DREADED MOSQUITOES EVERYWHERE

The summer season has featured our most feared summer invader; the pesky, biting, blood-sucking Mosquito. Some big mosquitoes tough enough to bite through canvas shorts are showing up in force in parts of Michigan this summer. More than just a backyard annoyance, mosquitoes can cause painful stings and carry diseases, as well as being a nuisance for you and your guests.

What You Can Do

Here are some tips to help avoid the Bite this Mosquito season:

1. Always rid standing water. Drain, or frequently empty buckets, plastic containers, ceramic pots, trash cans, bird baths, horse troughs, unused swimming pools, and other containers that can serve as breeding sites.
2. Unclog rooftop gutters.
3. Tires are a common place for mosquitoes to breed. Pay attention to discarded tires that may have collected on, or near your property.
4. Drill holes in the bottom of recycling containers that are left outdoors, so that water can drain.
5. Turn over plastic wading pools and wheelbarrows when not in use.
6. Keep swimming pools properly chlorinated and remove standing water from pool covers.
7. Wear long-sleeved clothing, pants, and other protective clothing if you are exposed to mosquitoes.
8. Avoid spending time outdoors at dusk or dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
9. Use commercially available mosquito repellents. Cream, lotion, or stick formulas are best. Mosquito netting can be used to cover baby carriages.
10. Repair holes in window screens.
11. Mosquitoes are known to land on the foliage of plants, trees and shrubs and under eaves, decks and other protected areas of structures during the day. Spraying, along with other pesticide applications, performed by professionals can be beneficial in reducing mosquito numbers around the structure.
12. If you can't drain water standing in containers, then cover containers with fine netting to exclude mosquitoes, or apply mosquito larvacides to standing water.
13. Mosquito traps have been used for monitoring mosquito populations for years. New designs using mechanical control to capture adult mosquitoes have now become available. Professionally installed Mosquito Misting Systems are becoming popular for the convenience and effectiveness they provide.
14. Help Officials. If you discover a dead bird, report your finding to your State Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

If troubled by mosquitoes, simply call the professionals at Critter Control for assistance by dialing 1-800 CRITTER.

For a fact sheet containing important information that can help you recognize and prevent West Nile virus, see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/wnv_factsheet.htm

Need Help Critter-Proofing Your Home?

Call the professionals at Critter Control today for a FREE Estimate.

Toll-Free:
1-800-CRITTER
(800-274-8837)