Protect Your Family Against Nuisance Mosquitoes

(ARA) – Summer is here and warm weather brings the joys of backyard barbeques, baseball games and lazy days spent relaxing on the front porch. But with these enjoyable activities can come some unwanted pests: mosquitoes. Not only are mosquitoes a nuisance, they can put a damper on your family’s summer fun. Resting during the day in dark, humid areas and coming out at night to feed on human and animal hosts, adult mosquitoes live only for a few weeks and depend on various cues, including body scent, heat and movement, to find their next meal. The familiar red bumps and skin irritation from mosquito bites are caused by an allergic reaction to the mosquito’s saliva. With close to 200 species of mosquitoes throughout the United States, no one is safe from the much dreaded and always uncomfortable mosquito bite.

Prime mosquito breeding grounds include bird baths, gutters, stagnant ponds and pools and other areas close to the perimeter of the home where rain water and water from other sources, such as garden hoses, can accumulate. Since certain mosquito species remain close to breeding sites, it is important to reduce or eliminate moist areas around the home.

To help protect themselves and their families from mosquitoes this season, homeowners are encouraged to keep the following tips in mind:

• Apply mosquito repellent containing DEET
• Wear long sleeve shirts and pants when outdoors
• Stay indoors or inside a screened enclosure, especially during the evenings when mosquitoes are out
• Empty standing water from items in your yard, including buckets, toys, and plastic covers
• Change water in birdbaths twice a week
• Ensure ornamental ponds and swimming pools have moving water and ventilation or chemical treatment
• Keep gutters clean and debris free
• Enlist the services of a professional pest control firm

Pest management professionals offer perimeter treatments, such as Demand CS with iCAP Technology, to help eliminate mosquitoes. Applied around the exterior of the home, Demand CS utilizes advanced microcapsule technology. These microcapsules “stick” to mosquitoes when they land on treated areas and release the product, which kills the pests and effectively reduces the population. University tests of outdoor areas treated with Demand CS saw significantly less mosquitoes compared to untreated areas.

So this summer, don’t let mosquitoes ruin the outdoor fun; take the proper measures to defend against these bothersome pests.

For more information, visit: www.syngentaprofessionalproducts.com/ppm/prod/demand/.

Courtesy of ARA Content