You may have been making big plans over winter to have outdoor cookouts and backyard gatherings once the warmer months came around. But winter can make you so easily forget the incessant biting of mosquitoes that spring and summer brings. Every year Americans hear reports of diseases being spread by mosquitoes. But how often are people really contracting a mosquito-borne illness and where in the country is this happening? Though over 53,000 cases in the US are reported each year, California has been at the top of the list of most reported West Nile and chikungunya diseases in recent years.
Risks
While most people know that mosquito bites are not only itchy but can cause diseases, any harmful illnesses transferred to humans through mosquito bites can cause a pretty rough time. Illnesses like West Nile virus, if you become symptomatic, can give you a headache as well as cause you to have chills, nausea, diarrhea and more for several days.
For children, not scratching the bites can be really difficult. Scratching can easily tear the skin and leave open sores on your child’s legs and arms. If their nails are not trimmed, dirt and bacteria can transfer from their nails to the open sores, causing infections like Impetigo that may require a doctor’s visit and antibiotics.
Needless to say, mosquitoes can cause a lot of issues. Finding the best professional to provide you with reliable mosquito control is a wonderful way to avoid illnesses, infections, and itchiness.
Among the diseases that you can find in the US are:
- West Nile virus
- Zika virus
- Dengue virus
- Malaria, though most cases come from overseas.
Prevent mosquitoes from coming into your yard
Basic mosquito prevention involves controlling water in the yard. If you have a garden or have kids that love to play in the sprinkler, there are probably containers or mud puddles, even large leaves on plants that hold water, providing the perfect place for a female mosquito to lay eggs. Keep in mind that only female mosquitoes bite and each time they have a blood meal, they then find calm waters to lay about 100 eggs. Female mosquitoes can lay several batches of eggs in their lifetime. Next time you and your children get bitten in your backyard, count up the bites and multiply it by 100. Unfortunately, that is the number of mosquitoes you can expect to be buzzing around your yard in about a week’s time.
When it comes to being outside this summer, do not stress about the number of mosquitoes in your yard and if they are bringing diseases to your family. Have a professional pest control service treat your yard for mosquitoes so you will not have to worry. If you are in Tulare County, give San Joaquin Pest Control in Visalia a call to inspect and treat your yard for those dreaded mosquitoes today.
