After a long day in the sun, you find yourself riddled with itchy, red bumps – are these mosquito bites or something else? While telling mosquito bites apart from other bug bites can be tricky, there are ways to identify the type of bite you’ve got. Here’s what Atlanta homeowners should know about identifying mosquito bites, how dangerous mosquito bites are, how you can protect yourself from mosquitoes, and the best way to protect your property.
How To Tell If It’s A Mosquito Bite Or Something Else In Atlanta
Mosquitoes may leave behind itchy, red bumps, but so do a lot of other pests. Bed bugs, for instance, may also leave behind irritating, raised bumps, so how can you tell mosquito bites apart from other insect bites? Well, there are a couple of ways to identify a mosquito bite:
- Appearance: Most mosquito bites are small, raised, and red. While size can vary based on your individual reaction to the bite, most mosquito bites aren’t bigger than a quarter.
- No pattern: While bed bugs or fleas tend to leave their bites in a pattern or line, the placement of mosquito bites is usually random and shouldn’t follow a pattern.
- Itchy: Mosquito bites are almost always itchy, and if you’re extra sensitive, you may even break the skin or leave a blister behind.
- Location: While most bugs can only access your exposed skin, mosquitoes are one of the few pests that can leave bites under your clothing.
How Dangerous Is It To Be Bitten By A Mosquito In Atlanta?
While mosquito bites may just seem like an itchy nuisance, they can be dangerous for a couple of reasons. Mosquitoes can spread a variety of mosquito-borne illnesses, like Zika virus, Dengue fever, yellow fever, West Nile virus, and Chikungunya fever. There’s also a slight risk that you could be allergic to the protein that mosquitoes inject into your blood, also called Skeeter’s syndrome.
Most of the time, mosquito bites won’t do any serious harm, but if you begin experiencing fever, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, or breathing problems after a bite, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Ways To Protect Yourself From Atlanta’s Mosquitoes
Whether you’re a mosquito magnet or not, you should always take steps to protect yourself from mosquito bites, such as:
- Dress in light-colored clothing, which is harder for mosquitoes to detect
- Cover up with clothing, by wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts
- Apply insect repellent (preferably one with the active ingredient, DEET) if you plan to be outside
- Get rid of standing water around your property, including birdbaths and puddles from drainage issues
- Keep up with regular lawn maintenance to prevent tall grass and weeds that may give mosquitoes a place to shelter
The Best Form Of Mosquito Control For Atlanta Properties
While the tips above are a great place to start, the best form of mosquito control in Atlanta comes from Tuxedo Mosquito Control. If you’re constantly dealing with mosquitoes around your home or even just need your property to be bug-free for a special event, don’t wait – call us today at Tuxedo Mosquito Control to learn more about our mosquito control services.