Mosquitoes In Katy Can Be Pesky In Summer
One of the biggest aspects of summer that people enjoy most is the time spent outdoors. However, your time can quickly become short-lived as mosquitoes send you running back indoors for cover, and for a good reason!
Did you know that mosquitoes are the deadliest creatures in the world? They earned such a title because they kill over one million people every year from mosquito-borne diseases. The common diseases mosquitoes carry include the Zika virus, malaria, West Nile virus, and encephalitis.
You’re most likely to find these pests hanging around your yard if you have areas of standing water, as these are the conducive conditions for female mosquitoes to lay their eggs. Another aspect about mosquitoes is that though their populations are at their peak during the summer season, you rarely see them during the day in the hot summer heat. During the day, mosquitoes take refuge in tall grass and other shaded areas until dawn, when they’re most active. Mosquitoes only need half a cup of water to breed. They can also lay their eggs in as little as an inch of rainwater collected on any item.
Despite the sheer annoyance of mosquitoes and the health risks they pose to humans, does that mean you should stay all summer indoors long? Absolutely not. Mosquitoes are dangerous but shouldn’t force you to stay imprisoned in your home. With the right measures in place, you can enjoy your outdoor space all summer long without the presence of mosquitoes. How is that possible? Only with professional mosquito control services. True enough, you can place citronella candles around your yard to keep them at bay, but just barely. To fight off a mosquito infestation using only citronella candles would be a fire hazard!
At Modern Pest Control, our pest experts are licensed and highly skilled in removing mosquito infestations of any size. So when it comes to safeguarding you and your family against mosquitoes, only trust Katy pest control experts.
What Do Mosquito Bites Look Like?
Mosquito bites are puffy reddish-white bumps that appear on the skin minutes after getting bitten. After a few days, the appearance of the bump can potentially go from red to reddish-brown. In certain cases, bumps from mosquito bites can blister or leave dark spots that look like bruises.
When mosquitoes bite, they use their long mouthpart, called a proboscis; it resembles a tiny needle. This mouthpart pierces your skin to feed on your blood and secrete saliva into your bloodstream. The saliva mosquitoes secrete is how mosquito-borne diseases are spread. Once bitten, your body registers the saliva as an allergen.
Once your body recognizes the saliva as an allergen, your immune system then sends histamine to the bitten area to remove the allergen. Histamine is actually what causes mosquito bites to itch and swell.
How Diseases Are Spread
The way diseases are spread is through exchanging fluids between the mosquito and your bloodstream. When a mosquito feeds off of a person or animal, it then passes the disease through the bite. One thing to note when it comes to the spreading of mosquito-borne diseases is that mosquitoes don’t just feed off of one host until they’re engorged. Mosquitoes feed in what’s known as the ‘sip feed’ method.
Sip feeding is the process of mosquitoes feeding on various hosts until they are full. Unfortunately, this puts more people at risk of contracting mosquito-borne diseases. The good news is that mosquitoes can’t spread diseases like HIV. If a mosquito feeds on an HIV-infected person, it processes their blood like any other blood meal.
Female mosquitoes are the only species that feed on blood; however, nectar is their primary food source but requires blood when reproducing. It’s the protein found in the blood that they need to reproduce. On average, a female mosquito can lay over 700 eggs over its lifecycle, which is typically around a few months. Nonetheless, the point is that mosquitoes reproduce at a very rapid rate, making infestations even harder to remove.
Remember, the bigger the population of mosquitoes in your yard, the higher the chance you have of getting bit and suffering from those annoying, itchy bites; worse, you run the risk of contracting a mosquito-borne disease. This is not to scare you but to help you make a more informed decision regarding protecting yourself and your family against mosquito bites.
How To Stop Mosquito Bites From Itching?
The good news about mosquito bites is that they only last a few days. However, during those few days, your skin can become so irritated that scratching can be unbearable for some. The key here is to try your best not to scratch mosquito bites for the risk of exposing yourself to infection, especially if you scratch and break the skin. If you happen to break the skin, you’ll want to keep the area clean with soap and water and cover it with a bandage.
Ideally, you want to prevent yourself from getting bit in the first place. In Katy, mosquitoes are extremely prevalent, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay indoors. Protecting yourself is what you need to keep in mind whenever you step outside, especially in the evenings when the sun goes down.
Here are some personal prevention tips to prevent mosquito bites:
Wear bright colors to make it harder for mosquitoes to lock onto you.
Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants to reduce exposed skin.
Reduce your alcohol intake as it increases your attractiveness to mosquitoes.
Wear mosquito repellent; It’s is the number-one way to ward off mosquito bites.
If you don't want to spray chemicals on your skin, you may consider using a natural option. Try a repellent with oil of lemon or eucalyptus.
Fans are a great way to keep mosquitoes away if you sit or lie in one location.
Remember, pain, itching, and swelling aren’t the only things associated with mosquitoes; they’re vectors of various diseases. To prevent yourself from getting bit or contracting mosquito-borne diseases, you have to protect yourself and take preventive measures. However, if you are bitten, the itching is no fun. There are a few over-the-counter recipes and home remedies that can relieve the itching associated with bites to stop the itching.
What To Put On Mosquito Bites
Speaking of how to stop mosquito bites from itching, let’s dig a little deeper into what exactly to put on mosquito bites:
Ice: Applying ice to a mosquito bite will slow the blood rushing to the area, and reduce inflammation, swelling, pain, and itchiness. Whether you use an ice pack or cubed ice, wrap it in a light rag and hold it in the area for at least ten minutes.
Antihistamines: Remember how histamine is the chemical released by your immune system that makes mosquito bites itch and swell? Well, antihistamines do the exact opposite by relieving itching and swelling. Antihistamines can be purchased over-the-counter in pill or topical form.
Aloe Vera: The gel substance in aloe vera contains salicylic acid, which relieves pain and itching, even burning, as it’s applied to cuts or burns with burning sensations. Apply the gel directly to the bite for relief.
Hydrocortisone: Hydrocortisone combines a corticosteroid and an anesthetic pain reliever relieving pain and itching. It can be applied directly to the bite as a cream or ointment.
Chamomile Tea: Chamomile tea is well-known for aiding in sleep and relaxation, but what many don’t realize is that it’s also great for reducing inflammation. The tea bags contain dried chamomile flowers which contain terpenoids and flavonoids. These two natural chemicals have antioxidant and antihistamine properties. Put the tea bag in water and let it steep for at least 20 minutes or until the water has reached a goldish-brown color. Once the tea bags have been set long enough, you can remove the tea bag from the water, squeeze it to drain excess water, and place it on your bites.
Oatmeal: If you’ve ever had chickenpox, you’re probably too familiar with oatmeal baths. Oatmeal works beautifully on itchy mosquito bites because it contains gluten. The way you would use oatmeal for mosquito bites is to grind the oats in a food processor or blender until it has reached a powdery consistency. You’d then pour the oatmeal into a bowl and mix with warm water until it has a paste-like consistency. You would then apply the paste mixture to bites for at least 10 minutes, then wipe off with a clean rag.
Honey: Honey contains catalase, which is known to relieve minor inflammation. When using honey, you want to make sure it’s unprocessed. Apply it to your mosquito bites for relief.
The items listed above combine home remedies and over-the-counter treatment methods that work wonders on itchy and inflamed mosquito bites. Of course, if you’ve scratched your mosquito bite and they’re infected, you need to seek medical treatment. Additionally, if you’ve visited an area where mosquitoes are highly infectious with mosquito-borne diseases, you should also seek medical attention.
How To Keep Mosquitoes Away From You And Your Family
When it comes to protecting you and your family against mosquitoes, prevention is always key. However, if you already have a mosquito infestation taking over your yard, only professional mosquito control services will effectively remove them.
Here are some preventive methods you can take to keep mosquitoes away from your Katy home:
Regularly empty and refill pet water dishes with fresh, clean water.
Make sure that screens in windows are in place and are completely intact.
Loosen compacted ground to allow rainwater to be absorbed.
Keep your lawn short; trim back or remove overgrown vegetation from your property to ensure sunlight hits shaded areas.
Eliminate areas of standing water on your property, fill-in low lying areas, and make sure that gutters are running without obstructions.
Fix leaking pipes, hoses, and plumbing.
Inspect your gutters and make sure there are no obstructions or clogs.
Insect downspouts and make sure rainwater is being channeled away from your foundation.
Store items and containers that can collect water upside down when not used.
Plant vegetation repels mosquitoes, such as scented geraniums, rosemary, citronella grass, lavender, and more.
Here at Modern Pest Control, we offer mosquito control services specifically designed for your yard. As summer is when mosquitoes are most active, you’ll want a team of pest control experts who can get rid of pesky mosquitoes and keep them away. Our seasonal treatments go from April through October, when mosquitoes are at their peak. We also offer one-time and year-round treatments to utilize our mosquito misting system.
You can rest assured knowing that our services work because we not only use the latest products and technology to eradicate active mosquitoes and their larvae, but we are so confident in our services that we back them with our pest-free guarantee.
At the end of the day, either you or the mosquitoes have to go, and we’re willing to bet good money that you’re not going to be willing to give up your home that easily because of mosquitoes. Like any other home pest, mosquitoes come with the territory (literally and figuratively). However, that doesn’t mean mosquitoes have to stay on your property.
With ongoing mosquito control services, your home will become an unattractive location for mosquitoes to thrive. From eliminating breeding locations to planting repellant plants around your yard, mosquitoes will have no reason to populate your property. To ensure the safety of yourself and your family from mosquitoes, call Modern Pest Control today.