This exciting time of year brings sunny days, blooming flowers, spring showers and… bugs.
That’s not to say bugs are bad. They play a vital role in the ecosystem, providing food for birds and fish, pollinating flowers, helping decay organic material and even controlling populations of other insects. But, of course, bug bites can be annoying and sometimes even dangerous.
Mosquitoes are prime candidates for being named among the most “annoying” insects on the planet. But, more than being a nuisance, they spread diseases such as West Nile virus, which has swept across the United States since 1999. In fact, I just attended a scientific meeting co-sponsored by CDC and the American Mosquito Control Association (http://www.mosquito.org/) focused on the ten-year history of WNV in our county. While human cases have declined slightly (www.cdc.gov/westnile), there are still states where WNV remains a true danger, such as California, Arizona, Colorado and Texas. And researchers recently published a study that showed climate change—with warmer and wetter weather in some spots—appears to elevate WNV infections. Plus, mosquitoes spread other diseases, such as La Crosse encephalitis, which can make people seriously ill. So, not only do you want to protect against mosquito bites to avoid the itching aftermath, you want to avoid contracting a mosquito-borne disease.
You also want to protect against bites from ticks, which can cause serious infections, most commonly Lyme disease. Spring and early summer is primetime for the deer ticks that spread Lyme, according to the America Lyme Disease Association (http://www.aldf.com/). That’s when young “nymphal” ticks are seeking the blood they need to grow. They’re only about the size of a poppy seed, so a careful tick check is critical after you return indoors. And keep in mind you don’t have to be in the woods to encounter ticks. Most people reporting a tick bite say it came from right in their own yards.
You can find tips to avoid bites on our website (www.deetonline.org/tips.php) and on the websites above. You can post questions, suggestions and comments below, or via info@deetonline.org.
Best wishes for a wonderful and healthy spring and summer!
Susan
Susan E. Little
Executive Director, DEET Education Program
