LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) – Mosquito season is here, and you may want to take precautions before these insects become a serious pest around your home. Mosquitoes are most active during June, July and August, and they have the potential to carry diseases such as West Nile virus.
Wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants can help prevent mosquito bites. Using effective insect repellents is also key to keeping the bugs at bay.
“Mosquitoes are most active at dusk and dawn. So if you're going to be out at those times, you want to take precautions like wearing mosquito repellents with DEET are the safest ones and the most effective ones,” says Brian Nartker, director of Environmental Health Services.
To help fight the bite, it's important to eliminate any standing water around your home.
Using effective insect repellents is also key to keeping the bugs at bay.
“You want to just look at your yard and look at any of the anything you have in your yard that collects standing water, tires, bird baths, kiddie pools, as the weather gets warmer and you just want to empty those things at least once a week, so that the mosquitoes can't go through their life cycle and hatch from their eggs,” adds Nartker.
Health departments across Ohio will begin collecting mosquitoes in the coming weeks to test for West Nile virus. Last year, there were 14 human cases of the virus reported in the state.
