By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
While the old saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers,” in Kentucky this year, the heavy rains have caused significant flooding, which has also resulted in a surge of mosquitoes, according to public health officials.
As you prepare for summer cookouts and outdoor activities, plan to protect yourself and your family from these annoying pests.
Louisville Metro Health and Wellness offers some tips on how to avoid mosquito bites:
• Use insect repellents when you go outdoors. Repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535 and some oil of lemon eucalyptus and para-menthane-diol products provide longer-lasting protection.
To optimize safety and effectiveness, repellents should be used according to the label instructions. More information about insect repellents can be found here.
• Wearing long sleeves, long pants, and socks while you are outdoors can offer protection. 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 the skin. Do not spray repellent on the skin under your clothing.
• Peak mosquito-biting hours are early morning and dusk. Be sure to use repellent and wear protective clothing from dusk to dawn or consider avoiding outdoor activities during these times.
There are also several things you can do to prevent mosquito breeding grounds. They include:
• Install or repair screens on windows and doors to keep mosquitoes outside.
• Help reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home by emptying standing water from flowerpots, gutters, buckets, pool covers, pet water dishes, discarded tires and draining birdbaths on a regular basis.
Watch the video (above), produced by Louisville Health and Wellness, for additional things you can do around your home to prevent mosquitoes.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also has a section of their website devoted to mosquitos.
Featured image: A pesky mosquito (CDC photo)