’s helpful tool to find a mosquito repellent that’s right for you and your family.

7. Get a Professional Opinion

You can take all the precautions for mosquito prevention and still get bitten. Having your property inspected by a professional mosquito control company will give you more insight into the problem areas – potential or existing mosquito breeding sites – and provide you with options for mosquito treatments. Most mosquito control companies either utilize a combination of larvicide and adulticide mosquito treatments or mosquito misting systems. Contact your local exterminator to find out which one is right for your home.

How to Treat A Mosquito Bite

How to Treat A Mosquito Bite

How to Treat a Mosquito Bite

If you spend any time outside, especially in the Southern states, there is a good chance you will get a mosquito bite.  The female mosquito (males don’t bite) feed on blood.  Once they bite they cause a minor allergic reaction.  You will most often see the skin raise and turn red.  The itch comes from the allergic reaction to the saliva, an anticoagulant, that the mosquito injects while sucking your blood.

So how can you treat a mosquito bite?

  1. Wash the affected area with soap and water or rubbing alcohol to remove any excess saliva that is still on the skin.
  2. Apply ice to the bite as soon as you become aware that you’ve been bitten.  Ice will help alleviate pain and swelling.
  3. Apply an anti-itch medication to the area of the bite. You can also try home remedies such as applying toothpaste, baking soda, mouth wash, or Epsom salt.
  4. Although it can be difficult, avoid scratching.  Scratching will only further aggravate the itch and prolong healing.

How to avoid getting bit by a mosquito:

  1. Have your property treated by a licensed mosquito control company.
  2. Apply an insect repellent to deter mosquitoes.
  3. Wear long pants, long sleeves, and closed toed shoes when possible.
  4. Read our blog 10 Ways to Prevent Mosquito Bites

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