How you can avoid mosquito bites this summer

Mosquito season is right around the corner. But there are things you can do to protect yourself.

People are most likely to get bitten by mosquitoes during the warm and lazy summer months, says Katie Westby, vector and disease ecologist at the Tyson Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis’ environmental field station in Eureka, Missouri.

Westby is interested in how mosquitoes are adapting to new climates and thriving in modern cities. But many of the people she talks with are more worried about how some mosquitoes can spread disease.

“West Nile virus is endemic in the St. Louis area and there have been a few cases of La Crosse virus in past decades, which primarily affects children,” she says. “Interestingly, there is a relatively rare mosquito-transmitted virus called St. Louis encephalitis virus. Viruses used to be named after the place they were first discovered. So while this may be another claim to fame for our city, it doesn’t mean we have a lot of cases.

“In other regions of the United States, like Florida and Texas, there have been sporadic cases of dengue caused by mosquito bites,” Westby says. “We also see a few cases of Eastern equine encephalitis and Western encephalitis each year. Overall, in the US, ticks are responsible for more disease than mosquitoes (e.g., Lyme disease and Rickettsial infections), however.”

Here, Westby offers some advice on avoiding bites, and what to do if you become part of a skeeter’s favorite meal:

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