|
Haley Pest
Control offers XMosquito misting systems to keep mosquito's away from your yard. Xmosquito systems are a highly effective mosquito, fly and gnat outdoor
treatment. The system applies a advanced misting technology system and
a patent pending light sensor technology "Dusk-Dawn" that will rid your
property of mosquito's, gnats and flies.
Protecting Yourself from Mosquito
Bites
Use Insect Repellent on exposed skin when you go outdoors. Use an
EPA-registered insect repellent such as those with DEET, picaridin or oil of
lemon eucalyptus. Even a short time being outdoors can be long enough to
get a mosquito bite.
Apply insect repellent to exposed skin. Generally, the more active
ingredient a repellent contains the longer it can protect you from mosquito
bites. A higher percentage of active ingredient in a repellent does not mean
that your protection is better—just that it will last longer. Choose a
repellent that provides protection for the amount of time that you will be
outdoors. Avoid applying high-concentration (>30% DEET) products to the
skin, particularly on children. Repellents may irritate the eyes and mouth,
so avoid applying repellent to the hands of children.
Clothing Can Help Reduce Mosquito Bites
When weather permits, wear long-sleeves, long pants and socks when
outdoors. Mosquitoes may bite through thin clothing, so spraying clothes
with repellent containing permethrin or another EPA-registered repellent
will give extra protection. Don't apply repellents containing permethrin
directly to skin. Do not spray repellent on the skin under your clothing.
Be Aware of Peak Mosquito Hours
The hours from dusk to dawn are peak biting times for many species of
mosquitoes. Take extra care to use repellent and protective clothing during
evening and early morning -- or consider avoiding outdoor activities during
these times.
Homeowners can take the following steps to prevent mosquito
breeding on their own property:
Install or repair window and door screens so that mosquitoes cannot get
indoors. Help reduce the number of mosquitoes in areas outdoors where
you work or play, by draining sources of standing water. In this way, you
reduce the number of places mosquitoes can lay their eggs and breed. At
least once or twice a week, empty water from flower pots, pet food and
water dishes, birdbaths, swimming pool covers, buckets, barrels, and cans.
Check for clogged rain gutters and clean them out. Remove discarded tires,
and other items that could collect water. Be sure to check for containers or
trash in places that may be hard to see, such as under bushes or under your
home.
Habitat
Larvae and pupae live in water, usually still water. They do not survive well
in rushing streams or badly polluted water. Adults hide in vegetation near
water or in cool, damp places. Many species fly in search of blood meals in
the evening. Mosquitoes grow through an egg, larva, pupa to adult stage.
The larvae and pupae are aquatic, the adults are free flying. At 80° F the
larva goes through four larval instars in about 4 days before pupating. The
pupa takes three days before the adult emerges.
Some species have
naturally adapted to go through their entire life cycle in as little as four
days
or as long as one month.
Adult females live several weeks if given a source
of sugar. Females also feed on blood which is needed to produce eggs.
Some species can produce eggs without a blood meal. Males usually live
less than a week and do not feed on blood.
How far can mosquitoes fly?
Mosquito species preferring to breed around the house, like the Asian
Tiger Mosquito, have limited flight ranges of about 300 feet. Most species
have flight ranges of 1-3 miles. Certain large pool breeders in the Midwest
are often found up to 7 miles from known breeding spots.
Mosquito-Borne Diseases
Mosquitoes cause more human suffering than any other organism -- over
one million people die from mosquito-borne diseases every year. Not only
can mosquitoes carry diseases that afflict humans, they also transmit several
diseases and parasites that dogs and horses are very susceptible to. These
include dog heartworm, West Nile virus (WNV) and Eastern equine
encephalitis (EEE). In addition, mosquito bites can cause severe skin
irritation through an allergic reaction to the mosquito's saliva - this is what
causes the red bump and itching.
Mosquito vectored diseases include
protozoan diseases, i.e., malaria, filarial diseases such as dog heartworm,
and viruses such as dengue, encephalitis and yellow fever. CDC Travelers'
Health provides information on travel to destinations where human-borne
diseases might be a problem.
West Nile Virus
According to the Centers for Disease Control since 1999 in the state of
Kansas there have been 17 human cases of Encephalitis/Meningitis 13 cases
of Fever and 4 deaths from the West Nile Virus. Similar to other
encephalitis's, it is cycled between birds and mosquitoes and transmitted
to mammals (including horses) and man by infected mosquitoes. WNV
might be described in one of four illnesses: West Nile Fever might be the
least severe in characterized by fever, headache, tiredness and aches or a
rash. Sort of like the "flu". This might last a few days or several weeks.
The
other types are grouped as "neuroinvasive disease" which affects the
nervous system; West Nile encephalitis which affects the brain and West
Nile meningitis (meningoencephalitis) which is an inflammation of the
brain, spinal cord and membrane around it.
Malaria
It was by and large eradicated in the temperate area of the world during the
20th century with the advent of DDT and other organochlorine and
organophosphate mosquito control insecticides. However, more than
three million deaths and 300 - 500 million cases are still reported annually
in the world. It is reported that malaria kills one child every 40 seconds.
Dog Heartworm
Dog heartworm can be a life-threatening disease for canines. The disease is
caused by a roundworm. Dogs and sometimes other animals such as cats,
foxes and raccoons are infected with the worm through the bite of a
mosquito carrying the larvae of the worm. It is dependent on both the
mammal and the mosquito to fulfill its lifecycle. The young worms (called
microfilaria) circulate in the blood stream of the dog. These worms must
infect a mosquito in order to complete their lifecycle.
Cat Heartworm
Heartworm disease is not just a canine disease. Heartworms affect cats
differently than dogs, but the disease they cause is equally serious.
Heartworm larvae induce an intense inflammatory response in the blood
vessels and tissues in the lungs. Once an adult worm dies, after 1-2 years,
there is an additional intense inflammatory reaction resulting in acute lung
injury. Don't think that your cat is safe if it is an inside only cat. In a
recent
study 28% of the cats infected by heart worm disease were inside only cats.
Dengue
Dengue is a serious arboviral disease of the Americas, Asia and Africa.
Although it has a low mortality, dengue has very uncomfortable symptoms
and has become more serious, both in frequency and mortality, in recent
years. Over the last 16 years dengue has become more common, for
example; in south Texas 55 cases were reported in 1999 causing one death.
Yellow fever
Yellow fever, which has a 400-year history, occurs only in tropical areas of
Africa and the Americas. It has both an urban and jungle cycle. Every year
about 200,000 cases occur with 30,000 deaths in 33 countries.
Haley Pest Control offers Mosquito Control in Lawrence,
KS and in Topeka, Kansas, Baldwin, Eudora, Overland Park, Olathe,
Lenexa, Leawood, Shawnee Mission, Stanley, Ottawa, Kansas City, Basehor,
Linwood, Tonganoxie, Mclouth, and Perry-Lecompton. We offer Pest
Management and Exterminator services for the following counties:
Douglas, Johnson, Jefferson, Franklin, Shawnee, Wyandotte and
Leavenworth, KS
|
