There’s nothing more irritating and uncomfortable during a summer outdoor family adventure than the onslaught of pesky mosquitoes targeting you and your loved ones as their next meal. The hot, humid summer months are when mosquitoes and ticks like to make our lives miserable and uncomfortable.
With that in mind, here are the top 10 bite prevention tips to make sure you and your family make it through this mosquito season:
• Wear light-colored, loose clothing preferably long sleeves and long pants.
• Avoid wearing heavy fragrances when outdoors, especially at dusk and dawn, which is peak feeding time for mosquitoes.
• Remove areas of standing water near your house or campsite as they can be breeding areas for mosquitoes.
• Gutters clogged with debris allow stagnant water to form perfect landing zones for mosquito eggs, so keep them clean.
• Wear closed shoes instead of sandals and a hat to avoid ticks.
• Tuck pants into socks.
• Inspect your clothing and body after exploring wooded or grassy areas.
• Avoid standing water. Mosquitoes are often attracted to water, especially standing water, so when on summer outings avoid lakes, stagnant creeks, bogs, marshes, and swamps.
• Avoid getting too hot. Mosquitoes are thought to be attracted to warm bodies so staying cool is one way to avoid bites. Avoid excessive exercise at dusk to help keep the bites at bay.
• Use an insect repellent to reduce bites when spending time outdoors in mosquito-infested areas.
