With the dog days of summer upon us, it's important to know how to avoid this little critters as much as possible!

Summers in Minnesota are great, until you have to deal with those damn mosquitoes! Personally, I haven't had to deal with them too much this year but I'm not about to let my guard down because that's just asking for trouble. It's always important to be aware of those pesky little insects because any little bite can mean big trouble.

The Mayo Clinic states that “mosquitoes can act as reservoirs of diseases such as West Nile virus, encephalitis, malaria, yellow fever and dengue fever.” These viruses, amongst others such as Zika, are transferred by mosquitoes through their saliva when they bite a human or animal.

So here are some tricks and tips to avoid disease and the everyday annoying itch of those blood suckers here in southeast Minnesota, and northeast Iowa:

  1. Standing water are breeding grounds for skeeters so avoid them if you can. If you must be near them for recreation/outdoors activities just be prepared. Otherwise if you can remove them (buckets, cups, mugs) you should!
  2. Wear light clothing, as in color. I guess mosquitoes are more attracted to darker colors than lighter ones.
  3. Avoid scented body sprays and perfumes. Lemon, eucalyptus are natural repellents but most other smell goods are not.
  4. Speaking of smells, bring bug spray with you and reapply often. This may not need to be said but it is one of the biggest helps because insect repellents do wonders for any exposed areas of the skin. Those products, which include DEET, claim to be the most effective.
  5. Avoid dawn and dusk if you can in areas where they are bad.
  6. Keep the air circulated! Plug in a fan and point it towards you or your party. Not only will you stay cooler but those skeeters won't be able to fly around you due to them being such weak flyers.

Good luck, and enjoy your summer!

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