Did you know that you may be attracting mosquitoes without even realizing it? By identifying what things attract mosquitoes, you can better understand how to keep them away from your Yakima County property.
Everything You Should Know About Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes make their presence known, but it's not always their physical appearance that gives them away. Usually, people notice mosquitoes when they hear their buzzing or have a reaction to their bite.
If you do see a mosquito, you can identify it by its long proboscis and thin body. They also have thin, long legs. When a mosquito is buzzing around you, there's a good chance that it's a female mosquito. The females feed on human blood, while the males only eat nectar.
Generally speaking, mosquitoes are one of the most dangerous creatures in the world. Their itchy bites are only part of the problem. While their bites are annoying and can cause allergic reactions, the real issue is the fact that mosquitoes transmit diseases.
In certain parts of the world, mosquitoes are known to spread malaria and yellow fever. The illnesses are serious enough to cause death. Other potential diseases you could catch from a mosquito include Zika and West Nile.
What Attracts Mosquitoes?
To prevent mosquitoes and avoid the diseases that they carry, you need to take steps to make your property less appealing to the pest. Before you can do that, you should understand the factors that attract mosquitoes.
1. Still Water
Mosquitoes breed in water, but they can only do so in still bodies of water. Therefore, pots filled with water, small ponds, and puddles all are potential mosquito breeding grounds. To prevent mosquitoes from taking over, you should get rid of anything that could fill with water after a rain. You should also repair leaks in your hoses and spigots.
2. Vegetation
Plants are great hiding places for mosquitoes. In addition to providing shelter, vegetation also provides moisture to mosquitoes.
That said, you shouldn't rush to get rid of your garden. As long as you keep it neat and tidy, your garden won't be much of a problem. Be sure to trim your shrubs, keep your trees from being overgrown, and now your lawn regularly.
3. Dark Clothing or Fabric
Mosquitoes rely on heat signatures to find hosts. By wearing dark clothing, you amplify your heat signature. The dark colors collect more heat from the sun, and you become a target for mosquitoes.
To be less of a target, wear light clothing. Save the dark blues and blacks for times when you won't be outdoors.
4. Pregnancy
If you're pregnant, you may be attracting mosquitoes. Some studies show that the biting pest is more attracted to women who are pregnant than those who aren't.
There's a good reason for this. Pregnant women tend to breathe out more than other women. Because mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide, the exhaling makes pregnant women targets.
Pregnant women also have more body heat than other individuals. Once again, this makes them more of a target.
5. Type O Blood
There are many myths surrounding mosquitoes. One myth is that the pests seek out sweet blood. Although they do have a preference for certain types of blood, the sweetness doesn't matter.
Mosquitoes tend to favor Type O blood. If you have this type of blood, you'll be more likely to suffer from mosquito bites. Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do to change this. One step that you can take is to hire a professional to handle mosquito control on your property.
Keep Mosquitoes Away
The best way to keep mosquito populations down around your yard is with the assistance of the professionals. Call Prosite today and get started.