Mosquitoes are just plain nasty. Their bites cause welts on your skin and itch for days. Scratching the bites makes the welt itch more. Some areas have more mosquitoes than others. Our family cabin is in Wisconsin and close to a river, one of the most beautiful steams in America. But the river and surrounding forest are rife with these biting insects.
Though we have learned ways to avoid bites, we can't avoid every mosquito, so we focus on prevention. You may find our prevention tips helpful.
- Before you go out, spray your skin. This advice comes from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). According to the CDC, your insect repellent should contain Deet, picaridin, or oil of eucalyptus. Be careful when you use the spray because it melts nail polish and can damage eyeglasses that have plastic lenses.
- Spray your clothing with repellent. You may do this before you put your clothes on. Clothing that repels insects is also available. I've heard, however, that the repellent disappears gradually with repeated washings.
- Cover your arms and legs. The forest that surrounds our cabin also has deer tics, which cause Lyme Disease. After getting the disease at the cabin, I wear long-sleeved shirts (no matter how hot it is), slacks, socks, and walking shoes. You should avoid scented shampoo and hair spray because they attract insects.
- Make a movie hat. We keep a supply of protective hats at the cabin, caps and large round hats with mosquito netting hanging from them. The netting has a drawstring at the bottom and, when it is pulled, the wearer's neck is protected. Sure, we look like extras in a cheap Hollywood movie and we don't care.
- Remove standing water. You may not think you have standing water near your home, but may have some, such as a half-filled watering can on the deck. Tire swings also hold water. If you have a bird bath, change the water every two days to prevent mosquito build-up. Remember to dump water out of a wading pool before you put it away.
- Repair window/door screens. We tried the tape trick to prevent insects from getting in through a torn screen. It didn't work. The tape fell off in a couple of days. Instead of the tape trick, take the screen to a hardware store and have it replaced. Patio door screens are harder to repair and you may have to buy new ones.
- Determine peak mosquito hours. "Avoiding Mosquito Bites and West Nile Virus," a WebMD article, says knowing the peak hours can prevent bites. At the cabin, early morning and after dinner are peak hours, and I mean PEAK. We know when we go outside for a walk we will be attacked by insects, so we re-apply repellent and cover up.
- Check rooms before bedtime. Before we turn in for the night, we check the bedroom walls for mosquitoes and usually find one or two. If we find may of them, we spray the room with repellent and close the door for an hour.
The CDC asks you to check with your local public health department and find out if your area has a mosquito control program. "If no program exists, work with your local government officials to establish a program," notes the CDC. The moral of this biting story: Get the mosquitoes before they get you!
Copyright 2012 by Harriet Hodgson
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