In The Line Of Bite: How To Protect Yourself From Mosquito Bites In Richmond

Understanding Mosquito Behavior: Insights Into Why They Bite

Once again, we ask the question: Why do mosquitoes bite you? Let's look through the eyes of a mosquito as it makes its way into your yard. We'll start with mosquitoes that hatch from their eggs.

• Step 1: Mosquitoes emerge from their eggs as larvae. These larvae are called wrigglers because of the way they move. A wriggler is a little, wriggling worm, not a winged insect. So it doesn't get its meals from biting you. It feeds on the organisms found in stagnant water.
• Step 2: Wrigglers grow into flying insects in about a week and a half. When the flying insects take to the air, they are either male or female. The male mosquito only lives about a week. Females live as many as seven months, but the average lifespan is around two months. Life is short for males, so they get busy doing what they were born to do: ensure the continuance of the species.
• Step 3: After mating with the males, it is time for the females to get busy. They must find blood meals in order to create viable eggs. The females are the only mosquitoes that bite. But, the reason they bite is essential to understand. The blood a female draws from you is not one of many meals; it is a critical meal for reproduction. She isn't easily deterred.
• Step 4: When a female mosquito wanders into your yard, she may decide to rest in your landscape vegetation. Mosquitoes spend most of their time resting, and your vegetation is the perfect location because it offers moisture and shade so the females don't dry out.
• Step 5: When you step out into your yard for the first time and encounter a female mosquito at the beginning of the season, she draws a blood meal from your skin and lays an estimated 50 to 200 eggs at a time. Depending on the species, she'll lay the eggs in stagnant water or on damp organic debris. The mosquitoes that present the greatest risk to human health use stagnant water for reproduction.
• Step 6: A hundred eggs hatch and develop into flying adult mosquitoes in just under two weeks if conditions are favorable. At this point, you are no longer greeted by one female mosquito. Instead, you're greeted by around fifty!   

If you use repellents to keep mosquitoes from biting you, you'll have less success as the population of mosquitoes grows in your yard. The solution isn't to find the best way to repel mosquitoes but to target the source of your problem. Based on the behavior patterns above, what do you think the solution might be? First, mosquitoes breed in stagnant water. Therefore, removing stagnant water will make it harder for female mosquitoes to lay hundreds of eggs in your yard. Second, it takes time for mosquitoes to develop into flying adults. If you pour water sources out, you can eliminate a swarm. Third, rather than deter mosquitoes, address the reasons why they come into your yard. Reduce humidity in your landscaping and keep your plants trimmed to reduce shade. Do you see how these steps can make a difference? Applying all-natural mosquito control can reduce the number of mosquitoes in your yard and reduce the number of persistent female mosquitoes attempting to bite you.

If you combine all-natural mosquito control in your yard with general mosquito bite prevention, you can avoid bites. It is smart to do so because mosquitoes can make you sick – but not in the way you might think. Let's quickly look at the health risks associated with mosquito bites.

Health Risks Of Mosquito Bites: Warning Signs To Watch For

It is common knowledge that mosquitoes in Richmond spread diseases, such as malaria, Zika virus, and West Nile virus, but how many people do you know who have been sick with these? Probably not many, if any. But that doesn't mean mosquitoes are harmless. The mosquitoes in the United States may not carry malaria or Zika virus except during outbreaks, but diseases like West Nile virus and other viruses that cause encephalitis are quite common. How can you tell if you have a potentially harmful mosquito virus? The answer is defined by the term encephalitis.

Encephalitis: Inflammation of the brain caused by infection or an allergic reaction.

If you get sick from a mosquito virus that presents a risk to your health, it is likely that you'll experience a headache. Keep this in mind the next time you have flu-like symptoms. Severe inflammation of the brain is life-threatening.

In most cases, mosquitoes are only annoying pests. But it is wise to   to reduce general illness and guard against serious medical symptoms. Let's look at some specific prevention tips to help.

Mosquito Bite Prevention: How to Protect Yourself From Bites

We look at how you can target the source of your mosquito problem by removing stagnant water and reducing damp conditions on your property, but you'll need to do more than this if you hope to stop these pests.

Here are a few of our best recommendations to help you avoid mosquito bites.

• Wear shirts with sleeves and choose pants over shorts.
• Wear loose clothing because mosquitoes can bite you through certain fabrics.
• Consider essential oils to keep mosquitoes away. For example, some people swear by using peppermint oil for mosquitoes. There are several essential oils that deter mosquitoes, but you'll need to frequently apply the scents.
• For a long-lasting repellent derived from a natural source, use lemon eucalyptus.
• Use synthetic repellents, such as one that contains DEET, if you want even longer prevention.  
• Mosquito netting and screens are a reliable (and all-natural) way to keep mosquitoes from biting you.
• Avoid going outside at dawn and dusk, as this is the time of day when mosquitoes are most active.
• If you intend to sit in one place, try using a fan to keep mosquitoes off you. Have you ever noticed that mosquitoes go away when the wind picks up? You can use a fan to create a breeze that deters mosquitoes.

If you are diligent, you can significantly reduce the number of mosquito bites you get in your yard by applying personal prevention and moisture control. But there is a way to deal with mosquitoes without having to apply any personal protection at all. Let's end by taking a look at what professionals do to deal with mosquitoes in Richmond.