West Nile virus is something that needs to be addressed, and addressed, and addressed! You see, mosquitoes are not, unfortunately, going to disappear overnight. And unless you want to move to Greenland or the Arctic’s, then mosquitoes are a fact of life anywhere and anytime that the weather is warm. What’s sad is that there are many people who still, no matter how many times they hear it, don’t take mosquito control and prevention seriously.

Mosquitoes and the illnesses that they carry are so serious, in fact, that health departments and agencies are monitoring areas here in Tennessee, as well as all over our nation for the presence of illnesses, such as West Nile virus. The lab results at the end of September 2015, confirmed the presence of West Nile virus (WNV) in three areas of Knox County, Tennessee. Following a protocol set forth by the United States Center for Disease Control, the Knox County health Department sprayed the affected areas to reduce the mosquito population and the risk of the WNV spreading to humans.

The Center Disease Control (CDC), publishes and puts forth these following general protective measures for limiting mosquito exposure:

• Avoid areas with outbreaks. The CDC has a Travelers’ Health website that provides updates on regional disease transmission patterns and outbreaks.
• Be aware if peak exposure times and places. Peak mosquito time of the day is the cooler twilight periods of the day (dawn and dusk). Try to be extra prepared for these times. Avoiding the outdoors or taking appropriate preventative actions, like wearing insect repellent, can help to reduce the risk of being bite. Avoid all tall grass, woodlands or other highly vegetative and wet areas.
• Wear appropriate clothing. Cover as much skin as possible. Wear light colored, long sleeved shirts, boots, long pants, and hats. Tuck your shirts and socks into your pants to keep mosquitoes and other biting insects off your body. For extra added protection clothing and camping gear can be treated with Permethrin. Treating with Permethrin repels and kills ticks, chiggers, mosquitoes, and other biting insects.

For more information about mosquito prevention advice from the CDC visit their website here.

Keeping the mosquito population at a minimum in your yard can be achieved by following a few preventative steps and utilizing our residential pest control plan, The Active Pest Control Complete plan. This plan will not only gives you all the year-round solutions for common household pests, but it also includes the monitoring and control of rodents, installation of the Sentricon® Termite Colony Elimination System™ with Always Active Pest Control Technology termite bait, and the application of seasonal mosquito reduction services (April – October). These few easy steps can also help keep mosquitoes away:

• Allow nothing to collect water- no tires, buckets, toys or flower pots because mosquitoes lay eggs in stagnant water.
• Keep gutters and all water shedding systems working properly to move water quickly away from your home and property.
• At least once a week empty all standing water from landscaping and bird baths.
• Fill in low areas on your property to keep mud puddles at a minimum.

Mosquitoes and WNV are a concern that everyone needs to take seriously. It’s time that you called the professionals here at Active Pest Control and seriously get a handle on the mosquito situation in your yard and on your property.