It's That Time of Year
The city of Loveland has already begun spraying and collecting mosquitos for disease testing for the summer. They're surveilling local populations for West Nile virus and other diseases, and it will continue into early September -- the end of prime mosquito season.
It's all part of a program, contracted to Vector Disease Control, that takes a multi-pronged approach to controlling mosquito populations. The program consists of spraying, measures to combat larvae, surveillance, and education.
Measures are taken because Colorado has seen cases of West Nile every year beginning in 2002. In 2017, 68 cases of this serious disease were recorded. The most severe forms of the infection can cause long-term illness, brain damage, permanent disability, or more.
However, of the 50 species of mosquito known to exist in Colorado, only two species -- Culex pipiens and Culex tarsalis -- are known to carry the West Nile virus.
So what can you do to keep from getting eaten alive? Well, most experts recommend that you wear bug spray, light-colored clothing, and avoid perfumes. On hot days, mosquitos like cool, darker places and are most active at dusk and dawn.
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Courtesy of Mom Does Reviews[/caption]
If you love to sit outside on your patio and sip a glass of wine, or have a craft beer while the sun sets behind the Rockies, then have a retractable screen installed and burn a few citronella candles and voila! You've got a bug free oasis that's still outdoors.
What are your thoughts? Do you have an outdoor retractable screen or a bug spray you recommend? Let us know in the comments below!
