How to Get Rid of Mosquitoes Inside

It’s a peaceful summer night and you are slowly drifting off to sleep until you hear it—the obnoxious whine of a mosquito in your ear! It leaves you asking how these pesky mosquitoes got in and, more important, how to get rid of mosquitoes inside your house.

How to Get Rid of Mosquitoes Inside the House

Once you determine that you have mosquitoes inside your home, the first thing you want to do is get rid of them, especially before you turn in for the night.

Consider these options for taking care of mosquitoes that are already in your home:

  • Use an indoor insect fogger or insect spray to kill mosquitoes and treat areas where larvae may develop. Mosquitoes will gravitate toward dark, moist places so be sure to check in closets, under the sink, or around the laundry room.
  • Purchase mosquito traps and place them around your home, focusing on the areas where mosquitoes are most prevalent.
  • Put plants to work! Fill your home with mosquito-repelling herbs such as tulsi, catnip and feverfew.

The best way to keep their intrusion to a minimum is by being proactive and working to keep them out from the start.

Keep Mosquitoes Out of the House

Mosquitoes are effective at finding their way into homes. They actively seek out cracks, gaps, and broken screens. Use these tips to seal up your home and keep mosquitoes where they belong: outside.

  • Inspect window and door screens for gaps and holes then either mend the tear or replace the screen.
  • Inspect windows for gaps or weathered sealing and shore up these openings with caulk.
  • Ensure weather seals on doors do not have any gaps. If they do, replace the seals.

What Type of Mosquitoes Are In Your Home

Have you ever wondered exactly what type of mosquitoes are likely to be flitting around your home? Culex mosquitoes are known as the Common House Mosquito because of their tendency to want to make their way into homes. While other types of mosquitoes may end up in the home, these are the only ones that seek out the indoors.

The best way to keep mosquitoes out of your home is also keeping them out of your yard. Contact us online or call Mosquito Joe today at 1-855-275-2563 so we can make outside fun again for you and your family!

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Stop the Itch: How to Stop Mosquito Bites from Itching

A mosquito buzzing in your ear is a short-lived annoyance, but the itch from their bite can be a lasting nuisance. Why do mosquito bites itch and how long do mosquito bites itch? Most important, you’re probably asking how to stop mosquito bites from itching.

Let the experts at Mosquito Joe answer these questions and more!

Why Do Mosquito Bites Itch?             

The body’s immune system interprets the saliva from a mosquito’s bite as a foreign substance. This triggers the immune system to produce histamine in order to confront the infection. Histamine sends white blood cells and increased blood flow to the site of infection, which results in inflammation. This increased swelling and nerves in the surrounding area cause the mosquito bite to itch.

How Long Do Mosquito Bites Itch?            

As the mosquito bite heals, the itching sensation subsides. The skin will take on a less red shade as the irritation dissipates. Typically, mosquito bites may itch from three to four days. This time period can differ from person to person and bite to bite.

How to Stop Mosquito Bites from Itching?

There are many tried-and-true methods to mitigate the itch of a mosquito bite such as calamine lotion or a hydrocortisone cream, but the methods people use in practice are seemingly endless!

Here are a few other home remedies to help with mosquito bite itch:

Don’t Itch

  • While this may seem obvious, the less you scratch the bite, the less irritated and inflamed it will be.

Baking Soda Paste

  • Mix one tablespoon of baking soda with enough water to form a paste. Apply to the bite and then wash off the mixture after 10 minutes.

Cool it Down

  • A bag of ice or cold pack applied to a mosquito bite can reduce inflammation and thus lessen the itch.

Heat It Up

  • The opposite treatment with the same goal. Applying heat to a bite may also work toward reducing inflammation and itch. Turn the shower up as high as you can stand and put that bite under the hot water.

Primrose Oil

  • A natural remedy, applying primrose oil to a mosquito bite can help with swelling and itching.

Witch Hazel

  • Witch hazel is another natural option. Applying a dab to an inflamed mosquito bite can lessen irritation and expedite healing.

Honey

  • While not advised to wear outside (it can attract more bugs), a dab of honey can help soothe an itching bite.

Lime Juice

  • Rub a slice of lemon or lime on the affected area to use as an anti-inflammatory.

If There’s No Bite, There’s No Itch

While there are remedies to address the itch, the best solution is to fight the bites before you get them! Contact or call Mosquito Joe today at 1-855-275-2563 to make the first step toward a bite-free space with mosquito control!

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How Do Mosquitoes Survive Winter

Particularly for northern areas, the arrival of cooler temperatures provides a significant relief from the presence of pesky mosquitoes. However, come spring, as predictable as the blooming of flowers, the buzz and bite of the mosquito returns, turning your outdoor fun into a swat fest.

While the number of mosquitoes during the winter decreases, they are still able to survive cold temperatures. But how do mosquitoes survive winter? Let Mosquito Joe provide some insight and answers to this common question.

How Do Mosquitoes Survive in the Winter?             

Mosquitoes are cold-blooded so one would think that the arrival of cold weather would spell their demise. Not so!

Mosquitoes have two main techniques to ensure their survival:

Hibernation

Mosquitoes prefer temperatures in the 80-degree range, and once the mercury falls below 50 degrees many species shut down for the winter. The adult females find holes in logs, animal dens, or even human habitats (such as cabins or homes) where they will stay dormant in anticipation of warmer weather, emerging again when temperatures reach 50 degrees.

Laying Eggs

Some mosquito species will lay eggs as a type of future security. The adult females will lay eggs in cold waters—ponds, bogs, wetlands, etc.—where the eggs remain until warmer water temperatures prompt them to hatch. While this does not secure the survival of the mosquitoes that lay the eggs, it does allow for the repopulation of mosquitoes come spring.

Having survived for millions of years, mosquitoes have proven to be a hardy species able to thrive even after long winters.

How to Prevent Overwintering Mosquito Eggs

Eliminating any potential places for mosquitoes to lay eggs in preparation for the following spring is one way to decrease the number of springtime mosquitoes in your yard. This means making sure your yard is free from standing water in the fall and winter months.

Consider these tactics to decrease mosquito egg habitat:

  • Empty any kiddie pools and toys by turning them over and leaving them upside down to dry.
  • Repair leaky outdoor faucets.
  • Clean out any standing water in flower pots.
  • Keep garbage pails tightly covered.
  • Change or drain tarps for firewood and outdoor pools, as well as check your barbecue cover daily for any pooled water.
  • Get rid of or regularly check any items that could hold pooled water, such as boats, canoes, kayaks, old tires, buckets or cans.
  • Regularly clean gutters to prevent standing water in them.
  • Change the water in bird baths daily.

Warm weather is right around the corner! Call Mosquito Joe at 1-855-275-2563 or contact us online so you can start springtime itch-free.

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How to Remove a Tick from a Dog

You’re giving your pup a well-deserved back scratch and find a bump. You spread his fur to find a tick embedded in his skin. There’s nothing fun about this experience. Keeping your pet tick-free is imperative to their well-being as ticks are transmitters of Lyme disease and other illnesses. Knowing how to remove a tick from a dog can keep your pet happy and healthy.

Let the experts at Mosquito Joe offer some insight on how to remove that tick and keep your furry friend tick-free!

How to Check Dog for Ticks 

Depending on the thickness and length of your dog’s hair, ticks can be easier to spot than smaller parasites such as fleas. Ticks are relatively stationary as they bury their head into the skin to feed on the host, so you should be able to spot them as you search.

If you come across a small bump (about the size of a pea), stop and investigate to see if it’s a tick. It’s good practice to check your dog for ticks every day, especially after they have been outside.

Places to Check for Ticks on Dogs             

Comb through the fur with your fingers or a flea comb to search for ticks. Work from the head-down, running your fingers or comb over the dog’s body all the way to the tail, legs and paws. Ticks gravitate toward dark, moist, and hidden areas, so pay special attention to under the front legs, groin, and in the ears, as well as under the collar, armpits, and under the tail. Take a minute to also check between your dog’s toes for ticks.

How to Remove a Tick From a Dog            

If you do find a tick, resist the urge to pluck it out by hand. Get a pair of tweezers (thin surgical tweezers work best) or a tick-removal tool, such as a tick key. Grip the tick by the head as close to the skin as possible. Pull the tick straight out with constant, slow pressure, being careful to avoid twisting the tweezers while pulling.

Place the removed tick in rubbing alcohol to kill it and rub a disinfectant or antibiotic ointment on the site where the tick was removed. Ticks embedded in your dog’s skin can be hazardous to their health. Regular inspection and the use of preventative medicine can help keep your dog happy and tick-free. Ticks can spread disease upon latching to a host in as little as 36-48 hours, so regular tick inspection is imperative for a healthy pet.

Keep Your Yard Tick-Free

Eliminating ticks from the yard is a great way to decrease the number of ticks your pets get. If you are ready to take more proactive steps toward a tick-free yard, call 1-855-275-2563 or contact Mosquito Joe today!

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How Many Mosquitoes Are There in the World?

How Many Mosquitoes Are in the World?

It’s impossible to accurately tabulate the number of mosquitoes in the world. The adult lives of mosquitoes are brief, rarely lasting more than 15 days. And female mosquitoes lay a clutch of 100-200 eggs every three days, laying as many as three sets of eggs before dying. With such a rapid reproduction cycle, the number of mosquitoes in our world is changing every second.
However, across the globe there are 3,500 different species of mosquito. These species are subdivided into 112 genus-species with the main distinction being preferred breeding habitat

How Many Species of Mosquitoes Are There in the World?

There are approximately 3,500 species of mosquitoes worldwide with around 175 residing in the United States. Most of the mosquitoes found within the United States fall into three genera: Aedes, Anopheles, or Culex genus.

Aedes
These mosquitoes can be identified by their narrow black bodies and legs with alternating bands of light and dark. They were originally found in the tropics but have spread throughout the world and are now found on all continents except Antarctica. Aedes mosquitoes are responsible for the spread of dengue fever.

Anopheles
Mosquitoes in this genus are the main transmitters of malaria throughout the world, though the species that live in the United States do not transmit malaria. 460 different species of mosquitoes have been identified within this genus, but not all of them are able to transmit disease.

Culex
Culex are often thought of as the common house mosquito, but are responsible for transmitting a number of diseases including West Nile Virus and encephalitis. In the United States, this mosquito can be found throughout the Southeast states.

While the total number of mosquitoes there are in the world is impossible to quantify, we do have an idea of the number of types and species. With 3,500 species worldwide, that’s certainly a lot of mosquitoes.

How Many Mosquitoes Are in Your Backyard?

To give you an idea of how hard it would be to determine a world population of mosquitoes, have you ever tried to count the mosquitoes flitting around your backyard? We’re willing to bet you haven’t. We’re also willing to bet that the thought of doing so is daunting. To get close enough to count them would surely requite sacrificing yourself to an uncomfortable excess of bites.

If it starts to feel like every mosquito is targeting your backyard, give your local Mosquito Joe a call or request a free quote and make the first step toward a mosquito-free yard!

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