The Asian Tiger Mosquito. Yellow Fever Mosquito. Malaria Mosquito. Encephalitis Mosquito. Southern House Mosquito. Eastern Salt March Mosquito. Of the 176 species in the United States, these are the most common mosquitoes in our country. Some are harmless or even beneficial to the human race, but many are considered pests due to the fact that the females transmit extremely harmful human and livestock diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, filariasis, and many more.

American Dog Tick. Lone Star Tick, Blacklegged (Deer) Tick. Brown Dog Tick. Winter Tick. These are the common ticks in the United States and they can carry serious diseases that affect humans and pets just like mosquitoes do. For example, the American Dog Tick carries Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and the Blacklegged Tick or Deer Tick is the primary carrier of Lyme Disease.

According to a new report released from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), more than 640,000 mosquito, tick and flea bites were reported across the country from 2004-2016. The number of diseases from ticks more than doubled during the study period and nine new germs were either discovered or introduced into the country.

Prevention

Of course, you can wear long pants, long sleeves and closed shoes. You can even tuck your shirt into your pants and your pants into your socks…but this is a bit ridiculous! Here is our list of ways to protect yourself, your family and your pets this season:

• Keep weeds down and grass mowed less than three inches.
• Trim back vegetation along paths and yard edges.
• Avoid overwatering.
• Use cedar mulch or gravel.
• Keep bird feeders away from the home and toward the edges of the property.
• Use plants that are undesirable to deer.
• Avoid planting fruit trees and clean up fallen fruit.
• Use an EPA-registered insect repellent that contains 20 percent or more DEET, picaridin, or IR3535 on exposed skin.
• Prevent standing water to accumulate on property.

Hillside’s Pest Prevention Program

Hillside’s pest control services are designed to reduce the population of insects to tolerable levels for both plants and humans. All insects have properties that are beneficial to the environment. Our goal is to control without elimination and to be kind to the environment. Our three-treatment pest control program can help keep all varieties of mosquitoes, fleas and ticks at bay so you can let your pets and children enjoy the yard without worry. With our protection, you’ll have the most popular backyard in the neighborhood!

To learn more about safety and prevention against ticks and mosquitoes, or to learn more about Hillside’s prevention program, please contact our office or ask your technician the next time he’s out.