What do we know, right now?
There have been 16 reported cases of Dengue in Georgia. It is important to note that all of these cases are associated with travel and not from local mosquitos!
However, there have been 7 cases reported in Florida that are from local infection. These have been located in Miami and the Tampa area. We are not anticipating cause for concern here, but our local mosquito management professionals are aware and monitoring closely. We are sharing this blog because we want you to have the necessary information to protect yourself!
Follow the protocols explained below to keep you safe from not only Dengue, but also West Nile Virus and Malaria. While our risk is low, it is not zero, so take action to protect yourself from itchy bug bites and dangerous diseases they carry.
Exploring Outside
There are several ways that you can protect yourself against mosquitos. Perhaps the most well known and most often used is mosquito spray with DEET. This chemical in insect repellents is safe to apply on your clothes and skin. You can find repellents with all levels of concentration, but the ones higher than 50% don’t increase your protection (Center for Disease Control, Yellow Book 2024.) With all pesticides, the label is the law. For not only the best method of protection, but also protection from the law, you should reapply DEET containing insect repellents according to the directions on the label.
Several outdoor shops will sell clothes and hats that have been pre-treated with mosquito repellent. The only chemical allowed for this type of treatment is permethrin. Studies performed by the Environmental Protection Division showed that wearing treated clothing is unlikely to cause short- or long-term harm. This protection does not form a force field around the wearer, it only protects the part of you that is touching the product. To protect extremities or other parts of your body left uncovered apply a DEET repellent. If you do not wish to buy clothes that have been pre-treated, you may purchase permethrin, DEET, or picaridin that are labelled for clothing use. This will ensure you have a safe concentration close to your skin.
You can also create physical barriers against mosquitos. There are hats with netting you can wear to protect your face and neck. Wear long sleeves and pants while outside. Warmer months would require light weight clothing, but you can still have comfortable long sleeves and pants! Wear tall socks and pull them over the bottom of your pants leg. This will prevent insects from getting in the pant leg (great tip for ticks too!)
Avoid their active periods! Most species of mosquitos are active at dusk and dawn. There are a few species that will feed during the day, but the worst of it comes at those transitional times. For best control results, stay indoors during dusk and dawn.
Everyone has some “tried and true” method that they use in their family. Along the coast, we have sand gnats that bite. Folks will treat themselves with bug spray, products such as No-Gnats or No Mosquitos that contain citronella oil, or hair spray. There are effective measures against sand gnats and mosquitos, but we can’t always guarantee the efficacy of items like hair spray. They may work great one day and not at all the next. Be cautious of these old wives tales.
More than just bug spray
For any pest control, it will require more than just chemical sprays. With mosquitos the best way to control in your yard is to disrupt their life cycle. Dump stagnant water at least once per week. They require moisture to hatch from their eggs and to go through larval and pupal stages. If you take away places for the eggs to hatch, they won’t. If you dump water while larvae or pupae are present then they will be unable to survive outside of the water.
Mosquito dunks are great to use in your bird bath and insect puddles. These dunks are effective because they contain a bacteria that attacks mosquito larva, but not beneficial insects or other animals.
