Bug Off! Tips On Keeping Mosquitoes Away This Summer

Slap!

Did you get it? Did you get the little bugger before it made a meal out of your skin?

It’s summertime, which means it’s mosquito time, and local health officials have released tips on how to keep the blood-sucking bugs away from you and your home this season.

According to the Mosquito Division Superintendent Kristian McMorland, it’s all about the water sources.

“At this time of year, even just a bit of standing water can create a huge number of mosquitoes that can have a negative impact on your quality of life,’’ said McMorland in a statement. “It’s important to remove or clean or repair anything that can collect rain or sprinkler water – such as clogged gutters, old car tires, wheelbarrows, planters, birdbaths or unused swimming or wading pools.

“If everyone would take steps around their own homes to eliminate standing water, it could make a very big difference, reducing the number of mosquitos by many thousands, if not millions, where you live,” she continued.

The following tips were provided by the county:

• At least once or twice a week, empty water from flower pots, pet food and water dishes, birdbaths, swimming pool covers, buckets, barrels, and cans.
• Check for clogged rain gutters and clean them out.
• Remove discarded tires, and other items that could collect water.
• Be sure to check for containers or trash in places that may be hard to see, such as under bushes or under your home.
• Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots or similar water-holding containers that have accumulated on your property
• Drill holes in the bottom and elevate recycling containers that are left outdoors
• Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish. Water gardens are fashionable but become major mosquito producers if they are allowed to stagnate
• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools, including those that are not being used. A swimming pool that is left untended can produce enough mosquitoes to result in neighborhood-wide complaints. Be aware mosquitoes may even breed in the water that collects on pool covers
• Repair and maintain barriers, such as window and door screens, to prevent mosquitoes from entering buildings. Barriers over rain barrels or cistern and septic pipes will deny female mosquitoes the opportunity to lay eggs on water
• Wear an EPA-registered mosquito repellant, following label instructions, when outdoors.
• If possible, stay indoors at dawn and dusk, when mosquitos are most active.
• Wear long-sleeve shirts and pants, if practical, when exploring the outdoors.

For more information check morrismosquito.org.