Mosquitoes are small but can be a massive annoyance in the summer.
Tuesday (June 27) at 6 a.m. 4 Warn Meteorologist Ashlee Baracy showed Local 4 the obscure places mosquitoes could breed, like the windshield washer bins at gas stations.
Baracy has more advice on keeping mosquitoes from bugging you this summer, including busting some myths about mosquitoes and who and why they bite.
We discussed how our recent hot, dry stretches could impact mosquito breeding patterns, but it isn’t enough to get them to buzz off.
And if you find them bugging you while you’re on your patio, you could be housing flying little freeloaders.
“Usually, if you are getting pestered by mosquitoes on your property, it’s a pretty good bet that the mosquitoes bred on your property or really close,” said Mark Vanderwerp.
That’s because mosquitoes aren’t strong flyers, so it’s not likely they are coming in from miles away.
Do yourself a favor, clean your downspouts so no water gets built up in your gutters, and dump any standing water you see.
“See if there is any standing water not suitable for mosquitoes; in this case, it’s not retaining any water,” Vanderwerp said.
Of course, we can try to control our environment, but can you control just how appealing you are to mosquitoes?
Vanderwerp, the manager of education and training with Rose Pest Solutions, broke down fact versus fiction.
For instance, wearing light colors would keep mosquitoes from biting you. Vanderwerp says that is a myth.
“It has a lot more to do with your body chemistry, basically what you smell like to mosquitoes,” Vanderwerp said.
Another question was if mosquitoes were more drawn to some people than others, and Vanderwerp says that is true.
“Some people actually have skin secretions that make them less attractive or more attractive,” Vanderwerp said. “It’s a fun little test, so if you’ve got a bunch of mosquitoes in a jar, you can have all your friends hold on to a rock. Sure enough, some people are way more attractive than others to mosquitoes.”
You might have heard that some blood types were more appetizing to mosquitoes, but Vanderwerp says that is also a myth, as mosquitoes are more drawn to sweat than your blood type.
“Think more like a locker room, who sweats the most,” Vanderwerp said. “There are always some people that are a little sweatier than others, right?”
And you can’t always control how sweaty you are, especially on a hot and humid day, so a few other tips would be to try wearing long pants and sleeves when you can and use personal or spatial repellents.