Mosquitoes Are Itching To Get You

Contrary to popular belief, neither Lemon Fresh Joy® nor Listerine® will keep mosquitos from bothering you. Neither will used dryer sheets stuffed in your pockets. In addition, there is no scientific evidence that eating garlic, vitamins, onions or any other food will make a person repellent to mosquitoes, or that wearing devices that emit sound will repeal mosquitoes. Keep reading to find out what does work.

For the Female Is More Deadly Than the Male

As adults, both male and female mosquitoes feed on sugars from plants and other insects that feed on plant sugars. This is the only source of nutrition for males; they do not feed on blood. The females use the sugar meals for energy and the blood meals for egg development. She doesn’t actually bite but stabs by piercing her proboscis, which is a tubular appendage, and drinks between 0.0001 and 0.01 milliliters. She’ll continue to bite and draw blood until her abdomen is full. If she’s interrupted before she’s finished, she’ll fly on to the next person. The bumps and itch left on your skin after a mosquito has bitten you are an allergic reaction to mosquito saliva. The reaction can vary from person to person, but usually lasts no more than 24 hours.

Why Are Some People More Attractive to Mosquitoes?

If it seems that mosquitoes seek you out more often than they do other individuals, you may not be imagining it. Most mosquitoes are attracted to the odor of carbon dioxide (CO2). All humans exhale CO2 with every breath. It’s possible that substances in perfumes, soap residues, facial make-up, deodorants and other compounds on the skin make someone more or less attractive to mosquitoes. Scientists also know that mosquitos are drawn by the scent of cholesterol, folic acid and bacteria from drying sweat. According to the American Mosquito Control Association, there are over 400 such “magnetic compounds,” some of which come from within the body and some from without.

Health Threat

The introduction of a new variety of mosquito into any population of humans and animals can pose a significant health threat because they may introduce a new disease or strain of a disease. As disease carriers, mosquitoes have the ability to significantly change the health or health threats to a community. A parasite that lives in the saliva of mosquitoes is the cause of malaria. West Nile virus, which came to the U.S. in 1999, is also caused by mosquitoes. Other mosquito borne diseases include filaria, dengue, brain fever and yellow fever. Mosquitoes do not spread HIV. 

Managing Mosquitoes

Managing mosquitoes is a challenge. Florida is second only to Texas in the number of mosquito species – 80 – that call the state home. There is no state that is totally mosquito free, but West Virginia has the fewest species, weighing in at 26.

The most effective way to reduce the number of mosquitoes around the home is to eliminate their breeding sites – standing water. Whether the weather is wet, dry, warm or cool, there are plenty of potential sites for mosquitoes to develop. Bird baths, swimming pools and clogged rain gutters are all potential breeding sites along with soil depressions that collect seepage and rain water.

The National Pesticide Information Center recommends:

• Empty water from containers such as bird baths, flower pots, pet water dishes, cans, gutters, tires and buckets.
• Keep windows and door screens in good working order to prevent mosquitoes from entering your home.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants while outdoors, and consider staying indoors early in the morning and evening when mosquitoes are most active.
• Maintain your swimming pool to prevent mosquito breeding.

Mosquito Repellants

You’ve read this far; now we’ll tell you what are the best mosquito repellants. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends using products that have been shown to work in scientific trials and that contain active ingredients that have been registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Of the active ingredients registered with the EPA, the CDC suggests products that contain

• DEET (N.N-diethyl-m-toluamide); or 
• Picaridin (KBR 3023)

Oil of lemon eucalyptus [active ingredient: p-methane 3,8-diol (PMD)] is also registered with the EPA and has been shown to provide protection similar to repellents with low concentrations of DEET.

For more information on repellent use and safety, visit the CDC’s website.

Mosquito control around your home involves reducing populations of mosquitoes, which might possibly lead to a reduction in the number of mosquito bites. There are many products on the market that claim to control mosquitoes. Not all of them work. The experts at Insect Pest Control can help you evaluate what’s most effective for your home. Call us today for a FREE consultation.

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