Are You Kidding Me Ticks and Mosquitos are Already Back

Are you kidding me, ticks and mosquitos are already back? Spring just sprung and after a couple of trips outdoors people are reporting finding ticks, in one case four of them. And a mosquito buzzed me in the house. In my own house!

Reports from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention say disease carried by the two pests and even fleas have been surging rapidly over the last few years. Just in the last fifteen years, 9 new diseases linked to tick and mosquito bites have hit the U.S. How's this for staggering numbers, nearly 300-thousand people get Lyme disease each year but only a tenth get reported.

Making it all even scarier, there's no vaccine for most of the diseases associated with ticks and mosquitos. Prevention is the only remedy. The CDC offers these tips on prevention.

Repel them from your skin, clothing, outdoor gear. Using EPA registered products provide test proven results. Look for repellants that contain any of these ingredients:

• DEET
• Picaridin
• IR3535 Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus
• Para-Menthane-Diol
• 2-Undecanone

For treating clothing and gear use products containing 0.5% permethrin. It remains protective through several washings.  The Environmental Protection Agency has an online tool to help you select the repellent that is best for you and your family. The CDC website has more tips keeping ticks and mosquitos out of your backyard.

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