Deterrence And Patient Education
Preventing mosquito bites is the most important therapy, as it prevents not only the local skin reaction but also any mosquito born illnesses. Patients are advised to wear clothes that cover their arms and legs and to avoid the most active time for mosquitos, dusk, and dawn.
In many countries in the developing world, mosquito nets are used to protect from bites at night. In fact, la mosquetera is a mainstay gift of baby showers in Latin America. If nets are permethrin-treated, it increases their effectiveness however, caution should be used in infants to avoid toxicity.
DEET is the most commonly recommended and studied mosquito repellant to date. It works by creating an offensive odor and foul taste barrier that discourages biting. Although it has an excellent safety protocol with proper use, care must be taken to not leave on overnight or apply to faces this is especially important in children who are at higher risk for toxicity. Picaridin is a new repellant, with comparable efficacy to DEET, but without the unpleasant odor.
Prior to the introduction of DEET, citronella was the premier insect repellant. However, in head to head trial, it appears it only confers one hour of protection, versus the 8 hours of protection provided by DEET.
Global eradication programs including spraying of bodies of water and eliminating small pools of water are thought to have controlled mosquito-borne illnesses, especially in the United States.
Do I Need To Call A Pest Control Professional
You can do quite a bit yourself to help manage mosquitoes around your home and yard. If you’ve got an overwhelming mosquito infestation around your home, consider calling a pest control company.
How do you control mosquitoes in your yard? We want to hear your tips and tricks! Leave us a comment below!
For scientifically-tested, effective mosquito control in your home that is friendly to the environment, try Maggies Farm pest control products. Our promise is that our plant and mineral-based products are developed by scientists and seasoned pest control professionals to be the most effective.
Why Do Mosquitoes Bite People
Female mosquitoes bite humans and sometimes animals to feed on our blood. The nutrients in our blood help the females nourish and lay eggs.
The mosquitoes use the sharp tip of their piercing mouthparts to penetrate the skin and draw the blood out. While doing so, mosquitoes inject their saliva, which contains an anticoagulant, to prevent the blood from clotting. This way the insects can then easily withdraw the proboscis out of the skin and fly away. If you don’t swat them first.
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Why Do Mosquitoes Bite
Female mosquitoes have piercing mouthparts through which they extract the blood of a host. The protein from gathered blood is used in egg production. Males do not bite and feed on blood. Instead, they get their energy from plant nectars and other sweet substances found in their habitat.
After puncturing the skin with their mouthparts and feeding on blood, mosquitoes leave hard, itchy bumps. In the blood-feeding process, mosquitoes inject saliva into their host which creates the reactions that cause bite symptoms.
Most mosquito bites are harmless and the symptoms subside in a few days. Some discomforting symptoms include swelling of the bite site, soreness, and bleeding. While mosquitoes are an itchy, uncomfortable nuisance, the important problem arising from mosquito bites is transmission of viral or parasitic diseases.
Avoid Bites In The First Place
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How Does A Vent Help With Gas
While a baby is sucking on a bottle, air can get trapped in the nipple. If there is no vent or valve in the bottle or nipple, the baby will suck down air, along with the milk, and this air can cause gas and discomfort. Vents work to reroute the air out of the nipple and bottle, so the baby sucks just the milk without the air. Some bottles, like Dr. Browns, have a removable vent. Most bottles have a built-in valve in the nipple where trapped air can be released.
Treating Mosquito Bites In Children
- Head off swelling. If you happen to catch a mosquito munching on your child, brush it off his skin with a gentle sweep of your hand, then apply ice to the scene of the crime to prevent itching and swelling.
- Ease itching. Apply calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream to treat the bite as needed.
- Discourage scratching. Sharp little fingernails can break the skin around a bite and let bacteria in. Besides doing all you can to prevent itching, explain to your child that scratching or picking will make the bug bite worse, and trim his fingernails as short as possible.
- Watch out for symptoms of illness. Mosquitoes can carry disease in particular, West Nile virus. Four out of five people who are infected with this virus dont get sick at all, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , but you should still be aware of the symptoms, which include fever, headache, nausea and vomiting. If your child experiences any of these, check in with his pediatrician and mention that hes recently been bitten. Also check in with your child’s doctor if you see any signs of infection such as redness, swelling or pus, or if the area around the bite feels warm to the touch.
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Know How To Sunscreen
As convenient as a sunscreen-repellent combo sounds, its better to keep them separate. These tend to dilute the effectiveness of both products, says Jonathan F. Day, Ph.D., professor emeritus of medical entomology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension, in Vero Beach. Apply sunscreen first and then repellent by spraying it onto your hands and rubbing it onto your childs skin. Be careful to avoid his eyes, nose, and mouth.
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/6are There Ways To Differentiate Between Mosquito Bites
Identifying or differentiating between mosquito bites, more so after they have bitten a person can be vague and difficult. While prevention really is the best way to avoid catching a seasonal infection like dengue, if a mosquito bites you, it is said that the bite area can appear more starkly red, and itchier than a usual mosquito bite.
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How To Remedy Gas Pains
Even with all of these things taken into account, some babies will still have a hard time with gas. The good news is that there are many different remedies for helping your baby through the discomfort. Here are some places to start.Bicycle Their Legs
Position your baby on their back and move their legs in a bicycling motion. This puts a little pressure on their stomach that may move the gas through.Make Time for Tummy Time
Give your baby regular periods of adult-supervised time on their tummies. Not only will this help move gas bubbles through, but its good for their head and neck development, as well.Carry Them Around
Carry your baby either in the football hold or upright in a baby carrier or sling. This will put enough gentle pressure on their tummies to keep the gas moving
Try Infant Massage
Position the baby on their back and massage their tummy with your fingertips, rubbing in small, gentle, clockwise circles beneath their rib cage and down to their diaper area.
Use a Gas Aid
Related Topics
Mosquito Repellents And Prevention
The Mississippi State Department of Health recommends the following personal protection measures to prevent mosquito bites. These can be used with or without biological/chemical products.
- Wear long pants and long sleeve shirts to prevent insect bites.
- Use bednets when sleeping outdoors.
- Use wire gauze screening in windows and doors to avoid invasion of flying insects.
- Avoid outdoor activities during peak mosquito biting times the hours from dusk to dawn.
Killing adult mosquitoes should be a backup system, used when mosquito populations have gotten out of hand for some reason or another, such as an unseasonable emergence of mosquitoes during a spell of warm weather or an encephalitis outbreak like WNV.
Space sprays, strips and candles
There are sprays called “space sprays” for killing mosquitoes. Sprays are either water-based or oil-based, and are mainly used for control of insects such as mosquitoes and flies. If applied in a room, an immediate effect on mosquitoes and flies is achieved. The insect comes in contact with aerosolized droplets of insecticide and there is immediate knock-down and kill. Usually no residual effect occurs from this application. However, there are flying insect killer preparations that will continue killing for days to weeks when the insect contacts a surface treated by the product.
Repellents and DEET
One of the most effective and best-tested repellent ingredients on the market is DEET.
IR-3535
Plant-based repellents
Permethrin
Mosquito traps
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/6how To Prevent And Spot A Dengue Infection
Over the past weeks, there’s been an incessant rise in the number of dengue cases being reported across the countries. While the erratic monsoons and seasonal changes are major reasons behind the rise, dengue cases are also becoming severe, because of the newer variants in circulation.
Nonetheless, while we do not have a vaccine ready for use, what really plays a crucial role is to prevent the dengue infection from spreading in the first place and mitigate possible risks. But how can you identify what exactly is a dengue mosquito?
The dengue virus, spreads through the virus infected aedes aegypti mosquito bites. With an infection as such, which spreads primarily via mosquito bites, it can be incredibly hard to distinguish between a normal mosquito bite and dengue mosquito bite. Having said that, we provide some possible clues, and help educate you about how a dengue infection can start to spread, and avoid the risk:
How Often Should You Reapply A Repellent
Generally, it’s a good bet to follow the manufacturer’s instructions, experts said. People who will be outside for an hour or two hour should be protected with, say, a product that contains a lower concentration of DEET . Those who will be out in the woods, or jungle or marshland, should use a higher concentration of 20 to 25 percent, and refresh every four hours or so, says Dr. Jorge Rey, interim director of the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory in Vero Beach. “The higher the concentration, the longer it lasts,” says Rey.
And again, follow manufacturer’s directions on the amount used. “A lot of people think that if a little is good, a lot is better,” says Reisen. “You don’t have to take a bath in the stuff.”
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Mosquito Bite Prevention & Mosquito Born Diseases
Mosquitoes can spread diseases that make you sick. In Massachusetts, mosquitoes can give you eastern equine encephalitis virus and West Nile virus .
Review this pamphlet on Preventing Mosquito Bites MA DPH about mosquito born diseases and how best to control & prevent bites.
For additional information on EEE and WNV go to Mosquitoes & Ticks information from MA DPH.
The Goshen Select Board, in conjunction with advice provided by the Board of Health & the Health Agent, has opted out of the state wide mosquito control spraying programs due to the toxic chemicals used and ineffective nature of the program.
For additional information contact the Board of Health & Health Agent.
Professional Mosquito Prevention In South Florida
Although mosquito-borne illnesses are not common in the area, its vital to learn about mosquito bite treatment and prevention. You dont want to worry about being bitten when you walk out into your yard, which is why its important to prevent these insects from invading your property.
At Florida Pest Control, our mosquito exterminators can help protect your property from these blood-sucking insects and keep you and your family safe. Call us today to learn more about our mosquito extermination!
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Prevent Standing Water In Your Yard
If you have any standing water accumulating in your yard, remove it as quickly as possible because this is where mosquitoes breed! This is especially important to remember after a period of heavy rain where flower pots, bird baths and other basins can quickly fill with water. If you change the water in bird baths on a regular basis, empty excess water from flower pots, drain the water in childrens pools, and eliminate other areas where water can pool, you can reduce the number of mosquitoes in your yard!
Enhancing Healthcare Team Outcomes
The bites of mosquitoes may be a minor problem or may lead to serious medical conditions including mosquito-borne illnesses and severe allergic reactions. In recent years Dengue, West Nile Virus, Chikungunya, and Zika virus have had increasing incidence in the United States. It is imperative for healthcare professionals to be up to date on not only how to treat local reactions, but how to prevent bites and diminish the impact of the next big epidemic. The interprofessional team should work together in diagnosing and treating the patient, as well as in providing patient education.
Identifying and treating mosquito bites and their sequelae is best addressed as part of an interprofessional team approach including primary care physicians, infective disease specialists, mid-level practitioners, and nursing staff to provide optimal patient care.
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Protecting Yourself From Mosquito Bites
- Know when to expect mosquito bites. The mosquitoes that transmit disease in Indiana usually bite during the hours from dusk to dawn.
- Wear EPA-registered insect repellents. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol or 2-undecanone. Not all repellents are effective against both mosquitoes and ticks. The EPAs helpful search tool can help you find the product that is best for you. Always follow product instructions:
- Do not use insect repellent on babies younger than 2 months old.
- Do not use products containing oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol on children younger than 3 years old.