Are you getting stressed out and anxious over the presence of mosquitoes in your territory? Frustrated and irritated by these tiny insects buzzing around your ear? Are you and your family having those ugly mosquito bites on your skin? Well, if it is any comfort, thousands of Matthews residents are having the same kinds of problems.
It is indeed no fun having mosquitos around and makes you question why Mother Nature even thought of having them around. Is it for human population control? It could be. Mosquitoes, after all, continue to kill millions of people worldwide due to the diseases they spread. Historians and scientists also say that mosquitoes have killed more people than all the wars in history combined. It should be noted that a huge chunk of the millions of soldiers who died in the two World Wars died of malaria or dengue, and not because of bullets and mortar shells. Truly, mosquitoes are the most dangerous creatures on the planet.
In this article, let us check out what Go-Forth Home Services, the leading pest control company in North Carolina since 1959, has to say about the dangers of mosquitoes, and what we can do to fight them off. This will be very interesting.
So, let us get to it.
Small & Dangerous
Only a few other creatures can evoke as much scorn as mosquitoes do. Their bites are itchy and irritating. They can take the fun out of outdoor picnics just by their presence alone. Inside the bedrooms, they promote insomnia as they buzz near our ears and bite our skin. They are very annoying and rank as one of the most common insects in American households.
Mosquitoes are small and fragile-looking but do not let that fool you. Their size is .125 to .75 inches and weigh only .000088 ounces, but are jam-packed with deadly viruses and are generous enough to share with the world. To illustrate how small they are, they are probably three times smaller than a paperclip and smaller than a shirt button.
There are around 3,000 identified species of mosquitoes, but not all of them are in the United States, thankfully.
Mosquitoes suck blood, though not all of them do. Only female mosquitoes have the necessary mouthparts to suck blood and the males don’t. Female mosquitoes’ mouthparts have two tubes, one is for secreting an enzyme that would prevent blood from clotting, the other is for sucking blood. The thing is, they do not suck blood for their nourishment. Instead, it is for fertilizing their eggs. Both female and male mosquitoes feed on nectar for nourishment.
The average mosquito lifespan is 2 weeks to 6 months.
They Are Big Health Risks
Protection from mosquitoes for yourself and your family, especially during summer and fall when their populations are highest, is very important. Despite the fact that not all species of mosquitoes are in the US, it does not seem to matter as there still 200 species here, so there are still plenty of them here. Some of them transmit malaria, some species transmit dengue fever, and some transmit the West Nile virus. The West Nile virus is the leading mosquito-borne disease in the US. Other diseases that mosquitoes are known to transmit are encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, and elephantiasis.
West Nile Fever
As per the Centers for Disease Control, there are at least 19,500 reported cases of the West Nile fever in the U.S., with deaths numbering to 750. The first case of West Nile fever was in New York in 1999. Symptoms of this disease are headache, high fever, convulsion, vision loss, stiffness of the neck, and paralysis. It is a debilitating and possibly life-threatening disease.
Malaria
Malaria is another infectious blood disease transmitted by mosquitoes. Each year, it kills around 1.3 million humans on average and infects 350 to 350 million people every year worldwide. Even though most cases are in tropical countries due to the favorable climates there for the virus, the transmission is possible here in America due to travel. The real cause of this disease is the presence of protozoan parasites that are transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes efficiently. Most of its victims are pregnant women and children under the age of 5.
Symptoms of malaria include headache, joint pains, high fever, vomiting, shivering, and anemia. It is a painful and debilitating disease that can cause death. Unlike with dengue, there are no vaccines for malaria yet. The best treatment though is prevention.
Dengue Fever
Dengue fever is transmitted to humans by the Aedes mosquitoes, the same species that spread Zika and chikungunya. It is pretty common in at least 100 million countries and affects 3 billion people. It infects around 400 million people worldwide, with an average of 22,000 people dying from this disease.
Dengue is caused by 4 viruses and they are simply named Dengue virus 1, 2, 3, 4. This is why if you have had dengue once, it is still possible to get infected with dengue 3 more times. Symptoms include fever, rash, aches, and pains. These are common symptoms that can be confused with other illnesses though. These symptoms last for 2 to 7 days, and most will recover after 1 week.
Water Gardens During The Summer, Pros, & Cons
Matthews residents know that adding water gardens in their backyards is really a nice and refreshing way to beautify their properties. This is especially true during the summertime. It is a perfect area to sit back and relax. Kids can play around it, and pets enjoy water gardens too.
However, a major problem that can arise with having a body of water near the house is that it is a potential mosquito magnet. Mosquitoes love to breed in standing water, so if you have a water garden or plan to do so, this is one thing you will have to solve.
The good thing is there are some things you can do to prevent them from breeding in your water garden. As we said, mosquitoes only breed in stagnant water and would not touch running water. What you need to do then is to make the water constantly moving so that the female mosquitoes would not be able to lay their eggs. You can use a device that would keep the water moving around the water garden. This will not only prevent mosquitoes from laying their eggs there, but it will also ensure the quality of your water and the performance of your water garden.
You can also put fish in your water garden. The fish would eat the mosquitoes. This is a popular choice among water garden owners, and if you have not tried putting fish in your water garden, you might want to try it. It can be an enjoyable and stress-busting activity for you.
Or you may try putting a toad in your water garden so it can feast on the troublesome mosquitoes.
These tips can help you enjoy your water garden minus the mosquitoes. Just keep in mind the dangers of mosquitoes, and do some additional research on how to get rid of them.
Management
Mosquitoes are creatures that we cannot take lightly, no matter how small they are. They bring with them lots of nasty diseases, plus their bites are itchy and irritating. Their buzzing sounds can also make you crazy. It is therefore important to take steps in getting rid of them. Here are a few tips as to how to do so.
- Keep in mind that mosquitoes need only a few amounts of stagnant water to breed and survive, so you must remove possible breeding sites like old cans, old tires, buckets, old gutters, abandoned birdbaths, and water containers. Empty water from flower pots. Change the water from your pet’s bowl regularly.
- Place tight-fitting screens on doors and windows and make sure they have no holes.
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants when going outdoors.
- When going out, apply EPA-approved mosquito repellent with the active ingredient DEET for added protection.
- Encourage dragonflies to visit your garden. Dragonflies can eat a lot of mosquitoes.
- In the bedroom, use a mosquito net as you sleep.
- Use an electric fan to disrupt their flights. Mosquitoes are clumsy fliers.
Managing mosquito populations can be very tricky. If you find yourself overwhelmed by these pests, you will need professional help. For the best pest control experts in Matthews, call Go-Forth Home Services.
Why Go-Forth Home Services?
Now that you know how dangerous mosquitoes are for you and your loved ones, you would definitely want to get rid of them. Save your life and your families by hiring Go-Forth Home Services, a family-owned company that knows its business.
Go-Forth Home Services has excellent experience not only in eliminating mosquitoes, but they are experts in getting rid of fleas, roaches, rats, mice, bed bugs, poisonous spiders, moths, weevils, and many other pests.
Give it a go with Go-Forth, and find out what the rave is all about!