The Dangers of Mosquito-Borne Diseases And How To Protect Yourself In Houston

Mosquitoes are an unavoidable part of living in the Houston area. If you’ve ever tried to spend time outdoors in the summer, hosting a gathering or simply enjoying an outdoor dinner, then you’ve likely come across hungry mosquitoes. They are seasonal pests that look for people and their pets as a food source. While there’s no way of knowing whether or not specific mosquitoes are carrying harmful pathogens, it’s important to limit your exposure to them nonetheless. Some of the health risks that they’re linked with include Eastern equine encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, and West Nile virus. In cats and dogs, mosquitoes can also be the source of heartworm. 

Luckily, there are some habit modifications that you can make in order to make yourself and your property less appealing to mosquito populations. With help from All-Safe Pest & Termite, you can finally enjoy your property again without the constant threat of potentially dangerous mosquitoes. We are a local company with more than 30 years of experience and a dedication to customer satisfaction. We’ve created the following guide to help you understand how mosquitoes operate, the threats they pose, and how you can protect yourself from them. If you’re in need of more information or are ready to explore our Houston mosquito control services, please call us today!

The Role Mosquitoes Play In Our Ecosystem

Though mosquitoes may seem like a pesky seasonal issue, they are actually an invaluable part of the larger ecosystem. The two main functions that mosquitoes serve are:

• Crucial pollinators: A mosquito’s most significant food source is nectar from flowers. They work in similar ways to bees and butterflies by spreading pollen from plant to plant as they continue to feed. Some of the plants that mosquitoes are known to pollinate include wild orchids, cacao trees, water lilies, and countless small flowers, especially in wet or humid climates.
• A reliable food source: When mosquitoes spend a lot of their time nibbling away at you, it might be hard to imagine that they’re also a source of food for other beings. But they are. Countless types of bats, birds, fish, and frogs all prey on mosquitoes as a vital form of nutrients. There are also countless other insects and pests that eat away at mosquitoes, which include spiders, beetles, and dragonflies.

In a world without mosquitoes, we would likely see large groups of animals without their key food source and that would potentially go extinct. There would also be less biodiversity amongst plants, which also serve their own purposes. But while mosquitoes are a part of the global food chain, you likely still don’t want them present on your property because they are an annoyance and because they are linked with some very significant health issues. The most reliable way to reduce the number of mosquitoes you see around your property is with professional mosquito control from All-Safe Pest & Termite. Call us today for more information. 

The Potential Dangers Of A Mosquito Bite

One of the troubling things about dealing with mosquito bites isn’t necessarily how itchy and annoying they are, it’s that they could be potentially harmful to a person’s well-being. Exposure to mosquito-borne illnesses is a reality of living in Houston. They often occur once a mosquito has fed off of a diseased animal, which is likely a bird. They can then pass these pathogens directly onto the people or pets that they bite. To complicate matters, not every species of mosquito can be a carrier of certain pathogens and not every member of that species will be a spreader of these issues. There’s simply no way of knowing if a mosquito is transmitting harmful pathogens when they bite a person. Some of the potential health risks that they’re affiliated with include:

• West Nile virus: This health issue is regarded as a collection of symptoms such as muscle weakness, difficulty with vision, headache, a stiff neck, and even paralysis. In many cases, people who are infected with WNV will actually never develop symptoms.  
• Heartworm: Family pets are capable of falling victim to mosquito bites, too, and the implications can be very serious. If a cat or dog were to contract heartworm, they might deal with organ and heart failure, difficulty breathing, and in the worst instances, death.
• Eastern equine encephalitis: EEE, as it’s also known, is a rare but serious virus that impacts both humans and pets. In people, it entails fever, joint and muscle pain, disorientation, and possibly coma. In pets, it might look like irritability, difficulty with vision, being uncoordinated, and a loss of appetite. This is far more rare for pets and is largely found in puppies when it does occur.

For mosquito protection from these health issues and others, call All-Safe Pest & Termite right away. 

Five No-Nonsense Mosquito Prevention Tips

Even though mosquito season in Houston is unavoidable, there are steps that you can take to make it more bearable. Here are five reliable no-nonsense tips that you can implement on your property today:

• Landscape like you mean it. To start, look around your yard. Are there overgrown hedges? Lots of thatch build-up on your lawn? Your yard likely contains some highly alluring characteristics that mosquitoes will take advantage of in order to hide during the daytime and for breeding purposes. To avoid this, mow the lawn routinely to maintain a short height, get rid of yard clutter, and scale back trees and shrubs. 
• Leave no puddle unturned. Another key factor that mosquitoes look for around properties is the presence of stagnant water. Because mosquitoes aren’t fussy about where this water is, they’ll utilize puddles on pool coverings, stale birdbaths, or even a pet bowl that’s been sitting outside. Always turn over the water in these areas frequently and make sure that other spots around the yard, like kids’ slides and flower pots, don’t accumulate water collections. 
• Address yourself. Because mosquitoes are looking for people like you to feed off of, there are things that you can do to make yourself unattractive to them. Start by limiting your use of perfume and scented hygiene products. You’ll also want to wear light-colored clothing and apply an EPA-approved topical like DEET when you are outside. If you can limit your time outside during dusk and dawn, that’ll be all the better. 
• Create a helpful garden. There are certain plants that contain naturally repelling components that may deter mosquitoes. Those plants include geranium, lavender, thyme, catnip, and citronella.
• Know when to ask for help. While these steps are helpful in mitigating your exposure to mosquitoes, they will not keep them from returning or get rid of them completely. The most invaluable form of prevention comes in the form of professional guidance. By working with a local mosquito pro, you can benefit from top-shelf treatments as well as a team to count on if mosquitoes reappear. 

For the most reliable mosquito prevention, call All-Safe Pest & Termite today!

Pro Mosquito Control Offers The Best Protection For Your Yard

Given the seasonal nature of mosquitoes, the best way to drastically reduce their presence around your yard is with professional mosquito control from All-Safe Pest & Termite. Our company has been dedicated to the needs of our neighbors since 1984. Since then, we have made customized services the standard, not the exception. We perform comprehensive inspections each time we visit your property, utilize low-toxicity products that are safe for the entire household, and guarantee the results. 

The way that we address mosquitoes is no different. If you’re concerned about having mosquitoes present around your home all you need to do is call. We’ll send one of our trained technicians to thoroughly inspect your yard. During this step, we are looking for signs of mosquito activity and larvae as well as any areas where they could be hiding or breeding. We will also have a conversation with you about the mosquito activity you’ve seen and when it is most prevalent. 

At this point, we will integrate the use of our backpack misting system, which we use to reach a multitude of favorite spots for mosquitoes. That includes shrubs, trees, and other harborage areas. We make these applications once a month between April and October, but if any mosquitoes appear between these visits, we’ll re-treat your property at no additional cost to you. Another treatment option that we offer is the installation of the In2Care system. This is a network of mosquito traps that we strategically place around the exterior of your home. It contains a green product that can lure mosquitoes and their larvae, and it offers a wide scope of coverage that reaches far beyond its actual location. 

As a key part of our service, we will also work with you to make sure that you are sufficiently educated on the simple habit changes and property modifications that you can make in order to drastically reduce mosquito attraction. To learn more about our mosquito treatments in Houston, please call us today.