The rain this summer has been a welcome relief but comes with an unfortunate side effect: a resurgent mosquito problem. The number of people in Austin (and Texas) who have contracted the mosquito-borne West Nile virus is up this year, with the first reported Travis County West Nile death since 2003.
There's no surefire way to completely prevent getting bitten by the little vampires, but you can take some simple precautions.
Use Repellent
That may seem obvious but many people refuse to do so for a number of reasons: they don't like how if feels or smells, or they worry that the chemical used in most repellents, DEET, will give them cancer. Snopes.com has a very good article about the myriad of suggested home remedies such as dryer sheets, B vitamins, noise machines, etc. In tests, DEET has proven to be the most effective at preventing bites for the longest amount of time, but if you don't want to use it try a citronella and lemongrass oil-based natural repellent which will offer some protection.
Wear Long Clothing
Not the best advice when it's 100 degrees out there but wearing light-colored long-sleeved shirts and long pants protect your skin from both mosquitos and the sun's UV rays.
Get Rid of Standing Water
Any place where water collects is a breeding ground for mosquitoes so be sure to patrol the area surrounding your home. Even a tiny bucket can become a hatchery for the mini-bloodsuckers so be sure to leave no bowl unturned.
Birds and Bats to the Rescue
Purple Martin gourd houses: photo by Sister 72 via Flickr
Purple martins love to feast on mosquitoes and are all over the Hill Country. There are lots of places that sell houses or you can build your own.
It's ironic that vampires turn into bats because the winged mammals are actually great devourers of the little insect bloodsuckers. According to Bat Conservation International, the bats under Congress Avenue Bridge devour between 10,000 and 20,000 pounds of insects EACH DAY. So maybe build a bat house or three in your backyard.
There are other methods of reducing mosquitos around your house but they can be pricey or are labor-intensive:
- Mosquito control services - These can be effective for a short period but can be costly and require multiple treatments throughout mosquito season.
- Repellent plants - Planting citronella grass, Mexican marigolds or a ton of basil may offer a modicum of protection but you would need to plant a lot of them and it's still unclear how effective these would be.
- Bug zappers/traps - A normal UV light zapper will fry some pests but will not work on mosquitoes. In order to attract mosquitoes, it has to entice them with a special chemical odor. There are units that have refillable scent cannisters but unfortunately they only work on specific species of mosquitoes and Texas is home to 85 different types of mosquito, so you'll never get them all. If you do get a mosquito zapper, target the "Asian tiger" or "tiger stripe" mosquito because it is the most common carrier of West Nile virus.
Tiger mosquito: photo courtesy CDC Image Library
Don't let those needle-nosed varmints get in the way of enjoying the great outdoors. Be sure to check out our guides to some of the great hiking and swimming spots in and around Austin or, if you want to beat the heat and the bugs, check out our article on Longhorn Cavern State Park.
