Mosquito.buzz Blog

This month, Florida has begun to see an alarming number of homegrown cases of Zika; that is, non-travel related cases, which were the biggest worry some months ago. So far, Florida is the only US state to have local transmission of the virus.

As of August 24, there are now 43 local cases of Zika infection, with outbreaks occuring in Miami and Miami Beach. The number of travel-related cases in Florida is 523, and 70 of whom are pregnant.

With Florida's warm, humid climate, it's the ideal location for Aedes mosquitoes to thrive and spread the virus. But with so many locally transmitted cases appearing in such a short time, the Department of Health in Florida are understandably worried.

Barbecues, going swimming, basking in the sunshine, watching the sun go down; all these things are what makes the summertime so great. But mosquito bites... not so much.

Female mosquitoes love to feast on us; we provide the necessary nutrients for them to breed even more mosquitoes. While they're going to town on our nutritious blood, they inject saliva into us as an anticoagulant; in other words, their saliva acts as a blood thinner that makes it easier to suck up more of our blood.

That residual spit is the reason we get itchy; coincidently, it's also the reason why mosquitoes are the number 1 killers in the world, since their saliva can sometimes contain diseases. While mosquito borne illnesses are becoming more of a global concern, most of the time you're just left with ugly and incredibly itchy red bumps.

Here are a few ways you can get a bit of temporary relief.

Have you ever been the only one complaining about mosquitoes ravaging your skin? What is it about you that makes those pesky skeeters bypass your buddies and start feasting on your seemingly special skin?

If you think you're a mosquito magnet, you might be on to something. Here's a quick guide to help determine how attractive you are to mosquitoes.

How good is Summer? Especially when you have your own backyard and some crazy friends and family... what's the point of even going out? Your backyard doesn't have cover charges, closing hours or long queues, so why not keep the party going til whenever o'clock?

The American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA) have just released their latest fact sheet, this time covering the Zika Virus.

Primarily transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito, West Nile Virus is an arthropod-borne virus that typically shows few or no symptoms in humans, but in rare cases, can be fatal.

Anyone that spends time outdoors is at risk of West Nile, however the risk varies from year to year depending on the amount of rain, how hot it gets, and the current population of mosquitoes. Mosquito populations reach their peak in the summer months, so right now is the time to be protecting yourself against mosquitoes.

Our friends over at the American Mosquito Control Association started this initiative with the ultimate goal of educating the public about mosquitoes, the risks associated with mosquito bites, and the significance of mosquito control providers like the crew here at Mosquito.buzz.

Summer is now in full swing... and so is mosquito season. With public health concerns and the looming threat of the Zika virus growing across North America, members of the Mosquito.buzz team were extremely fortunate to spend a day at the University of Kentucky, learning from top researchers in the field of mosquito control.

Dr. Grayson Brown is one of the leading researchers at the University of Kentucky, and kindly spent the day with the team at Mosquito.buzz, comprising of Shawn Karn (Technical Director), Jordan Lavin (Chief Operating Officer), and Steven Fulford (Senior Field Technician).

With the virus looming closer and closer to North America, it's becoming increasingly more important to remain educated on Zika, to understand the risks and to avoid mosquito bites. As mosquito control experts based in Canada, we're dedicated to providing information and resources in an effort to combat mosquito-borne illnesses, including Zika.

We've been going on and on about this for some time now. Mosquitoes are attracted to stagnant water; it's where they lay their eggs after feeding on our blood. To give yourself any chance of avoiding mosquito bites, it's super important to drain any containers of standing water and reduce mosquito breeding habitat.

You might've heard of communities or local councils collecting old tires in your neighbourhood, with the intention of reducing mosquitoes. But why are mosquitoes so drawn to these rubbery cylinders?