Window Cleaners Get Eaten

Mosquito - from the Spanish or Portuguese word for little fly. Prior to and during blood feeding, they inject saliva into the bodies of their source(s) of blood. This saliva serves as an anticoagulant: without it, the female mosquito's proboscis would quickly become clogged with blood clots.

Mosquitoes are back, and they're breeding like crazy: Officials say population is up fivefold - While most people haven't even had their first swim or touch of sunburn yet, another one of the rites of summer - that first mosquito bite - may be happening sooner and be followed by more like it more than ever this year. "We have very, very high numbers in our traps," Theodore Andreadis, chief medical entomologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, said this week.

This week marks the start of the experiment station's annual mosquito testing program. More than 5,000 mosquitoes were collected in 29 traps set around the state, including at sites in Stonington and Voluntown, Andreadis said. That compares to last year's first-day total of 1,100 mosquitoes. "We collected almost as many in a day as we normally get in a week," he said. "These were all human biters in our traps." In about a week, he said, the lab will have the results of tests for whether any of the trapped mosquitoes are carrying West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis. Mosquitoes can also carry Jamestown Canyon virus, which produces flu-like symptoms. The state has no official testing program for this virus, Andreadis said, but testing in previous years has found it was widely distributed in the state's mosquito population.

What accounts for the population explosion? Andreadis said rainy weather and warm temperatures at just the right time this spring created the perfect conditions for a prolific breeding season. With so many mosquitoes out there looking for a free lunch on the next available limb, advice about preventing bites may be more important than ever. So, too, is knowing who's most susceptible. According to the Mayo Clinic, mosquitoes choose their victims according to scent, exhaled carbon dioxide and the chemicals in a person's sweat. Though no one understands why, mosquitoes are more likely to bite men, people with "O" blood type and those who are overweight.

Don't be dismissive, Andreadis said, next time someone claims "mosquitoes love me." There is something to the notion that some people are more likely to get bitten than others, he said. "It may be the people who are perspiring more, or emitting more CO2, or emitting more of the chemicals that attract them," he said. He advises choosing light-colored, loose-fitting clothing over dark colors that absorb heat and can attract mosquitoes. Better still, wear long sleeves, long pants and socks outdoors whenever possible. Use of insect repellent containing DEET is also recommended, as is taking extra precautions or staying indoors when mosquitoes are most active - in the evening and early morning.

Cleaning gutters and draining any standing water around your home will also deprive mosquitoes of places to breed, and repairing holes in window screens will keep them from getting indoors. "Clearly, the results from our traps is an indication that there are a lot of mosquitoes out there, and we expect this will continue," Andreadis said.

Itching: 

There are several commercially available anti-itch medications, including those taken orally, such as Benadryl, or topically applied antihistamines and, for more severe cases, corticosteroids such as hydrocortisone and triamcinolone. Many effective home remedies exist, including calamine lotion and vinegar. A paste of meat tenderizer containing papain and water breaks down the proteins in the mosquito saliva. By using a brush to scratch the area surrounding the bite and running hot water (around 49 °C) over it can alleviate itching for several hours by reducing histamine-induced skin blood flow. Plain household sudsy ammonia is also a good treatment, ammonia being the main ingredient in Tender's AfterBite remedy, especially as a first wash option if applied immediate after multibite exposure. An even simpler, yet effective remedy can be achieved by applying a piece of adhesive tape over the affected area, or by sucking it with a drinking straw; creating enough counter tension on the surface of the skin to alleviate the itch. 

Avoid: 

Avoid dark, bright coloured clothing. Dark bright colours seem to attract insects, so it is best to dress your baby in light coloured clothing that does not leave too much exposed skin. Choose long sleeved tops, fitted garments like pants and jumpers instead of shorts and sleeveless tops. Avoid strong fragrances. Do not use lotions, soap, oils or floral scented perfumes or room fresheners as these may attract insects. Never leave uncovered food anywhere in your home, especially in your baby's room.

Recommended:

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