When you visit Whataburger Field, you’re looking forward to a great day enjoying the Corpus Christi Hooks. You might also try a dip in the swimming pool or hot tub, check out the rock climbing wall or hang out at the kid’s playground.
Not included in this day of fun at the ballpark is fighting swarms of mosquitoes!
Let’s take a look at ways you can keep mosquitoes away while having a blast rooting for the Hooks.
Why worry about mosquitoes?
Sure mosquito bites are annoying, but you can handle a few itchy bites, right?
Not so fast.
With the rise of mosquito-borne disease, especially West Nile and Zika viruses, it’s important to take precautions. Even Yellow Fever, also carried by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, has made a recent comeback in Africa.
In particular, you’d be smart to protect yourself and your family against the Zika virus, an illness that first appeared in the United States this year. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, as of August 12, 2016, there have been 106 cases of Zika virus disease in Texas so far.
For those who contract Zika, it usually is a mild illness with common flu-like symptoms including fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis. In most cases, the illness lasts about a week with no known lasting effects.
For pregnant women, or those hoping to become pregnant, Zika poses a much greater threat. Scientists are studying the possibility that the Zika virus contributes to birth defects, most notably microcephaly, a condition in which an infant’s brain does not develop normally, resulting in a smaller skull.
Harris County has already experienced two infants born with microcephaly likely due to this disease.
For this reason, it’s imperative that women of childbearing age take extra precautions when heading outdoors this summer.
Tips for preventing mosquito bites
Being outside in the Texas heat often means you can’t avoid mosquitoes, but you can avoid getting bitten. Here are some helpful ways to keep yourself and your family safe.
For protection against both sun exposure and mosquito bites, wear lightweight, light-colored clothing, and consider options that cover both your arms and legs. These choices will keep you cool, keep the sun off your skin, and make you all but invisible to mosquito marauders.
As soon as you get to Whataburger Field, your first step should be applying sunblock. The second step should be applying a good-quality mosquito repellent.
Look for products with the active ingredients DEET, Picaridin, or lemon eucalyptus oil. Studies show all three of these components offer effective protection against mosquito bites. For those who don’t like using synthetic chemicals, lemon eucalyptus products are great options.
You can apply insect sprays both to exposed skin and to clothing, including hats and socks, while insect repellent lotions are great long-lasting options to apply to your arms and legs. Be sure to apply to places such as the back of the neck, under the bottom hem of t-shirts, and on ears and faces. Mosquitoes love to bite our hands, feet and ankles, the backs of our knees and inside bends of our elbows, so don’t forget to apply repellent there as well!
Because kids will want to run and play as soon as you arrive, make your life easier with a combination product that takes care of your sunscreen and mosquito control at the same time. For example, Bullfrog makes a spray, Bull Frog Sunblock with Insect Repellent, that includes an SPF 30 sunblock, making it easy to apply both products before your children wriggle away.
Since you’ll likely be outside for an extended period of time, be sure to reapply repellents and sunscreen as necessary. Same goes for the kids, especially if water play is involved.
How ABC Corpus Christi can help
While the staff at ABC Home and Commercial Services Corpus Christi can’t join you on all of your summer outings, we do want to keep you and your family safe with our on-the-go tips.
And when you get home, don’t forget we offer mosquito misting and other solutions to keep your yard mosquito-free all summer. Give us a call and we’ll be happy to send out our experts to evaluate your needs and recommend the right solutions to eradicate mosquitoes and other pests throughout your home and yard.
