Mosquito.buzz Blog

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in North America. The disease was first recognised in Connecticut in 1975, and is caused by a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. It is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infectious blacklegged tick.

Blacklegged ticks (also known as deer ticks) are widespread throughout Canada, due to tick larvae and nymphs attaching themselves to migratory birds. Bird-borne ticks thus create the possibility of infectious tick bites almost anywhere in Canada.

Ticks are an opportunistic pest, and will latch on to you or your pet if you brush past them. It can take a while for a tick to latch on to your dog or cat because of their fur, so it's important to be proactive when it comes to tick control and check your pets regularly.

The last thing you want is to allow one of your pets to bring a tick into your home, and run the risk of an infected tick latching on to you or your family.

Yay - Spring is here! After a long, cold Winter, it's nice to finally spend some time outside. When the weather is so nice, what is there to worry about?

It's safe to say that you can go ahead and tick the box entitled 'ticks' on your list of 'Insects To Be Wary Of'. 

There are literally thousands of different species of mosquitoes. They're here, they're there - they're everywhere. While the biggest culprits feed on our blood and spread horrible diseases, some of them prefer feeding on other animals, and some rarer varieties don't feed on blood at all. 

Here we break down the most common genus of mosquitoes.

We've heard it time and time again; there's something about you, in particular, that mosquitoes just love. Is it your charming personality? No, probably not. Your exquisite taste in music and film? We think not. Is it something about your aura? Well, sort of.

It all boils down to one simple fact; You stink. Good, bad... we don't know. But whatever the perspective, mosquitoes all have acute receptors that detect scents from up to 100 feet away. These are the primary indicators that female mosquitoes (the ones that do the biting) use to pick out their prey.

You may've had the cheesiest most amazing french onion soup. Your waitress might've had the loveliest smile. Your cocktail could've got you just the right amount of tipsy. And your crème brûlée might've been torched to perfection, with the much anticipated 'crack' meeting your highest expectations.

But if you sat through multiple mosquito bites during your dining experience, it'd be safe to say those fond memories were overshadowed by another more irritating one.

Although it has been widely suggested that Canada will not see local transmission of the Zika virus (due to the lack of Aedes mosquito species), four potentially Zika-carrying mosquitoes have been found in a mosquito trap in Windsor, Ontario last month.

Fresh herbs are a staple in every healthy home. They're handy for a bunch of reasons; from adding extra nutrition (and not to mention flavour) to home-cooked meals, or for soothing miscellaneous ailments, a few sprigs of your favourite herb can go a long way.

While most of us are quite keen on herbs (except for almost half the population that despise cilantro), mosquitoes aren't too fond of them.

6 herbs in particular are pretty good in helping deter mosquitoes around the home and backyard. Now, don't get us wrong; they're not going to eliminate mosquitoes completely, but they'll give you a good chance at warding them off.

Even though our furry friends may have a full coat of hair to cover them, they're still at risk of mosquito bites, particularly around the ears and nose. Mosquitoes aren't overly fussy when they're looking for a blood meal, and pets find themselves in a range of situations, just like us. From an irritating yet harmless itch, to a serious, harmful health concern, you just never know what might happen when it comes to mosquito bites.