Weather.com Offers Mosquito Activity Forecast Tool

When mosquitoes land on your arm for a little liquid lunch, they can leave behind more than a nagging itch. Some mosquitoes carry malaria and, as has been in the news more recently, the dangerous West Nile Virus. As such, lawn and landscape contractors should take care to protect both their employees and their clients this summer.

For employees working outside day after day, the Centers for Disease Control offers these tips to avoid mosquito bites: 

• Apply insect repellant containing DEET (N,N-diethylmeta-toluamide) to exposed skin when you go outdoors. Even a short time outdoors can be long enough to get a mosquito bite. Many of the mosquitoes that carry the West Nile virus are especially likely to bite around dusk and dawn, though, in many parts of the country, there are mosquitoes that also bite during the day. The safest decision is to apply repellent whenever you are outdoors. Follow the directions on the product you are using in order to determine how frequently you need to reapply repellent. Sweating, perspiration or getting wet may mean that you need to re-apply repellent more frequently. If you are not being bitten, it is not necessary to re-apply repellent. Repellents containing a higher concentration of active ingredient (such as DEET) provide longer-lasting protection. 
• Clothing Can Help Reduce Mosquito Bites. When possible, wear long sleeves, long pants and socks when outdoors. Mosquitoes may bite through thin clothing, so spraying clothes with repellent containing DEET will give extra protection. 
• Be Aware of Peak Mosquito Hours. The hours from dusk to dawn are peak mosquito biting times for many species of mosquitoes. Take extra care to use repellant and protective clothing during evening and early morning.

Additionally, contractors can show clients that they’re keeping an eye out for they by offering the following tips to prevent mosquito bites and breeding. (Some of these chores may even become profitable if incorporated into a seasonal mosquito control program.): 

• Old tires, cans, pails, and other water holding containers are ideal breeding sites. Store them upside down or get rid of them. 
• Fill in or drain low spots in your yard. 
• Keep ditches, drains, and culverts clear of weeds and trash so that water will drain properly 
• Drain water from tarps or plastic sheeting that cover woodpiles, boats, etc. 
• Keep eaves troughs clean of leaves and debris. 
• Empty plastic wading pools at least once a week and store them inside when not in use. Unused backyard swimming pools may also create breeding problems. 
• Change bird bath water weekly. 
• Fill in tree rot holes and hollow stumps with sand or concrete. 
• Keep boats/canoes covered or upside down. 
• Keep grass cut short and shrubbery well trimmed so that adult mosquitoes will not hide there in the daytime. 
• Use a fine mesh screen on top of rain barrels so that female adults cannot reach the water surface to lay eggs. – Lauren Spiers

Source: Bay County, Michigan Web site