Bug Sprays & Repellents What You Need to Know

Living in the greater Tampa Bay area has many advantages. One of which is being able to enjoy the year-round sunshine and warm weather.

Many of us like to spend our times outdoors in comfy shorts, tee-shirts and flip-flops. However, such attire does not cover our skin and enables mosquitoes and other insects to bite, leaving us with itchy / red painful lumps, rashes and can even cause diseases.

In order to enjoy the outdoors, many of us turn to over-the-counter (“OTC”) mosquito repelling sprays, lotions, towelettes and creams. When using these products, you must carefully read and follow instructions but more importantly, you should consider some of the disadvantages and side-effects.

Facts

• DEET or N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, is the active ingredient in many mosquito and biting insect sprays, creams, towelettes and gels.

• An estimated 1/3^rd of the U.S. population uses these repellents each year and they contain anywhere between 5% to 99% of DEET.

• Repellents are a short-term solution as they only last 4-5 hours and should only be applied once a day which may limit the amount of time you can spend outdoors.

Considerations and Precautions

• Per the Center of Disease Control, “CDC”, do NOT use insect repellents on infants younger than 2 months of age.

• For infants over 2 months and young children, use a product that contains no more than 30% of DEET in accordance with the guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

• Do NOT apply sprays in enclosed areas to avoid inhalation.

• Do NOT spray or apply products to your face or on broken, cut, irritated and inflamed skin or over wounds.

• Avoid over-application and do NOT use under clothing.

• Do NOT use these products if you have sensitive skin or prone to skin irritations.

• Remember to wash your hands after application and wash clothing before wearing it again.

Potential Side-Effects

According to the CDC, DEET products when used as directed, should not be harmful, but they can have adverse side-effects if not properly used.

• Some products may have an unpleasant odor and leave an oily or slimy residue on your skin and clothes.

• They can cause skin irritation, allergies, inflammation, rashes, dizziness and can make it difficult to concentrate.

• High doses of DEET have been linked to blisters, epileptic seizures, stiffness of joints, headaches and shortness of breath.

Rather then relying on OTC repellents, you may want to consider long-term alternatives; such as having a professional, such as Mosquito squad of Tampa Bay treat your outdoor living space so you don’t have to apply these products.

Mosquito Squad will treat your property and perform “Barrier Spray” treatments to instantly kill the mosquito and biting insect population. Our solutions have a residual that will continuously release the insecticide for up to three weeks. We also treat standing water to further control and reduce new hatchings.

For maximum protection, check out our Automatic Misting Systems, the ultimate solution to eradicate not only mosquitoes, but no-see-ums, fleas, spiders and many other biting insects on a daily basis. As we like to say, “We set it and you forget it”.

Contact Mosquito Squad of Tampa Bay at 813-502-0505 or tampabay@mosquitosquad.com – Your professional mosquito, biting insect and rodent control service provider to help you FIGHT THE BITE.