Mosquito season is here in SC, and it’s unlikely to go away for awhile. South Carolina mosquitoes can make it hard for you to spend time outside thanks to their bites and their potential to spread disease. Find out more about mosquito season in the Hilton Head area and what to do to protect yourself from these pests.
Mosquito Activity in Spring and Summer
In spring and early summer, mosquitoes start to become active. Some types of mosquitoes spend the colder part of the year in a state of hibernation and emerge when the weather gets warm enough. Other types of mosquitoes spend the winter months as eggs and need the right conditions in order to hatch. These mosquitoes can sometimes become active later or earlier depending on how much moisture is available and what the temperatures are like.
During spring and summer, mosquitoes stay busy feeding and reproducing. These bugs can lay thousands of eggs during mosquito season, leading to huge increases in their numbers. When conditions are right, their young are able to develop more quickly, which means they’ll start reproducing sooner rather than later. This can boost local mosquito populations even more.
Mosquito Activity in Late Summer and Early Fall
As summer winds down and fall starts up, South Carolina mosquitoes are still around. However, these pests aren’t quite as active this time of year as they are in spring and early to mid summer. Mosquito populations tend to decline a bit in late summer and early fall, since these bugs begin slowing down in terms of reproduction. This leads to fewer mosquitoes that are out and about.
Keep in mind that these bugs won’t really go away until temperatures are below 50 degrees. In South Carolina, this can mean that mosquito season lasts well into October or even November.
Risks of Mosquito Infestations
What do you need to worry about if you have a mosquito problem in your yard? These pests can leave you with itchy, red bite marks that can last for several days or so. What’s worse is that these bugs can put you at risk of getting West Nile virus or other diseases that they’re able to transmit through their bites. Your pets are also at risk of getting heartworm if they’re bitten by mosquitoes that are infected with this parasite.
Mosquito Control for Your SC Property
Don’t let your guard down as mosquito season winds to a close. Until these bugs are hibernating or dead, they’ll still be around to bite you. Mosquito control is an important part of keeping their populations down and lowering your risk of bites.
You can have mosquito control done to deal with an existing mosquito problem, or you can do it as a preventative measure to stop these bugs from infesting your yard. Routine mosquito control can help ensure that these pests aren’t around to spoil your outdoor fun in late summer and early fall.
Mosquito Prevention Tips
Mosquito control is one way to prevent mosquito bites and exposure to certain diseases. There are other things you can do to reduce your risk of mosquito bites even more. Make sure that your yard doesn’t have any standing water that mosquitoes can use for laying their eggs. This might mean emptying out flower pots, bird baths and pet bowls regularly.
You should also play it safe and use mosquito repellent when you go outside during mosquito season. Covering up your legs and arms to lower your risk of bites is also a good way to keep these bugs at bay. We spoke to our friends in the HVAC industry about steps to keep the mosquitoes out of the house and one trick was frequent ac filter replacement. A clogged filter reduces air flow and can cause many issues, but the worst of all it can give a place for bugs and mosquitoes to accumulate in the added dust and debris in the home.
If you want to have your yard treated for mosquitoes, contact Island Pest Control. We offer pest control services to eliminate South Carolina mosquitoes, so you can enjoy being outdoors the rest of the summer and early fall.
