The tick is a vector of many illnesses and disease, so small yet so dangerous.

In 2003, Perry was a highly ranked runner who had recently graduated from college. While outside at a festival, she was bitten by a tick. Having grown up in the country, she didn’t give it a second thought when she found and removed it two days later. She felt as if she had the flu for a few weeks but then all symptoms of any disease subsided and she continued her running training.

Two years later, at the US Track and Field Championships, Perry was the favorite to win. During her 800m race she started to lose feeling in her arms and legs and finished the race in dead last. She had no idea what happened. It wasn’t until her mother noticed her scratching her neck and a visible bull’s-eye rash on her neck, that she knew she had Lyme disease (a full two years after the initial tick bite).

The Lyme diagnosis was the beginning of a four and half year struggle with chronic Lyme disease. Antibiotics didn’t work to get rid of the Lyme, in fact, Perry got worse. It eventually led to meningitis and severe depression. Instead of giving up, Perry decided to take matters into her own hands and did enormous amounts of research on alternative ways to battle this debilitating disease.

Ticks bury their heads in the skin when they bite

Four years later, Perry describes herself as faster and healthier than she was pre-Lyme. She’s become a health coach and is in the process of qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Trials. To help those that suffer with chronic Lyme disease, she’s published a book, The Tick Slayer, about her struggle and how she was able to overcome the odds and get better.

Athletes like Perry and Christine Rampone show us that Lyme disease really can affect anyone, even healthy, leading US athletes. In a year when ticks are expected to be worse than ever, it’s important to make sure to continue to check yourself after spending any time outdoors. If you are interested in learning about ways to help get rid of ticks around you, please visit Mosquito Squad’s tick control page of our website.

Thank you to Perry Fields for her wonderful story.

Food. Let’s face it, food can make all the difference at a barbecue, but you don’t want to spend the majority of your party in the kitchen preparing food for your guests and not laughing or chatting with them. Think about things you can make prior to your guests arriving. One of our favorites is a black bean and corn salsa that can be served with tortilla chips or as a side salad. It’s simple, mix the following ingredients and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving: 1 cup thawed frozen corn, 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed), 1 chopped tomato, 1 chopped scallion, ¼ cup chopped red onion, 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and the juice from one lime. So yummy!

Fresh fruit is always nice at a barbecue, but to make it a little more festive, think red, white and blue. By taking a rectangle platter and doing rows of red fruit (strawberries, raspberries, watermelon) and semi-white fruit (pineapple and banana) and adding a square of blueberries at the top, your fruit platter is also a decoration.

For a beverage, try this Red, White and Blue Sangria from RecipeGirl.com. We haven’t made it yet, but how fun does it look?

Décor. In short, anything with red, white and blue goes on Memorial Day. To add some color and light (if your party will go into the night), take old food jars to make centerpieces. You can buy colored sand at a nearby craft store and layer red, white and blue in the jars. Stick a small candle at the top and you’re done!

Use your plates, napkins and utensils as decorative accents. Around the holidays, there are many different patriotic themed items that you can pick up at your nearest grocery store or super store that will make your table spread look wonderful!

Games. Whether it’s ladder ball, bocce or bean bag toss, it’s nice to have outdoor games in mind to give your guests something to do. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive to be fun either. At a recent cook out with friends, I participated in a small field-day-like competition which included three legged races, a jumping rope contest, horse shoes and water balloon toss. All oldies, but still goodies.

Keep the bugs away. Yes, I know I’m a little biased, but honestly, who enjoys getting bitten by bugs?  A mosquito control barrier spray will keep the unwanted guests from crashing your party.

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

According to the Business Journals, “typically, the state’s first West Nile Virus-carrying mosquito is found in mid-June.” Adds the Department of Environmental Protect Secretary Mike Krancer “the unseasonably warm weather in March caused the virus cycle to begin early this year…our staff will continue to monitor mosquito populations and conduct spraying to reduce the threat to public health.”

Last year, the first West Nile Virus-carrying mosquito was found on May 17, 2011. From there it was found in 59 counties and six human infections were confirmed.

The West Nile Virus can cause fever and other flu-like symptoms

West Nile Virus is transmitted to humans via mosquito bites. It’s been reported that 100s of cases are diagnosed every year and according to the CDC, it’s estimated that 300,000 Americans have been ill due to West Nile Virus since it arrived in the United States 11 years ago. Symptoms, including high fever, headache, body aches and nausea, usually appear between 3 and 14 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Serious cases can lead to encephalitis or meningitis. Diagnosis is usually based on symptoms and if the virus is known to be present in the area. Older adults are more likely to become ill when infected with West Nile Virus.

There is no specific treatment for West Nile. Instead, the exhibited symptoms are treated. Unfortunately, there isn’t a vaccine to protect against West Nile in humans and domestic pets (there is one for horses). The best way to prevent infection is to prevent mosquito bites. At Mosquito Squad, we do that through our 5Ts of mosquito control.

The mosquito is the culprit of many insect -borne illnesses and diseases and survived the ice age

Tip – Tip over small objects in your yard that hold standing water, including dog dishes and children’s toys. Mosquitoes breed in standing water; cutting down on the breeding grounds will reduce the number of mosquitoes in your yard.

Toss – toss out excess grass, leaves and firewood from yards.

Turnover – Turn over larger items like bird baths and planter saucers periodically.

Remove Tarps – When tarps aren’t pulled tightly, they leave areas for small puddles where mosquitoes can breed.

Treat Accordingly – Getting rid of standing water won’t get rid of all the mosquitoes around your property. A mosquito control spray will protect your yard against mosquitoes for 21-days.

At Mosquito Squad, we are happy to help family enjoy their backyards without the threat of West Nile and other mosquito-borne diseases. If you are interested in how mosquito control can help you, please visit us online at MosquitoSquad.com or call your local Mosquito Squad office.

May is National Lyme Disease Awareness Month which we at Mosquito Squad are happy to participate in. Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector-borne illness in the country with over 30,000 Americans contracting the disease every year! Our vector expert and co-founder of Mosquito Squad, Boyd Huneycutt explains: “there is no doubt that ticks present a threat to the health of Americans, their families and even their pets, due to the movement and rise in the deer tick population. We urge everyone to control the factors that they can, and check themselves thoroughly when in areas that can house ticks.”

In recognition of Lyme Awareness Month, we want to reiterate Mosquito Squad 6 C for tick-proof yards:

1. Clear out. Reduce your tick exposure by clearing out areas where lawn and tree debris gathers. Ticks thrive in moist, shady areas and tend to die in sunny, dry areas. Locate compost piles away from play areas or high traffic. Separate them with wood chips or gravel. Don’t position playground equipment, decks and patios near treed areas.
2. Clean. Eliminate leaf litter and brush by cleaning it up around the house and lawn edges, mow tall grasses and keep your lawn short.
3. Choose plants. Select plants and shrubs that are not attractive to deer and/or install physical barriers to keep deer out of your yard. Check with your local nursery to determine the best choices for your area.
4. Check hiding places. Know tick hiding places and check them frequently. Fences, brick walls and patio retaining walls are popular hiding places.
5. Care for family pets. Family pets can suffer from tick-borne disease and also carry infected ticks into the home. Talk to your veterinarian about using tick collars and sprays. As with all pest control products, be sure to follow directions carefully.
6. Call the pros. Professionals utilize both barrier sprays that can kill live ticks on the spot as well as “tick tubes.” Strategically placed, “tick tubes” prompt field mice to incorporate tick-killing material in their bedding, effectively eliminating hundreds of tick nymphs found in each mouse nest.

Even if you follow the 6Cs, it is important to take the necessary precautions when spending time outdoors. The CDC recommends wearing light, long-sleeved clothing when in areas where ticks may be present. Always make sure to do a thorough body check when coming inside. If you do find a tick on you that has attached, be sure to remove it properly and place in a plastic bag in case you need to take it in for testing. Be aware of any rashes that occur around the bite itself. One symptom of Lyme disease is a bulls eye rash around the bite mark. If you think you are showing any signs of Lyme, it is important to go see a doctor.

If you would like to learn more about tick control in your area, please visit us at MosquitoSquad.com or contact your local Squad.

It doesn’t look huge here, but this was a welt of a mosquito bite!

People spend thousands of dollars to celebrate their big day, but unfortunately mosquito control is often overlooked in planning. Knowing that South Carolina can have some bugs, I made sure that our wedding ceremony, reception and rehearsal dinner venues were protected against mosquitoes as they all had outdoor spaces, but I found out the hard way the location of our pictures was not. Right after the ceremony, our wedding party, my husband and I went to a beautiful road to take pictures underneath 100+ year old oak trees. Not five minutes in, I had a huge mosquito bite on the back of my arm (and I got a few more throughout the posing process). Needless to say, we took pictures pretty quickly to get out of there. As annoyed as I was to have a few itchy bites, I was thrilled that our guests didn’t have that problem.

Mosquitoes can do a lot of damage for something so small and on a day you want everything to be flawless, you don’t want to worry about them. Mosquito Squad’s special events spray was created to make your outdoor events as perfect as you’ve always imagined. Our applicators come out prior to your event to keep the unwanted guests from crashing your big day. Visit us at online to find out more information about our mosquito control services.

Dread Skeeter from Mosquito Squad helping Malaria No More

Tomorrow is the fifth annual World Malaria Day and this year’s theme is simple: “Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria.” To help do our part, Mosquito Squad continues to support Malaria No More in its goal of reaching near zero deaths in Africa by 2015. In fact, we recently committed more than $50,000 to help fight this treatable and preventable disease. If you want to help us in our fight against malaria, donate at SwatMalaria.net on World Malaria Day!

Established by the World Health Assembly, World Malaria Day was started in 2007 to provide “education and understanding of malaria.” Its first theme was “Malaria – a disease without borders.” Although malaria is heavily concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, it, at times, reached epidemic levels in many parts of the world, including Europe and North America.

In honor of World Malaria Day, here are some facts about the disease that you may not know:

• The world malaria comes from the Italian words for “bad air” because the disease was first thought to be a result of bad swamp air.
• It is the world’s deadliest disease, killing over 650,000 people a year, most of which are children
• Some Egyptian mummies show signs of malaria
• Aristotle, Homer and Hippocrates all described the symptoms of malaria in their works
• Shakespeare alludes to malaria in eight of his plays
• In Europe, it spread as far north as Russia
• The Incas were the first to find relief from malaria using bark from the cinchona tree
• George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant all suffered from the disease
• British physician Ronald Ross was the first to discover that malaria was carried by the mosquito in 1897
• The US Center for Disease control was initially set up with the mission to control the spread of malaria
• Malaria was eradicated in the US in the 1950s
• Malaria mosquitoes need to drink blood every three days
• Symptoms of the disease usually appear 10-15 days after a person is infected

World Malaria Day is a day to spread awareness of the disease as well as a day to take action. A donation of just $10 to Malaria No More can help protect a mother and three small children against this terrible illness. To give now, visit SwatMalaria.net.

Tick populations are on the rise, make sure you keep close attention when spending time outdoors

In an effort to help our grass grow and flowers bloom, Drew has been spending more time in our yard watering, trimming etc. (I could say I have been too, but that would be a lie). In our front yard, our hose is located in the shade behind some large azaleas that we have. It’s one of the few places of our yard that gets more shade than sun and holds moisture pretty well. After turning off the hose and before coming inside the other day, what do you think he found crawling up his leg? The dreaded tick! Drew was lucky he was wearing long pants and was able to see and remove the tick before it bit. Since then we’ve been extra careful to check ourselves and our dog when coming in from the outside.

Because of the mild winter that many areas of the country experienced this year, more ticks are expected this spring. And with the increase in the reported cases of Lyme disease, every family should be extra vigilant when spending time outdoors, whether in the woods or sitting on your deck. To help fight the bite, we at Mosquito Squad are happy to offer up our 6 Cs of tick control you can utilize in your yard.

1. Clear out debris. Debris often accumulates in moist shady areas where ticks thrive (they usually die in sunny dry areas).
2. Clean. Eliminate leaf litter, brush off sidewalks and mow tall grass to cut down on the places ticks can harbor.
3. Choose plants that aren’t attractive to deer. In areas where deer are present this is very important because deer will carry ticks right into your yard.
4. Check hiding places periodically. Ticks like to hide along the base of fences and brick walls.
5. Care for family pets. Ticks can easy hide in the fur of your pets. If your animals (like our Wiley) spend time in areas where ticks may be present, make sure you apply a topical tick medication.
6. Call the pros. Mosquito Squad’s tick control eliminates ticks before they can bit and danger your friends and family.

In a year when ticks are expected to be worse than normal, it’s important to be extra careful. Make sure you do a full body check when coming inside and, in the case that you are bitten, remove the ticks properly and place it in a plastic bag in case it needs to be tested for tick-transmitted diseases.

Although it is believed that humans have been fighting the dengue virus for hundreds of years, it wasn’t documented until the 1950s when it reached epidemic levels in the Philippines and Thailand. Sixty years later and it is estimated that 40% of the world’s population is at risk of dengue. Almost all the cases that were diagnosed in the United States had been contracted elsewhere while traveling. Contact between the mosquitoes that carry dengue is very uncommon in the U.S.

Mosquitoes can be dangerous when carrying certain illnesses like Dengue Fever

The dengue virus is transmitted through the bites of several types of mosquitoes under the genus Aedes which primarily live in tropical and subtropical environments. Symptoms of dengue can start 4-7 days after infection and include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain and rashes. In a small number of cases, the fever can reach a critical phase. There are four closely related strands of the virus and severe cases are more common when a person is infected with two different strands of dengue.

Until now, how the human immune system fights the dengue virus has always been somewhat of a mystery because tests had only been conducted with mice. For this study, Aravinda M. de Silva, PHD. Of UNC School of Medicine, was able to study blood cells from people that were infected with dengue while traveling abroad. De Silva and her team were able to locate what part of the virus the immune system attacked.

“’This is a huge issue for vaccine development,’ said lead study author Ruklanthi de Alwis, a graduate student in de Silva’s lab. ‘We have to figure out a way to develop dengue vaccines that induce the good response that protects against infection, at the same time avoiding the bad response that enhances disease.’” – source.

With nearly half of the world’s population at risk of contracting this vector-borne disease, it’s great news to see a better understanding of how the virus works in the human body and how our immune systems respond. Until then it is important for residents to decrease the probability of being bitten by a mosquito buy getting rid of breeding sites and proper use of mosquito control.

More information on this study will be published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The tick is a vector of many illnesses and disease, so small yet so dangerous.

With such a mild winter and warm spring, mosquitoes and ticks are already out and about, and biting. There has been an influx of news regarding ticks this year and the diseases they may carry, including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme disease. According to the Wall Street Journal “between 1992 and 2010, reported cases of Lyme doubled, to nearly 23,000 and there were another 7,600 probable cases in 210, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But CDC officials say the true incidence of Lyme may be three times higher.”

The high rate of tick activity so far in 2012 has experts predicting an increase in Lyme disease. Lyme disease, transmitted through a tick bite, can cause nausea, fatigue, joint pain and headaches. If caught early, it can be treated with antibiotics, but if it goes untreated it can cause more serious ailments including shooting pains, dizziness, chronic fatigue and heart palpitations.

As we have mentioned in previous posts, doctors are still debating whether chronic Lyme disease exists and if it does, the best ways to treat it. As the conversation continues as to its validity, some researchers are moving forward and looking for a cure for chronic Lyme.

Over the last two and half years, Dr. Newell-Rogers, a professor at Texas A&M, and Viral Genetics have been testing a new drug that could be prescribed for chronic Lyme disease. Their findings and a proposal for a clinical trial were recently submitted to the FDA for consideration. Time for Lyme, an organization that focuses on the research of tick-borne illnesses, has financed the pre-clinical research. “At present, there is no recognized treatment for Lyme once it has developed into its chronic, long-term state,” says Peter Wild, executive director of Time for Lyme. “We are hopeful that Dr. Newell-Roger’s work will provide the solution that long-term Lyme disease sufferers have been hoping for, for decades.” Read more about the study here.

As the FDA decides on whether or not to move forward with Dr. Newell-Roger’s trial, it is important that we all protect ourselves from ticks in a year that they are expected to be VERY prevalent. Here are some tips:

• Reduce tick exposure through landscaping. Ticks live in moist, shady areas, so separate your outdoor living spaces from their habitats using gravel or wood-chip borders. Mow tall grasses and don’t position playgrounds along the wooded areas.
• Treat your pets. Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses can harm your pets as well. Ask your veterinarian about tick medications.
• Dress appropriately. Wearing loose-fitting, long sleeved and long legged clothing will reduce your chance for tick bites.
• Check your body for ticks. It’s important to check yourself thoroughly for ticks after being outside. Pay special attention to feet, ankles, behind the knees and armpits.
• Remove ticks promptly. If you see a tick on you, make sure to remove it promptly and place it in a plastic bag in case it needs to be tested for Lyme.

If you have a problem with ticks in your yard, you may need professional treatment. Mosquito Squad’s tick control service helps fight Lyme by killing ticks before they can bite you. To learn more, please visit our website or contact your local Mosquito Squad office.

Dread Skeeter from Mosquito Squad helping Malaria No More

A few years ago, Mosquito Squad joined Malaria No More in its goal toward near zero malaria deaths in in Africa by 2015 and we are happy to continue our support.

Malaria is rampant in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, killing a child nearly every minute, yet it is both preventable and treatable. Malaria No More helps fight the growth of malaria by helping to provide protective bed nets at $10 apiece.

At Mosquito Squad, we have committed more than $50,000 to the effort and encourage our nearly 100 franchisees to provide information and ways to donate to their customers. “We are so fortunate that parents in our country don’t worry about the possibility of their children contracting malaria,” says Scott Zide, president of Outdoor Living Brands, Mosquito Squad’s parent company. “We can’t think of a better organization that fits with our values and our corporate goals of making our world a better, safer place to live, not only in backyards across America but in the villages of Africa as well.”

Take a look at the video below and donate to Malaria No More at SwatMalaria.net.