B.I.T.E. Mosquitoes Back!
You could only hope to venture out to enjoy Florida’s beautiful summer weather and return home without a mosquito bite. Summer excitement is quickly replaced with a feeling of helplessness, as you try to relieve the bites with excessive scratching. This inconvenience makes us wish we could “bite” mosquitoes back. As bizarre as this may sound, we can!
This is possible through understanding how mosquitoes Breed, the use of Insect repellants, the use of Tactical landscaping, and if all else fails, Evacuating. With these actions, you can successfully enjoy the beautiful weather with a B.I.T.E.!
B (Breeding)
To begin, you must understand how mosquitoes breed. Mosquitoes have four life stages that include: egg, larvae, pupae, and adult. The first three stages are aquatic. Without a potential water source, they are unable to thrive. Female mosquitoes will lay their eggs on standing water, preferably in a small and dark place. The eggs hatch into larvae, feeding on particles that float on the water through filtration, then they transform into pupae, where they form their wings, legs, and mouth parts. Mosquitoes do not feed during this stage. In the summer, these first three stages last roughly three to five days.
After the pupae stage, they fly away as adult mosquitoes. The male mosquito only lives for a couple days and feeds on plant juices, not blood from other animals. The female mosquito lives up to a month and may bite many times, eventually returning to water to lay her eggs and start the process over again.
I (Insect repellent)
The most effective way you can protect yourself from mosquito bites is by using insect repellent on exposed parts of your skin. Various creams, lotions and sprays that contain at least 20% diethylotolluimdie (DEET) will help you defend yourself from being fed upon, remember to follow label directions.
Other methods that will help stop mosquitoes include wearing protective clothing, as well as screening doors and windows.Heavy fabrics give better protection compared to light and loose fitting clothing. Screening your home windows and doors with a fine-wire screen (14-18 wires per inch) will prevent these insects from entering. By combining these different methods, you can effectively protect yourself from bites.
T (Tactical landscaping)
In addition to protecting yourself, you should also protect your home from harboring mosquitoes through tactical landscaping. You can do this by removing any items that tend to collect water. By removing items such as old tires, broken/unused kiddie pools, bird baths, potted plants and pet dishes, mosquitoes are unable to breed.
Aside from removing these items, it is also beneficial to fill holes, puddles, and any other areas that may collect water with sand or dirt to help these areas from becoming breeding sites. If removal of these items is not possible, they should be covered to pre-vent water collection.
E (Evacuate)
If mosquitoes are still prevalent after the above actions have been taken, you should evacuate the area to prevent further mosquito bites. If moving to a different area, including going indoors, does not prevent being bitten, a new approach must be taken.
This problem may require a larger scale of control, in which the application of personal use pesticides may be required.
BB Insurance Marketing is a full-service insurance agency located in South Florida that specializes in business, personal and benefits insurance. Childcare, gas stations, pest control and restaurants are just a few of the niche markets we work in. BBIMI’s insurance expertise extends all across the state, so we’ve got you covered with a quality policy you can depend on!