In the summertime, we must be very cautious to avoid mosquito bites and mosquito-borne diseases such as the West Nile Virus, malaria, yellow fever, and dengue fever. When temperatures begin rising colse to spring and summer, mosquitoes begin to hatch and look for food. Female mosquitoes must feed on blood to survive and to construct eggs, while non-biting male mosquitoes prefer nectar and plant juices.
Have you ever wondered why mosquito bites itch and how mosquitoes change diseases to us? When a mosquito finds you, it uses chemical sensors in its nose, called a proboscis, to detect blood. When the mosquito bites, it uses two of its mouths to cut through tissue. Then other mouth continuously injects saliva into you while other mouth quickly draws blood. A mosquito can rapidly draw about four times its weight in blood, which luckily for us is only about one-millionth of our blood. The saliva works as an anticoagulant, which creates an easy flow of blood from you to the mosquito and prevents you from noticing the bite.
Mosquito Eggs
Unfortunately, it is this saliva that causes diseases and the itching afterwards. Our bodies react to the saliva with a histamine response. This makes the skin colse to the bite itch. Although the itching is irritating, in some ways this reaction is a good thing because it causes us to notice the bite. This can be helpful if we construct flu symptoms shortly after because we can associate the bite with the flu, and can then see a doctor to see if we have a mosquito-borne illness.
So how do you safe yourself from a mosquito bite? One way is to wear a mosquito hat to safe your face and neck without using harsh chemicals. These hats come in varied styles, including a baseball cap and bucket hat, but contain fine mesh netting tucked in the crown. When you need the protection, you pull the very descriptive netting out from the secret pocket in the crown of the hat, pull it down to your collarbone, and cinch it tight to keep all biting bugs out. Also, you can wear light colored clothing because mosquitoes are more attracted to darker colors.
Another safety tool is chemical or organic mosquito repellants. These repellants block the sensing mechanisms that mosquitoes have in their antennae to detect hosts through carbon dioxide, moisture, and heat. Mosquitoes get lost in the flight to us with these repellants. Deet is one of the strongest repellants. It is especially useful in jungle and heavily forested areas.
Besides primary chemical repellants, oils have been shown to repel mosquitoes for a few hours as well. These oils contain citronella, geranium, peppermint, rosemary, cedarwood, lavender, and the most effective--catnip oil. Although these oils won't last as long as repellants like Deet, they can repel mosquitoes for about 2 to 3 hours.
Another tip is to be more cautious during the early morning hours colse to sunrise and after the sunset. Mosquitoes like to come out when the temperature is colse to 45 to 68 degrees. Be especially cautious if you live near large bodies of water, such as a lake, or if you live in humid or marshy areas where mosquitoes breed.
If you do happen to get bit, you can stop the itching by rubbing the inside of a banana skin on the bite. Other solutions contain using Vicks vapor rub, aloe vera, baking soda, lemon juice, mint toothpaste, or pharmacy antihistamines. If you don't have any of these items, you can use your saliva or stab an X in the bite with your nail or sharp object to stop the itching for up to 8 hours. Be aware that if you covenant a disease from the bite, it may take a few hours or even a few weeks for symptoms to appear.
Hopefully this guide will help keep you free from mosquito bites during the warm weather so you can enjoy the outdoors.
How to protect Yourself from Mosquito Bites
