How to keep bite-free
The heavy rains, and the spurt of plant growth - and tall grass - have made for an early bloom of mosquitos, and calls for help in getting rid of the pests.
Lisa Letteney, the Onondaga County Health Department's Director of Environmental Health Assessment, says they're already getting calls for spraying from residents in Cicero, Minoa and Manlius, which are the usual hot spots for mosquito concerns later in the year. She points out that they cannot spray for comfort only, but mosquito monitoring is already underway.
Last Friday the first samples collected from mosquito pools were sent to Albany for analysis. If there are a series of positives for Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) or West Nile Virus from human-biting mosquitoes, then areas where mosquitoes breed will be sprayed as a precaution.
Letteney says there are other ways to protect yourself, however, including keeping lawns mowed and bushes cut back, and getting rid of standing water, including puddles and water that's accumulated in overturned pots, kids' outdoor toys and gutters full of debris. Screens need to be in good shape to keep insects out. And, the advice is to wear long sleeves outdoors, also long pants, socks and shoes between dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are more likely to bite. Effective repellents include DEET and Picaridin.
The Onondaga County Health Department has more advice for keeping you bite-resistant as you're outdoors this Spring, and will be distributing 'Fight the Bite' pamphlets at area libraries and community centers in the next couple weeks.
