LICKING COUNTY, Ohio (WCMH) — The most effective way to prevent mosquito-borne diseases, according to the Licking County Health Department (LCHD,) is to prevent being bitten by mosquitoes.

Diseases spread by mosquitoes are a concern in Ohio each year. Mosquito-borne diseases that may occur locally in Ohio include: Eastern equine encephalitis virus, La Crosse virus, St. Louis encephalitis virus, and West Nile virus. There are also several mosquito-borne diseases that Ohioans can acquire when traveling that could be brought back into Ohio: Chikungunya virus, Dengue, Japanese encephalitis virus, Malaria, Yellow fever, and Zika virus.

Being aware of mosquito and mosquito-borne disease activity in your area allows you to take action to protect yourself and others, avoid mosquitoes and mosquito bites, plan ahead for mosquitoes while traveling, and stop mosquitoes from breeding in and around your home.

Avoid Mosquitoes and Mosquito Bites

• Use insect repellents when you go outdoors. Apply repellents on exposed skin that are registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA-registered insect repellents are proven safe and effective, even for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
• Wear clothing treated with permethrin or another EPA-registered repellent for extra protection.
• Use products according to label instructions to optimize safety and effectiveness.
• Don’t spray repellents on the skin under your clothing.
• Take care during peak mosquito biting hours:
• Take extra care to use repellents from dusk to dawn.
• Wear light-colored clothing, long-sleeved shirts or jackets and long pants to protect against mosquito bites.
• Consider avoiding outdoor activities during peak mosquito biting hours.
• Use mosquito netting when sleeping outdoors or in an un-screened structure.

Stop Mosquitoes From Breeding In and Around Your Home

• Don’t let mosquitoes breed around your home.
• Empty standing water from flowerpots, buckets, barrels, tarps/covers and wheel barrows on a regular basis. Discard trash such as tin cans, plastic containers and other water-holding containers that have accumulated on your property.
• Dispose of discarded tires properly.
• Drill holes in tire swings so water drains out.
• Change the water in pet dishes frequently.
• Replace the water in bird baths weekly.
• Check and clean clogged roof gutters at least twice annually so they will drain properly.
• Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with mosquito-eating fish.
• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools, even those that are not being used.
• Keep children’s wading pools empty and on their sides when they aren’t being used.
• Consider using products containing Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti), available at many garden and home improvement stores, to control mosquito larvae in containers that are too large to empty. Follow label instructions.
• Stop mosquitoes from coming indoors: Install or repair screens on windows and doors. Use air conditioning, if you have it.

The Licking County Health Department practices an integrated pest management approach to mosquito control. This includes trapping for adults, dipping for larvae, treating standing water with larvicide, draining breeding sites when possible, and spraying to kill adult mosquitoes when needed.

LCHD sprays to kill adult mosquitoes when needed. Mosquito spraying occurs with weather permitting during dusk hours from an LCHD marked vehicle.

This week’s mosquito spraying schedule includes:
Thursday, June 4: Buckeye Lake KOA and Ramp Creek Mobile Home Park

Other County Health Department Links

• Delaware County Health Department
• Fairfield County Health Department
• Franklin County Health Department added a mosquito specific web page to its site. At the top of the page is a COVID-19 explainer that it new resperatory disease CANNOT be spread through mosquitoes.
• Pickaway County Health Department
• Centers for Disease Control