Running For Your Health… When it Turns into Running from Mosquitoes

Maybe you’ve been a runner your entire life, or maybe you’ve just decided to take your health a little more seriously and jump on the runner’s bandwagon or chase it. Did you notice that the mosquitoes appeared to have joined you in your health kick? Yep, suddenly they love you more than ever before. You can’t give up now, you already bought these crazy expensive shoes and cool workout gear. In Florida running is a year-round outdoor activity, something is going to have to give.

Why Do Mosquitoes Love Runners?

Understanding the mosquito’s new super attraction to you is a start. It fairly simple. Carbon Dioxide. Mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide and you are making about quadruple the amount now that you are running, according to Jonathan Day, Ph.D., mosquito researcher and professor of medical entomology at the University of Florida. You’re producing lactic acid as well which the mosquitoes seem to love along with your elevated surface body temperature. You probably think you’re a hot mess, the mosquitoes see you as a hot meal!

Is This Avoidable?

There are 80 types of mosquitoes in Florida so it’s honestly impossible you are going to outrun them all, but avoiding them is a possibility. Start with your clothing. The more of your body that you cover, the less there is to bite, but it’s Florida and it’s hot. A heat stroke could end up worse than a mosquito bite. Your basic repellents aren’t going to help. Once they mix with sweat they will weaken to practically useless. You can do your warm ups and cool downs inside, that’s a way to avoid, but do you have a space for that? Honestly, isn’t your own driveway the best place to begin and end.

Well at Mosquito Squad of Greater Jacksonville and Ponte Vedra, we can help. We can’t keep you from getting bitten on the street, but we can stop the mosquitoes in the driveway. Our mosquito barrier treatment eliminates 85-90% of mosquitoes in your yard and keeps working for up to 3 weeks. While you are committing to a healthier you, why not add protection from mosquitoes and the illnesses that they carry to the equation? You are worth the effort that you are putting in for the sake of your health. Don’t let mosquitoes stop you from running. Let our services help protect you from the extra bites that could lead to dangerous diseases.