At the time of this writing, the Centers for Disease Control reports more than 900 cases of the Zika virus in Florida with new cases of the virus virtually every day. Though largely centered in and around Miami, Tampa Bay is far too close for comfort to the disease epicenter. Florida Governor Scott announced he plans to use emergency powers to fund an extra $25 million dollars to help speed up the development of a Zika vaccine and fast, reliable, and inexpensive methods to test for Zika. What can be done right now? Fortunately there are some common sense steps you can perform to help you from becoming one of those 900 and growing cases. Following sage advice and protecting yourself from this menace really is worth its weight in gold.

A great place to start with controlling Zika and your exposure to mosquitoes is with a repellent. There are a variety on the market with varying effectiveness and even a great selection of all natural, DEET-free, kid-friendly products. The Centers for Disease Control has published a list of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents they recommend which include ingredients such as DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, and the chemicals IR3535 and 2-undecanone. To verify that a mosquito repellent is registered with the EPA, look for a registration number in the form of “EPA Reg.” on the back of the product label.

Preventing mosquitoes is most effective when applied as an integrated effort and attacking the problem from multiple fronts. Emergency Pest Patrol can at your direction perform a site survey as part of an overall mosquito treatment plan and point out areas that may be sources for mosquito reproduction and recommend changes or strategies using our services to control their eggs and larva. Reduction of the insects may involve physical changes to the environment to disrupt their ideal methods of reproducing (think, turning over unused flowerpots, buckets, etc) or the use of chemical control products where applicable, along with other recommendations depending on what is found. There might even be tears in your window and porch screens or old holes in your walls from a prior cable/phone installation that insects can find their way inside your home.

Chemical control product methods to control Zika and the mosquitoes that carry it may include:

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Just about now, most people have been reading and hearing about the dreaded mosquito borne virus, Zika. This virus can cause detrimental health problems of an extreme nature and there is no vaccine nor cure. Considering it’s fast spread, now is the best time for implementing sound and secure mosquito control.

Zika is a virus that originated in Africa. It’s now been let loose and is showing up in the Caribbean, South America, The United States and parts of Asia. This virus has no defense against it save for the application of mosquito control on a vast scale.

Scientists are moving as fast as they can to contain the spread of the disease using mosquito control and that ranges from chemicals to releasing genetically engineered mosquitoes that combat the spread of the virus. The average homeowner doesn’t have the high tech means to battle the disease and can only count on using known methods to minimize the risk.

One thing to do is make sure no standing pools of water are near the home that would allow for the spawning of mosquitoes That can be next to impossible for water rich areas like the Southeast. There are pools of standing water all over the place.

The only way to do any damage is to get professional mosquito control specialists to come along and evaluate your situation and use their tools and expertise to put down some layer of protection. This may all seem futile, but in this case, anything would be helpful.

There are many other techniques you can do to minimize risks and that includes common sense things like wearing repellent, keeping doors and windows closed, sealing up cracks to the roof and home that might allow mosquitoes to gain access.

With the outbreak of Zika, the government may have to present materials and services to the public to help. Keep a watchful eye on the news in your local area just to make sure you’re aware of any and if so, be the first in line to get whatever is offered.

Mosquitoes are resourceful creatures, having survived 100s of millions of years. In areas where bats are prolific, the Zika threat might be all but negligible thanks to these leather winged predators. Other natural predators like amphibians, spiders and the like might help fight the threat but Mother Nature hasn’t wiped out the mosquito yet, but mankind might.

So the battle lines are clear. Learn about mosquito control on your own. Do what you can around your home and even ask neighbors to chip in. Hire a professional mosquito control expert to come in and do their job. It may be the difference between menace and security.

Emergency Pest Patrol offers mosquito control service. Please contact us for pricing and scheduling a service call.

Image credit: angellodeco

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