Tips to Avoid Mosquitos

Take preventative action to avoid mosquito bites and the emerging risk of the Zika virus

Mosquitoes are nasty bugs. Their buzzing and biting, and the viruses they carry make them one of summer’s most un-welcome guests. Here are some more important tips to protect your family from mosquito bites.

Whether at home or on vacation, Westlake Ace Hardware offers these 13 important tips to control mosquitoes, and avoid irritation and illness from their bites:

When Outside

• Wear long-sleeved pants and shirts to protect against mosquito bites.
• Treat exposed skin with an EPA-registered insect repellent, such as Cutter® brand sprays.
• If you’re going to be in the sun, apply sunscreen first and then insect repellent.

In the Yard
One of the most effective ways to control mosquitoes is to eliminate standing water in and around the yard.

• After it rains or after the lawn sprinklers run, empty water out of flowerpots, wheel barrows, watering cans, buckets, etc.
• If there is standing water in bird baths or water features, or in swampy areas of the yard, use larvicides such as Mosquito Dunks®. These products treat the water and kill mosquito larvae.
• Clean out gutters, remove piles of leaves and debris, and keep your lawn and other vegetation cut low to prevent landing sites for adult mosquitoes.
• Use an outdoor flying insect spray for mosquito control, like Cutter® Backyard Bug Control. Spray the yard and any trees, shrubs or flowers. Another option is to use an electric or propane-powered fogger with Black Flag® fogging insecticide to cover the yard and get under bushes and plants. In the House
  
• Check window and door screens for any tears and repair them.
• Keep the doors and windows closed so mosquitoes can’t make their way inside. Turn on the air conditioning instead.
• Check for and empty standing water inside the house as well, in places like flower vases or flowerpot saucers.
• Use an indoor flying insect fogger or spray to kill mosquitoes inside your home, such as Black Flag® Flying Insect Killer.

On Vacation

• Opt for an air-conditioned hotel room when possible, and check that window screens are in good condition. If camping, take along mosquito netting to use while sleeping.
• Use a mosquito-repellent wristband such as Mosquitno® for continuous on-the-go protection, especially if you’re traveling to the Gulf Coast area, Caribbean or other high-risk areas outside of the U.S.

Facts about Zika Virus

• Zika virus is a disease that causes mild, flu-like symptoms that last about a week.
• The Zika virus is most dangerous to pregnant women because it can cause a birth defect called microcephaly in babies born to infected mothers.
• The mosquito that carries the virus is called the Aedes agypti mosquito. Its typical range includes tropical, temperate parts of the southeast and south-central U.S.
• At this time, no locally transmitted cases of the Zika virus have been reported in the United States.
• There is no vaccine for the Zika virus, so the only way to prevent contracting it is to avoid mosquito bites.

Additional information and tips from the Centers for Disease Control: http://www.cdc.gov