Mosquitoes are swarming around Kansas City. Here are expert tricks to keep them away

A bad mosquito season? That’s just life in Kansas City.

But just because we live with them every summer doesn’t mean everyone knows the most effective ways of dealing with them.

For instance, those mosquito traps that release carbon dioxide that cost as much as $120 on Amazon? No noticeable effect, say researchers at Kansas State University.

Fancy ultrasonic mosquito traps? Not that effective either, K-State says.

Instead, experts supply a number of simpler, cheaper ways to keep mosquitoes at bay, including the right repellent, a fan plugged in on the deck, or teamwork with the neighbors to dump out standing water.

The good news is that the two primary mosquitoes that transmit the Zika virus are not common in the Kansas City area, according to K-State researchers.

And the mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus are present in small numbers in Kansas City area counties, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. So your chances of getting either disease here are slim.

When it comes to dealing with these buzzkills, some things work better than others. Here’s what you need to know this summer.

Plug in a fan

If you want to hang out on the deck or patio and don’t want to mess with repellents, keep the air moving around you.

Mosquitoes are most problematic in the morning and evening when the wind dies down, said Dennis Patton, horticulture agent with Johnson County K-State Research and Extension.

“On a windy day you don’t have issues with mosquitoes. They like it still. They’re not really strong flyers,” said Patton, who writes the weekly KC Gardens column for The Star.

“So when it’s really windy they’re kinda hunkered down for protection in the bushes and things where they kind of hang out during the heat of the day.”

In the evening, a fan will ward off mosquitoes, said Patton.

“I’m not talking a fan that’s going to blow the potato chips off your plate,” he said. “Just enough that you’re moving that air, because here again they like that stagnant, more still air.”

Get the neighbors involved

Most people know that standing water is ideal breeding grounds for the buggers.

So target them where they develop in the larval stage, because once they’re full-blown, flying adults, they’re tougher and more costly to control. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and K-State recommend:

▪ Once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover or throw away anything that holds water like tires, buckets, planters, toys, kiddie pools, birdbaths, flowerpot saucers or trash containers. Clean birdbaths and water bowls for animals at least once a week.

▪ Tightly cover water storage containers (buckets, cisterns, rain barrels) so mosquitoes can’t get inside to lay their eggs.

▪ Fill tree holes so they can’t fill with water.

▪ If you have a garden pond, stock it with fish that eat mosquitoes, including minnows and goldfish.

▪ Check for water trapped in plastic covers on swimming pools and boats. And make sure rain gutters are clean and not holding water.

Remember, mosquitoes don’t fly great distances.

“So the more you can do on your property — and your neighbor’s — to manage them, the less you’re going to have in your locale,” said Patton. “It’s not like they’re going to fly five miles to find your backyard. They’re going to be coming from sources relatively close.”

Repellents that work

Your body isn’t the only thing that needs bug repellent. Use an outdoor flying insect spray to spritz down those places where mosquitoes rest — dark, wet areas like under patio furniture and under carports.

As for your body, use repellents registered with the Environmental Protection Agency — always read and follow usage directions — with one of these active ingredients that federal authorities say are safe and effective even for pregnant and breastfeeding women:

▪ Deet

▪ Picaridin

▪ IR3535

▪ Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE)

▪ Para-menthane-diol (PMD)

▪ 2-undecanone

Products that contain Deet are considered the most effective.

But, the more Deet a repellent contains “the longer, not better, it will protect you,” says K-State extension research. “However, the use of products containing more than 33% DEET is not recommended.”

Natural repellents don’t always work

Some people would rather not slather their bodies with chemicals. Why do you think so many people have sworn for years by Skin So Soft Original Bath Oil by Avon as an insect repellent?

But even Avon says it’s not designed as a bug spray and makes no claims that it is, according to Consumer Reports.

In fact, the bath oil didn’t perform well at all when Consumer Reports put insect repellents to the test four years ago. The oil provided about two hours of protection from deer ticks and two types of mosquitoes.

“You get all these more organic options, citronella, peppermint oil, lemon grass oil, geranium oil,” Patton said. “The higher strengths of Deet may provide three, four hours or more of protection, where you get down to some of these … essential oils and they may provide minutes of protection.”

A K-State publication summarizes the effectiveness of various mosquito repellents. A few:

▪ Off! Deep Woods, 23/8% Deet: 302 minutes of complete protection.

▪ Bit Blocker for Kids, 2% soy oil: 95 minutes.

▪ Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus, 7.5% IR3535: 23 minutes.

▪ Buzz Away, 5% citronella, 14 minutes.

▪ Skin So Soft Moisturizing Sun Care, 05% citronella: 3 minutes.

“If you’re just going to run to the mailbox and back, or maybe visit with the neighbor over the fence for a few minutes, yes, some of these natural repellents may help,” said Patton. “But if you’re going to go on a hike in the woods, you’re going to be reapplying very often.”

For parents

It goes without saying but deserves emphasis: Read the label before using any repellent on children. Some products with higher amounts of Deet are not recommended for young children, Patton warns. His K-State colleagues and the CDC also caution:

▪ Don’t use insect repellent on babies younger than 2 months.

▪ Don’t use products containing oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol on children younger than 3.

▪ Never apply insect repellent onto a child’s hands, eyes, mouth, or irritated skin. Adults should spray the repellent onto their own hands first, then to the child’s face.

And keep the kiddies’ arms and legs covered up, and use mosquito netting to to cover strollers and baby carriers.

Don’t scratch!

After all that, you just got bit.

That darn mosquito just pierced your skin with a mouth part called a proboscis and sucked your blood.

As it fed, it injected saliva into your skin. Your body didn’t like that.

Children, people with immune system disorders and adults bitten by a species they’ve never been exposed to can have reactions worse than a red bump — hives, a low-grade fever, swollen lymph nodes.

In any case, use an over-the-counter anti-itch or antihistamine cream. Or try this homemade method recommended by the CDC:

Wash the bite area with soap and water. Apply an ice pack for 10 minutes to reduce the swelling and itching; keep reapplying as needed. Then make a DIY anti-itch cream. Mix 1 tablespoon baking soda with just enough water to make a paste. Put the paste on the bite for 10 minutes then wash it off.

Whatever you do, don’t scratch.

“The last thing you want to do is scratch them because then you could potentially get the bites infected,” said Patton. “It’s just one of those things you’re going to have to kind of tough out.”