 | ||||||||
Alternative Solutions for Mosquito Control
The female can live up to about a month, feeding every two or three nights during that time and laying up to three batches of eggs before she dies. Female mosquitoes' bite because they need protein, found in blood, to develop their eggs. Choosing their targets through a combination of smell, heat and visual cues, they continue seeking blood meals until their abdomens are full. Most of the time, a mosquito bite is nothing more than a minor irritant that swells up, itches something fierce, then fades and is quickly forgotten. That is, unless that mosquito is carrying a potentially deadly virus or if you are allergic to the mosquito bite. And while not every kind of mosquito carries every kind of disease, a single bite from the right mosquito at the right time and you're infected.
Mosquito-Borne Diseases Malaria Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted via the bites of infected mosquitoes. In the human body, the parasites multiply in the liver and then infect red blood cells. In many parts of the world, the parasites have developed resistance to a number of malaria medicines. Symptoms of malaria include fever, headache, and vomiting. If not treated, malaria can quickly become life-threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs. According to the World Health Organization there are an estimated 250 million malaria cases and nearly one million deaths every year. Although malaria has been eradicated from the US, the Anopheles mosquito is still very common there, raising the possibility that malaria could return in epidemic proportions. West Nile Viruu (WNV) Mosquitoes become infected with West Nile virus when they feed on infected birds such as crows and then pass it to humans and other animals when they bite. The virus enters the bloodstream, begins to multiply and is carried to the brain, where it begins to affect the central nervous system and causes inflammation of brain tissue, known as encephalitis. If this happens, a person will develop high fever, headaches, swollen lymph nodes and stiff neck. There is no specific treatment of West Nile virus. However, only one in 150 people infected with West Nile virus experience severe symptoms. West Nile virus first showed up in the United States in 1999 with an outbreak in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Since then, the disease has spread across the United States. In 2003, WNV activity occurred in 46 states and caused illness in over 9,800 people. Today, West Nile virus is firmly established throughout most of the US. Chikungunya This mosquito-borne disease, even more deadly than West Nile virus and carried by the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Asian Tiger) mosquito has spread throughout Africa, Asia and parts of Europe with experts predicting the United States may be next. Chikungunya virus can cause fever, rash, headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, muscle and joint pain. The disease can be fatal to the elderly, young children and people with weak immune systems. Double infections are also possible as the Asian tiger mosquito is also known to carry malaria, dengue fever and West Nile virus (WNV). While not able to predict when a U.S. chikungunya outbreak might actually occur, researchers are particularly concerned about Florida, because the state has many international visitors, elderly residents and warm weather conducive to mosquito breeding. Encephalitis Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) is a cousin to the West Nile virus and spreads the same way - by mosquitoes that have fed on infected birds. The symptoms are similar and usually emerge about three to 10 days after transmission from a mosquito bite. However, it is a much more serious illness, proving fatal for 30 to 50 percent of those infected, especially among children and the elderly. Because of the high mortality rate, EEE is regarded as one of the most serious mosquito-borne diseases in the United States. Dengue fever Dengue fever, commonly referred to as 'break-bone fever' because you feel like your bones are breaking, is spread by two mosquito species; the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) and the Asian tiger (Aedes albopictus) mosquito. Both lay eggs on the sides of water-filled containers. Dengue causes high fevers, joint and muscle pain, nausea and a rash. In severe cases, it causes internal bleeding and can lead to death. Some 2.5 billion people or two fifths of the world's population are now at risk from dengue. The World Health Organization currently estimates there may be 50 million dengue infections worldwide every year. In 2009 dengue fever returned to Florida after a 50 year absence. The last big dengue epidemic in Florida was in 1934 and left more than 25,000 Floridians ill. Increases in Mosquito-Borne Diseases Worldwide Unfortunately the rate of infection has risen dramatically in recent years and a growing number of scientists are now concerned that global warming will translate into an explosive growth of mosquito-borne diseases worldwide. Because we probably never will be able to be fully eradicate these pests from our planet, we need to learn the best ways of dealing with them because successful long term mosquito control requires knowledge of just where and how mosquitoes develop.
Mosquito experts encourage a multi-pronged approach starting with the basics:
If it can hold water for more than a few days, it can breed mosquitoes and female mosquitoes can lay their eggs in as little as an inch of water. Just one mosquito can produce 1,200 young and a five-gallon bucket of water has the potential to produce enough mosquitoes to invade an entire city block in a residential community. 2. Keep grass mown, bushes trimmed and debris out of the gutters throughout the mosquito season. These measures will eliminate some of the most popular mosquito roosting places. 3. Avoid the outdoors during dawn and dusk which is typically when mosquitoes are most active. 4. Wear light colored clothing which is less attractive to some mosquito species, as well as long sleeves and long pants for added defense. 5. Use screens and mosquito netting to provide skeeter-free zones in and around the home. 6. For personal protection, use an effective non-toxic insect repellent. A few years ago the only recommended repellents were those containing DEET. It's been around since the 1950's and has long been regarded as the most effective chemical repellent on the market. However, recent research suggests that mosquitoes can now inherit tolerance to DEET. According to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (May 2010), the trait that makes some mosquitoes tolerate one of the most effective repellents available is dominant and can be passed on to more than 50% of offspring in a single generation. Fortunately there are alternatives, and in addition to DEET, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) also recommends repellents containing the following EPA registered active ingredients:
Fighting with technology: An effective way of reducing the risk of Mosquito Borne Diseases Decreasing mosquito populations is one way of reducing the risk from West Nile, chikungunya or any other mosquito-borne illness. Mosquito traps interrupt the breeding cycle helping to decrease mosquito populations. An efficient trap capable of capturing and killing hundreds, even thousands of mosquitoes a night, can all but collapse a mosquito colony over a matter of months. Scientific research over the past 50 years has shown that mosquitoes find their prey using a combination of sensory signals including light, shape, color, heat, movement/vibration, sweat and other by-products of human activity. Off the back of that research, EnviroSafe Technologies have developed a new generation of mosquito traps. Mega-Catch mosquito traps are safe, non-toxic and eco-friendly and don't require the use of harmful pesticides, fogs or sprays to kill mosquitoes. They work by mimicking the sensory signals which attract nuisance mosquitoes as well as other common biting insects including sand flies, black flies and biting midges (no-see-ums). Independent tests conducted by USDA research entomologist, Dr Daniel Kline, in the mosquito infested swamps of Gainesville and the Lower Suwannee reserve in Florida, provide compelling evidence on the effectiveness of Mega-Catch traps. On one night more than 7,000 mosquitoes and 10,000 biting midges were captured. Source By using the latest technology with a dose of good old-fashioned common sense, we should be able to reduce biting incidences and prevent mosquito-borne diseases from spreading further throughout this world. According to University of Florida entomologist Dr Jerry Butler, "By reducing the feeding rates just a little; you reduce the probability of transmission of diseases greatly".
About Author EnviroSafe Technologies N.Z. Ltd developed one of the first environmentally friendly mosquito traps, which is now marketed and sold under the Mega-Catch brand. The company is a member of the American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA), the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) and is a responsible manufacturer who recommends the use of Mega-Catch mosquito traps in conjunction with other sensible control measures designed to manage mosquito problems.
|
Pizza a Vegetable? -Fast Food, Fertilizers & Fertility: How to Not Become Pregnant -What's in Your Wallet? The Trouble with Thermal Receipts -Passing the Buckyball: How Nanotechnology Is Entering Our Food Supply -Is it Real, Or Is it Senomyx? How New Flavor Technology Tinkers with Our Tastebuds -The Skinny on Fat-Free: Why You May Be Better Off with the Real Thing -A Matter of Taste- Our Bodies Perception of Artificial Sweeteners -A Many Splenda'd Thing - The Rise of Artificial Sweeteners -Toxic Air Fresheners - The Scent of Danger -Pesticides and Our Health - Casting Our Fate to the Wind -High Fructose Corn Syrup: "Well, you know what they say...."
|
|||||||
Local Guides
With appreciation to: Law of attraction courses, how to apply The Law of attraction, law of attraction
[?] Subscribe To This Site
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
Improvements in international travel now allow a person infected with a disease to be on a different continent each day, enabling mosquito-borne diseases to travel from one country to the next with ease. As simply as that, mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue fever, West Nile virus, eastern equine encephalitis, chikungunya and malaria can spread throughout a population. That ability to spread sickness and death all over the planet is why the Smithsonian National Zoological Park has declared the female Anopheles mosquito - a malaria carrier - the deadliest animal in the world. 
More tips on effective mosquito control, and how to get rid of mosquitoes using mosquito traps are available at: http://www.megacatch.com/mosquitoinformation.html
New! Comments
Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.