Fight The Bite
Aedes aegypti Mosquito
Typically found in tropical and subtropical areas such as the Lower Rio Grande Valley, the Aedes aegypti is a small, dark mosquito with white shaped markings on its legs and on the upper surface of its thorax.
The Aedes aegypti mosquitos’ are “dusk and dawn biters”, being most active during daylight, for approximately two hours after sunrise and several hours before sunset, they also bite at night under sufficient artificial lighting. Indoors they tend to rest in dark places, while outside they rest in cool and shaded areas.
It takes the Aedes aegypti as little as 7 to 8 days to go from egg to adult and depending on conditions is has an adult life span of around three weeks.
The eggs can be viable for over a year in a dry state, which allows the mosquito to re-emerge after a cold winter or dry spell.
What you need to know about mosquito-borne diseases
What is Zika?
Zika is a disease caused by the Zika virus, which is spread to people primarily by Aedes mosquitoes, but also through blood transfusions, sexual contact, or from a pregnant mother to her baby.
What is Dengue?
Dengue fever is spread by mosquitoes and there are four major types of dengue viruses. Having dengue fever with one type of dengue virus will not protect you from the other three types.
What is Chikungunya?
Chikungunya is a virus transmitted to people by mosquitoes and is not spread person-to-person. While symptoms can be severe and debilitating, death from chikungunya is uncommon.
Avoiding mosquito bites
Use personal protection to avoid mosquito bites.
- Wear long sleeve shirts, long pants, socks and shoes when mosquitoes are most active.
- Apply repellents such as DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535 only to exposed skin and/or clothing (as directed on the product label). Do not use repellents under clothing.
You can also protect yourself and your family by taking these precautions:
- Use mosquito netting over infant carriers, cribs and strollers.
- Install or repair window and door screens to keep out mosquitoes
Mosquito Control
- Check your yard weekly for water-filled containers.
- Throw away water-holding containers that are not needed.
- If empty containers or large objects, they should be covered, turned over or placed under a roof that does not allow them to fill with water.
- Clean and scrub bird baths and pet-watering dishes weekly and dump the water from overflow dishes under potted plants and flower pots.
- Cover rain barrels with tight screening so that mosquitoes cannot enter.