Mosquitoes come to Aiken. Here’s how to fight them: | Local Health News

As temperatures get hotter and the weather gets harsher, many inhabitants must see mosquitoes begin to make noise around CSRA.

Because mosquitoes in South Carolina can carry the West Nile virus, authorities can control the number of mosquitoes in the area, monitor mosquito-borne diseases, and prevent residents from being bitten by mosquitoes. It states that it is important.

Sarah Herring, the city’s solid waste manager, said the city would send someone to check the property if there were complaints from residents. Herring emphasized that eliminating mosquito habitats “removes it removes many problems.”

“If you have a big problem in an area, you can go ahead and spray and knock down (mosquitoes),” Herring said. “Repeat, the first and best line of defense is to get rid of habitat. It tends to be the main focus of mosquito control.”

Herring also said the city would start catching mosquitoes for several weeks and test them to see what species are around this year.

Residents who want to file a mosquito complaint with the city of Aiken can visit the city of Aiken website,[City of Aiken Residents]Scroll down to the tab and[City of Aiken Residents]Click. Mosquito control, management, spraying..

Insects are annoying to adults, but can also be a problem for younger children.

Trey Powell, franchise owner of Augusta-based Mosquito Joe, said children tend to be easy targets because “children tend to be a little unaware of the fact that they are bitten by mosquitoes.” ..

As a result, Powell said parents should monitor their children whenever they are playing and be careful if they start scratching because they may be bitten.

“It’s the worst thing in the world to have a child who has only been bitten 20 times, they’re just scratching, screaming and crying all night,” Powell said.

There are several different recommended strategies when a child is bitten. According to Powell, ice can be applied immediately to control swelling. You can use calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream to help fight itching.

According to Powell, it’s important to discourage scratches so that they are attractive to children.

“It’s probably the hardest thing in the world,” Powell said. “If it’s itchy, they want to scratch it. At least at first it feels good to scratch it. Then it feels sick. You have to convince them that it will get worse. ..

However, it is better for all parties to prevent bites than to treat them.

According to Powell, most CSRA mosquitoes are very lazy and usually do not travel more than 200 feet in their lifetime.

According to Powell, one of the biggest keys to stopping mosquitoes is to monitor the water sources where the inhabitants are standing nearby. After the mosquito eats its “blood diet”, it goes to spawn and needs standing water to do so.

Powell gave some examples of these water sources, such as buckets, barrels, wheelbarrows, gutters, drains, downspouts, watersheds, and bottoms of flowerpots.

“(Mosquitoes) don’t really need a lot of water,” Powell said. “You can breed 100 mosquitoes from the cap of the bottle. It doesn’t need a lot of water, but it should be dirty water.”

According to Powell, residents need to find these water sources and deal with them accordingly. He recommended flipping the container weekly to make sure there was no water in the container.

Powell also recommended a proven method of using repellent sprays to keep mosquitoes away. Some other tips he gave are to wear dark clothes, as bright clothes are more attractive to mosquitoes, and to windows and doors if you plan to open them during the summer. It was to make sure there was a screen.

This week, the SC Health and Environmental Management Department approved the National Mosquito Control Awareness Week and shared some tips on how to keep mosquitoes away. Three tips called “D” are drainage (empty the water container at least once a week), clothing (wear long sleeves, long pants, light-colored loose clothing), and protection (mosquito repellent). Is used).

Dr. Chris Evans, a state public health entomologist at the DHEC Department of Environmental Health Services, said, “Protecting yourself from bites becomes more important as the warm climate arrives and people encounter more mosquitoes. “. Other mosquito-borne diseases in our state. Most mosquitoes are just annoying, but we detect West Nile virus in our state mosquitoes every year. “