Miami-Dade County is home to 45 species of mosquitoes. However, a few create sufficient annoyance that require professionally managed control measures. In addition to their annoyance, mosquitoes can also transmit diseases such as West Nile Virus, Dengue Fever, Encephalitis, Malaria, and dog heartworm. It is important to reduce your chances of getting bitten by following these helpful tips to avoiding mosquitoes:
Avoid dusk to dawn: Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are seeking food. For many species, this is during the dusk and dawn hours.
Block or Repel Bites: Always follow the manufacturer's instructions whenever applying mosquito repellents, use lower concentrations of DEET for kids, and reapply only as needed. Also consider IR3535 and citronella.
Cover up: Whenever possible, keep bare skin covered by wearing long sleeves and pants.
Keep it dry: Minimize places for standing water, which is where mosquitoes lay their eggs.
Natural Defenses: You may also consider alternative "natural" repellents containing ingredients such as soybean oil, lemon-eucalyptus, the length of protection can vary from several hours to less than 30 minutes.
Use screens: When possible, keep windows and sliding doors closed. Using screens in your doors and windows is always a good idea.